Point of View

By Claudia Adreani. January 2024

Mastering the Market. How Agile Planning Keeps You Ahead of the Curve.

Do you hear the word planning and you find yourself rolling your eyes? You picture endless meetings; long PowerPoints slide decks full of buzzwords that would give Siri a headache. You also feel that by the time you finish this whole old process, it will already be obsolete. But here’s the reality: if done properly, it can be a small pain for a lot of gain.

Remember that fantastic plan we made last year? Well, the market may have gone and changed the rules of the game, leaving our carefully laid path feeling a bit outdated. And we may not know it yet, but we will find out later, with a less pleasing nose-dive in performance if we don’t take the time to review some fundamental elements. That’s why we do this planning thing again and again. It’s not because we love a good redo (although it can be fun!), but because it allows us to…

Customers change: Have their needs, aspirations, and pain points changed? Are we still effectively addressing them?
Strategic Choices: Do our goals and positioning still resonate with the evolving market? Are there new opportunities to pursue?
Tactical Implementation: Are our initiatives delivering the intended results? Can we optimize their effectiveness or streamline their execution?
Performance Evaluation: How did previous campaigns and initiatives fare? What lessons can we glean to inform future decisions?

But remember, there is no need to reinvent the entire engine every time we stop. That’s just exhausting. Instead, we can do a more like a quick pit stop and revisit these critical aspects, so we are not throwing away past efforts. We’re building upon them, refining our course based on valuable insights and ensuring our resources are directed towards what really matters and can make a difference.

This ongoing process serves several crucial purposes:

Maintains Relevance: As customer insights are the compass of the plan, it is worth checking they have change and whether we are still pointing in the right direction? Or maybe time for a realignment?
Maximizes Efficiency: Is our implementation working smoothly or need a tweak? Reviewing our plan allows us to identify and address inefficiencies, optimizing our resource allocation and achieving greater impact.
Fosters Adaptability: Are we still going for the right targets? A plan review equips us to identify and seize new opportunities, potentially putting us ahead of the competition.
Encourages Collaboration: Divide and conquer is critical for execution, but when the team disperses, it is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Going back to the plan for a review engages various stakeholders and re-align them in the shared mission, fostering a sense of ownership and collective accountability.

Ultimately, the essential reassessment should not a chore, but a strategic advantage. It enables us to maintain a clear focus, continuously improve our approach, and navigate the dynamic market with confidence. And if done frequent enough, it can also become more embedded in our normal business practice (more like best practice).

Perhaps is time to take a critical look at your current planning process. Are you engaged in regular, focused reassessments? Are you embracing the opportunity to refine your course and maximize your brand’s potential? Are you asking yourself, more frequent than not…

What’s working? So you can double down on those winning efforts!
What’s not? So you can refocus your time and make space for new ideas.
What can be better? So you can apply what you have learned and improve so you can speed up in the competitive race.

Are you mastering this planning a dynamic conversation? If you are, high five! If you are not, perhaps it is time to review the frequency of your time reviews or your planning process to check that you are striking the balance. We’re here to help. We’re experts in streamlining processes and boosting results. Let’s chat about how we can tailor a solution for your unique needs.

By Claudia Adreani. December 2023

Data smart, or are we marketers losing a plot?

In the age of big data and advanced analytics, now powered by AI, marketers find themselves surrounded by an abundance of information. We are getting almost obsessed with measuring engagements, reach, behaviours in all channels to the micro-detail, to become more competitive and effective in our communications. While the ability to gather and analyse data has undoubtedly enhanced our understanding of performance and customer engagement, a critical question emerges: are we becoming data rich and insights poor?

Love Brands: Beyond Data to Intimate Connection

We all know that not all brands are the same. Not all brands are strong, respected, valuable, but more than anything, not all brands are all of the above, because not all brands are loved. These love brands are not merely representing great products; they are companions, confidants, and catalysts for a life well-lived. They truly engage with their customers, and over a significant period, consistently. The Intebrand 2023 Brands Report attests to this truth: love brands are those that go beyond the transactional, forging an intimate connection with customers. They can only achieve that because the understand not just what the customer wants the product to do, but more profoundly, what the customer aspires to achieve, the dreams they hold, and the context in which they live their life. This level of insight goes beyond the measurable-level analysis of data; it reaches the human in its context. Love brands then use that deep and meaningful understanding of the intricate tapestry of human existence and create experiences that resonate with the core of their audiences’ desires and aspirations. This unfortunately cannot be derived by only analysing data, as complex as the data analysis we manage to do. As life becomes more complex, understanding our customers requires a nuanced approach that goes beyond data points. While data undoubtedly plays a crucial role, we need deeper elements in the symphony of creating brands that are not just purchased but cherished.

