LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• Define what a brand is (particularly a strong brand) and what branding is about
• Define various types of brand architecture and brand extension
• Identify your brand’s products, the features of those products, and their values
• Write a mission, vision, and style statement for a brand
• Describe the basics of positioning a brand
• Understand the basics of creating a visual identity, including a brand name, slogan, and logo
• Help your employees live the brand by empowering them to be ambassadors and creating strong brand touchpoints
• Effectively plan an internal and external brand launch
• Monitor and evaluate your brand, and understand how to respond to the results

COURSE OVERVIEW & CONTENT:

“Your brand is the promise you make to your customers, it’s your reputation in a nutshell, it’s not just about being different, it’s about being relevant.”

Brand management is the process of creating, promoting, and maintaining a company’s reputation and image.

Your brand is the vehicle that propels your product or service into your customer’s lives, and into their hearts. A good brand is much more than an attractive image combined with some witty type. Your brand must reflect the heart and soul of your product, and offer a promise that you can live up to.

This two-day course will get you started on the road to creating a perfect brand. The first day will cover the basics of branding, including how to develop a visual identity from start to finish. We will also give you some graphic design tips to help you communicate your expectations to a professional designer. The second day will focus on how to put your brand out there in the right way. We’ll also talk about how to keep your brand energized and alive with monitoring and evaluation tools.

Introduction

• Explanation of the Importance of Corporate Branding and its Impact on a Company’s Success

Defining Branding

• Defining Brands and Branding
• Characteristics of a Strong Brand
• Popular Brands and What Makes Them Stand Out

What Are You All About?

• The Branding Process
• Identifying Your Products and Features
• Identifying Your Values
• Individual Exercise

Creating a Mission

• What a Mission Statement is All About
• What a Good Mission Statement Looks Like
• Time for Reflection

Creating a Vision of the Future

• Tips For Creating A Vision Statement
• Sample Statements

Positioning Your Brand

• Identifying Your Ideal Position
• What a Positioning Statement
• Positioning Workout

Developing Your Style

• Writing a Style Statement
• What Attitude Will Your Brand Have?
• Style Exercise

Developing a Brand Name and Slogan

• The Forward-Facing Elements
• Developing a Brand Name
• Developing a Slogan

Creating a Visual Identity

• Graphic Design 101
• Types of Visual Identities
• Pop Culture Test

Living Your Brand

• Transforming Your Employees into Ambassadors
• Understanding Touchpoints
• Creating a Unique Experience at Each Touchpoint

Connecting with Customers

• Ten Easy Ways to Connect With Customers

Launching Your Brand

• Some Ideas for Making Internal and External Brand Launches A Smashing Success

Taking Your Brand’s Pulse

• The Basics Of Brand Evaluation

Performing a SWOT Analysis

• What Does SWOT Stand For?
• Sample SWOT Analysis

Measuring Brand Health with a Balanced Scorecard

• How Brands Can Be Evaluated With a Balanced Scorecard

Middleton’s Brand Matrix

• Simon Middleton’s Brand Matrix
• Understanding the Matrix
  • Strength, Weakness, Positivity, and Negativity
• Using the Matrix

Interpreting Evaluation Results

• What to do with Brand Evaluation Results
• The Six Most Common Signs Of Brand Trouble

Keeping the Brand Alive

• Refreshing and Re-Launching
• Taking on a Total Re-Brand
• Case Study

Going Beyond the Brand

• Understanding Brand Architecture
• Understanding Brand Extension

Role-playing and Practice

• Introductory Activity: Branding Brainstorming and Group Discussion
• Case Study Analysis: Consistency In Branding Across Different Platforms
• Activity: Creating A Brand For A Hypothetical Company
• Case Study: Analyzing Real-World Examples of Successful Corporate Branding
• Discussion Of Next Steps for Implementing and Managing a Strong Corporate Brand
• Feedback and Coaching