Today’s post is on presenting the brand strategy. Presenting the strategy is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. It’s the crescendo of all the work — the make-or-break moment.
If, during the presentation, you take too long, people get antsy. If you don’t set the right context, things can go off-track. Luckily, my brand strategy framework results in a fairly simple presentation. I call my framework a “claim and proof” array. One claim three proof planks.
The claim is the macro part of the brand strategy, a stand-in tagline that pays off the proof planks. But make no mistake, the proof planks build the brand. They are the money-makers. While the claim gets a good deal of the branding credit, it is the proof that does the convincing. The proofs organized into planks or buckets are the tangibles.
Claim without proof is advertising. Claim with proof is branding.
I left out a great deal of sausage making and to be honest, decision makers don’t need it. They need the boil-down of the thinking. In their language. In the consumers’ language. In the accountant’s language. If you’ve done your homework, answers to the decision makers’ questions come easily. Then they are in control of the “buy” moment, while the sell moment is minimized.
Peace.