The Deceptive Magnetism of Data

The proliferation of data sources, tracking tools, and artificial intelligence has provided marketers with a wealth of metrics and statistics. However, there is a risk that, in our quest for quantifiable insights, we may be overlooking a fundamental truth: true and deep understanding of customers often transcends what data alone can reveal. We humans are not that easy to decipher or be coded with algorithms and formulas and there are many hidden codes that can only be uncover by other type of interactions and observations. AI can certainly help us improve the efficiency of the analysis of all the data points we have about ourselves and give us a clearer picture, but it will only be an image. Is that the reality, though? We have witness in the past years the great efforts made to increase the level of sophistication of tactical digital implementation, always excited for the promising potential of the channels given their tracking abilities. We have also been spectators of many initiatives not hitting targets, engagement levels, marketers’ aspirations, and the remaining question stays: what have we missed? Hard to tell when we only have observable data.

Innovation beyond a post-mortem analysis

In our pursuit of data-driven decision-making, we might be neglecting a fundamental truth, which is the need for innovative ideas at the outset. While post-mortem analysis can tell us what didn’t click, it doesn’t reveal what could have been the next big thing. Also, for any success to happen, the quality of the ideas being tested remains paramount; the relevance of the content and the messages continue to be king. Data can tell us what is happening, but it often falls short in explaining why. Without engaging in real conversations with our audience, without listening to the words, the body language, the facial expressions, the emotions, we run the risk of making assumptions based solely on numerical patterns. Who of us have not ever been in those moments, in those conversations, which are the ones that spark the true inspiration, that lead to real connection.

Insights in the shadow of capability building

In the relentless pursuit of data-driven insights, there’s a subtle danger of overlooking the irreplaceable value of human connection and firsthand understanding. As the marketing landscape becomes increasingly digitized, it’s crucial to recognize that not all relevant capabilities come neatly packaged in algorithms and AI. The abundance of job posts and training programs centred on data analytics might inadvertently create a generation of marketers very savvy in numbers crunching but distant from the art and the science of taking the pulse of their audience. The illusion that data will hold all the truths might be making them so immerse in datasets and queries, in a quest for finding whether customers are engaging and not, that they disregard the need of engaging in meaningful conversations with the very individuals they aim to engage. Primary research, whatever the form it takes, the bedrock of genuine insights, may be taking a backseat. This poses the risk of fundamentally downgrading the insights discipline for the future.

Balancing Data and Humanity as a pathway to true love

While data remains an invaluable asset for marketers, and the potential of the sophisticated and enhanced analysis we can do with it is powered by technology, it should not overshadow the importance of genuine human interaction. As we navigate the sea of data, let’s not forget that behind every data point is a real person with a story, needs, and aspirations. By rediscovering the power of customer conversations, marketers can ensure that their strategies are not just data-driven but insight-led, resonating authentically with their audience, engaging them deeply and creating genuine love and affection for their brands.

Final words… Insights to Empower Efficiency

In a world flooded with data, where our collective efforts strive for precision and sophistication in measuring effectiveness, it’s crucial to recalibrate our compass. Despite our quest for more accurate metrics, and the power of AI to allow us to effectively integrate huge amounts of data and process them in an effective way, let’s smartly reconnect with our audience too. Even if for no other reason, this will ensure that downstream efforts indeed maximize their value. While testing and measurement remain essential, let’s not overlook the importance of putting forward the best ideas from the start. As we all aspire to make our brands beloved, let’s engage in challenging discussions. Keeping each other honest, let’s remember that love is a fundamentally human emotion; thus, it should begin and end with a human connection. Are we prepared to strike the right balance between data and humanity in our marketing strategies? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. Let’s build a community that recognizes the power of insights and human stories in creating brands that resonate and endure.

