The big thought
In the first of our brand thinking series, we discuss 'the big thought'.
This is a very good time to have a big thought… a really big thought
Let’s face it, launching a brand, or repositioning an existing one, can be pretty daunting. You have essentially one shot at getting it right. That’s a whole lot of pressure.
In our new brand thinking series we are debunking many of the myths that have grown up around branding, and are giving it to you straight, our take on what makes a great brand and how you to can achieve brand utopia. Launching a new brand or repositioning an existing one is a significant investment that can have a profound impact on your organisation.
Get it right and it will deliver a competitive advantage and ensure future success.
What is a big thought?
A big thought sums up – succinctly and memorably – the very essence of your organisation. It drives markets and engages your audience. The big thought encapsulates what makes you different, what you offer, why you are doing what you do and how you present this to the world. All other ingredients of the brand should feed off this central thinking.
A beacon of success
The big thought becomes a bright, beaming lighthouse, directing your audience to the heart of your brand. Simply articulated, it acts as a focus for your overall strategy, behaviour, actions and communications. Internally the big thought becomes a reference point for your unique culture and inspiration for your employees. And externally it adds a distinctive edge that helps people choose you rather than your competitors.
What are the first steps you should take?
To help develop the big thought we will work with you to define the essentials of your brand positioning and proposition:
/ What you do
/ Who you do it for
/ Why consumers choose you – your point of difference.
The analysis of your business and market are essential to developing a relevant brand.
The big thought clarifies decision-making…
By understanding the What, Who and Why we can distil them down to one unifying thought, which becomes the concept that unites and holds together what can appear to be a very disparate set of activities and messages. It should inform all of your decisions, whether that’s the thrust of a major brand campaign, your online presence, a style of uniform for your employees, right down to how telephone calls and e-mails are answered.
As part of the strategy and planning for a new brand for a global law firm, who operate within the ‘alternative legal services’ market, we developed the big thought – ‘a meeting of minds’. This was rooted in connections, both physical and virtual, much like the business model itself. This became the foundation for the development of the new name, and the wider brand identity system.
The concept is played out through a rich illustrative landscape, combined with thought provoking language which positions the brand as thought leaders and strategic partners in a changing market of disruptors and new entrants.
…and it shapes the brand promise
WPA Pinfold are adept at taking the big thought and using it to suggest and develop brand names, identities and territories which will reinforce the consumer’s understanding and expectation of your brand. This in effect is the brand promise, and from that point on it is vitally important that all services and products deliver consistently against that promise.
WPA Pinfold – Thinking big, thinking brands.
Published
August 14, 2020
