In Marketing Tech Outlook on Hubspot, contributing author Chelsea Hinkel shares her insights for a strategy-first approach to marketing brands
Monday, July 22, 2019 – As creators of brand experiences for our clients, we know firsthand that it can be easy to get distracted by the latest shiny object. That’s why we focus on developing a brand strategy first and are steadfast about it when we design cohesive brand experiences. Our strategic approach to brand is also why Marketing Tech Outlook on Hubspot reached out to our marketing manager Chelsea Hinkel and asked her to pen her thoughts on the subject.
In her “Top-5 Fundamentals in Brand Marketing,” Chelsea describes five fundamental elements that empower brands to stand out in a competitive consumer environment. She says, “One of the best ways to continually create something that lives on in the hearts and minds of consumer audiences is to identify and align your values with what your customers care about.” Knowing that Gen Z and Millennials expect a lot from brands, they “can no longer just be good; they must do good, as well.”
Chelsea goes on to describe the role of trust and transparency and developing a strategy that drives a cohesive experience across all touchpoints, because customers should not have one experience online and a completely different one in-store. On the customer journey she says, “Lackluster brand experience speaks to how some companies are still set up primarily as a way to do business rather than as a way for customers to experience a brand.”
Rounding out Chelsea’s top-5 are the concepts of brand storytelling and co-creation of brand. She says, “In today’s brand environment, it’s important to understand that you can’t control everything. Like it or not, your brand is co-created by users and others outside your brand.” That’s why your brand’s story has to be refined and resilient. Chelsea describes it this way: “You have to be the driver of your brand’s story arc, but be flexible enough to have others shape your story along the way.”
For more insights on the role of brand in experience design or to speak to one of our experts in retail, healthcare or financial, contact us at info@adrenalinex.com.