By Claudia Adreani. February 2023

Business vs Technology: Don't Drown in the Deep End - Find Your Strategic Starting Point

The marketing landscape is vast and ever-changing. Today, it feels like an ocean of possibilities, with countless AI tools with an immense potential for simplifying our jobs, our collaborations, our lives. However, as much as it seems like a super-power, many of us have not felt this overwhelmed before.

AI indeed holds immense potential to revolutionize marketing, offering a vast number of benefits for businesses across all industries. McKinsey and PWC studies estimate that AI may deliver an additional economic output of over US$13 trillion by 2030. A significant portion of this growth could stem from improved commercial and marketing effectiveness.

Here’s a glimpse into the transformative power of AI for marketing and customer experience, I am sure we have all heard about:

Enhanced Customer Personalization: AI allows for hyper-personalization of marketing messages, content, and offers, leading to increased engagement and conversion rates.
Predictive Analytics: AI can analyse vast amounts of data to predict customer behaviour, allowing marketers to anticipate needs and deliver timely, relevant experiences.
Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: AI-powered chatbots offer 24/7 customer support, improving accessibility and providing instant assistance.
Automated Content Creation and Distribution: AI can automate tasks like content creation, scheduling, and distribution, freeing up marketers’ time for strategic initiatives.
Improved Customer Segmentation and Targeting: AI can segment customers based on their unique characteristics and behaviours, enabling targeted marketing campaigns with higher ROI.

While AI innovation is exploding, with new tools and applications emerging at an exponential rate, it’s crucial to remember that learning and mastering every single one isn’t feasible for most businesses, especially when we know by experience that it can take up to a couple of years for marketers to fully adapt and integrate new solutions into their workflows. And this is why marketing professionals, like most of us, are struggling to keep pace with this frantic pace of technological evolution.

So, how do we get around this? These are times where we more than even need to revert back to core principles of prioritisation, so we don´t let the vastness of the AI landscape deter us. A few suggestions to find your strategic starting point to navigate the AI marketing ocean effectively are:

Align AI Implementation with your Business Strategy: Before diving headfirst, ensure your AI initiatives are aligned with your overall business and brand strategy. Ask yourself: how will AI help achieve your unique goals and objectives?
Identify the gaps in your customer experience: Focus on the customer experience and in those areas where most improvements can be made and let that drive the efforts to seek help from AI tools and enhanced learning.
Identify “quick wins”: Once defined the key spaces to focus on, make sure you define those within your marketing strategy where AI can deliver the most significant value with minimal learning curve, investment, or integration.
Develop the road map: Organise the plan over time, to ensure careful implementation, appropriate learning and embedding and organic integration into business practices.
Build Internal Support and Collaboration: Successfully implementing AI requires buy-in from various teams within your organization. Once the efforts have been prioritised, educate your colleagues about the potential benefits of AI for the achievement of the commercial objectives and foster adoption and collaboration between marketing, IT, and other departments.

Before getting enchanted by the shine of AI, it is important to be clear on what customer pain points we are trying to solve, how this aligns to our business strategy, where we want to create value, what our internal capabilities will allow us to implement, so we can leverage the power of AI in the areas that make a difference, for your customers and your business. Only then, you will have the focus you and your team need to navigate the AI marketing ocean and emerge victorious.

Ready to embark on your AI marketing journey? Start by identifying your “quick wins” and take that first strategic step!

Sources.

“Sizing the prize: The artificial intelligence revolution in growth and productivity.” PWC. Sizing the prize (pwc.com)

The economic potential of generative AI: The next productivity frontier. McKinsey. June 2023. Economic potential of generative AI | McKinsey

By Claudia Adreani. January 2024

Do you just want a logo? Better keep what you have or don´t bother at all!

Nowadays, Branding is one of those terms that can mean very different things to different people. The design of a logo has become more accessible. It could only take a small investment with a talented graphic designer online or even, for those with a good aesthetic eye, a short adventure with an AI design tool. This could be creating the misconception that designing a brand is an easy task, which involves designing an attractive logo. My colleague Jose Ramón Salgado, Director of Unlimited Brand, is often approached by clients who following this trend, simply request a logo design. The challenge is that a strong brand does not start with visuals. Even Jose, whose passion and mission is to build unique and memorable visual identities is a big advocate of this idea. Strong and consistent visuals are important, but they are never enough. A strong brand needs four obvious components, a strong product, as strong strategy and a strong visual identity and a strong delivery. And the order in this case is as important as having them all present. There are underlying conditions that are shared by these elements, like a strong understanding of customer needs and great execution and attention to details, but there is an order to the madness, or the greatness in this case.

