HOW YOUR BRAND CAN BE GREAT No. 3 of 5

Great communication changes you, and your business. Talking about it in the abstract is cool. But when it actually happens for you, it brings the spirit of your business to life, and introduces you to a more thrilling, prosperous level of operating. Here’s the third of five practical observations we’ve made on the subject.

3. Great communication is rooted in a strategy

The Saatchi agency coined the phrase “brutal simplicity of thought”. We love, love, love this. The “brutal” part comes from relentless focus. Focus comes from strategy. So what exactly is strategy, and where does it come from?

Communication strategy has a lot of components. For purposes of this discussion, let’s zero in on the most important one. Strategy articulates the single concentrated idea you want people to take away from your web site or logo or campaign or brand. This strategic idea is the product of an insight.

An insight is the product of asking a lot of people a lot of clever, carefully considered questions, then listening closely to the answers. The answers contain many versions of the truth, from the perspective of many audiences – management, customers, potential customers, past customers, the competitors’ customers, influencers.

The process of eliciting all this input, sorting it, debating it endlessly and whittling it down to a single strategic idea is essentially creative. Imagination is key. Difficult choices must be made. Once you have a great strategy – a brutally simple thought – you have significantly increased your odds of creating great communication.

Great brand strategy is both analytical and creative.The title of our brand strategy for ground-breaking chef and restaurateur Charles Phan quotes the man himself. It expresses the rebellious attitude and brand position of Charles’ entire organization in three provocative little words.