Brand strategists and brand planners make a living uncovering problems. Sales problems, targeting problems, product problems. I could go on and on. In my brand planning rigor, I delve into customer care-abouts and brand good-ats. When customers care about something your brand is not good at, you’ve got work to do. That’s a problem. Pretending is not a good brand strategy. So you can see why many brand planners circle the problem.
But I like to think of care-abouts and good-ats as positive qualities.
Unabashedly a contrarian, I don’t spend my days looking for problems but for solutions. How does one plot success for a brand without looking for hindrances? Weaknesses? Negatives? Well, by looking toward the light.
Twenty years ago when baseball god Mike Piazza emerged from the NY Mets dugout with blond hair, he gave men everywhere permission to color their hair. Did L’Oreal or other hair care companies use that moment to double the hair coloring market? Nope. An opportunity missed. A solution, sans a problem.
Attempt to be a solution seeker not a problem solver. It’s harder work, but more rewarding.
Peace.