A real product for a real need.

Brands were initially created to give a unique visual identity to a product. In today’s world, a visual identity on its own is not a unique brand. The product needs to be unique, relevant, meaningful. If there is not problem being solved, value being added, a well-designed brand can’t do any magic. It does not matter how appealing it is, good branding will not cover the value gaps of a poor offer, at least not for any longer than a first impression. Based on that, the branding effort could be counterproductive, as it will only create a false expectation that will be met with disappointment, or in other words a bad experience. And it has been well documented how a bad experiences can have a disproportionate effect on willingness to purchase a brand in the future.

For a product to be real it needs to be aligned with the customers needs and wants, here a very important underlying factor for all key elements of a great brand. Resonance is critical and this applies to the product in the first instance. So once again the classic golden rule applies, deep understanding of what our customers want, think and feel will lead to success.

A great brand needs a good strategy.

So, I have a great product, now, give me a great logo, is what Jose often hears. No! is what he would answer (a lot more polite than that). And this is my favourite part. You can’t create a logo without a strategy; without having clarity of what makes the brand unique, relevant, valuable; what is the promise, what is its personality, its tone of voice. The Strategy is not just about defining what we are but also what we are not. It is also, and very importantly, about defining what emotions we want to connect with. Attempting to draft a visual identity without this would be like picking an outfit after spinning a clothes rack blindfolded. It might be interesting, but not exactly intentional.

The brand strategy not only provides the north, defining what the new visual identity needs to convey. It guides the creative process and the evaluation of it. It is much easier to assess the pertinence of a design based on whether it represents a specific set of desired attributes than have a personal taste contest. This is particularly relevant when the deciding crowd is not the target audience. This does not invalidate the need for testing with the actual target audience, but at least ensures that the designs being tested resonate with the target audiences.

Of course, a memorable brand needs a distinctive.

Once we have a good product and we are clear of the value it offers and the emotional connections it seeks to have with its audience, we are ready to embark in the fascinating creative process of creating or re-designing a new identity. I am speaking about the logo, the graphic system around it, the look and feel that will accompany the brand communications, in the different channels. This is the photo style, the videos, all of it! Because here the key is consistency as well as visual impact, whatever the effect we are trying to cause. In this case it is not ‘it does what is says in the tin’, but it ‘looks like what I want it to do for me’ ‘what I want them to feel’.

The design in this stage could be merged with the language, from naming to key messages, tone of voice. The visual and the sounds get all together to create a representation of what the brand is or wanting to be recognised for. If we think about great brands, and we all have a favourite, we most likely will recognise this consistent play of various elements that time after time play together. It is the consistency among them and along the time that make them so easy to recognise.

And finally, for a brand to be truly awesome must be lived!

We used to speak about integrated communications and today it is all about experience. People does not buy because we tell them to. Not even our children do. People buy from great experiences they want to repeat. Consistent communications are just one part of the overall puzzle and the care for every contact, the value offered in every touch point, the delight we can deliver, is what makes the difference. The brand promise needs to be there in every interaction. In a simplistic example, if my brand stands for easy and smart, I can’t have people waiting long times in queues to purchase the product.

This is where Strategy meets execution. For customers to live our brand, everyone in the business and in every corner of the organisation need to be clear on what our brand stands for, so they can deliver that promise in the work they do. The good news is that strong brands excite its employees more easily and create pride among them. But the clarity needs to be there to foster the right behaviours. Here the game is the care of the details.

Are you ready to commit to building strong brands?

While a strong logo is important, it’s only one piece of a holistic brand identity. Focusing solely on the logo risks missing the bigger picture: understanding your target audience, defining your brand’s unique value proposition, and delivering a consistent experience across all touchpoints. Building a successful brand requires dedication. We would be delighted to support you in the journey. It will not be easy, there are no shortcuts. But it is more likely that it will lead to success.

Just get in touch for a free consultation!