As brand strategists, we often think of ourselves as forensic detectives. When the time comes to embark on a discovery phase for a new client engagement, we roll up our sleeves, dive head first into interviews and audits with a (metaphorical) magnifying glass, and gather all the data we can get our hands on. Information is everything in our world, and to do our jobs right, we need to know a client’s business inside and out.
So what do we do when that information turns out to be extremely limited? This was recently the case for us at CXO when we kicked off a brand strategy project with a client whose work was largely classified. They had a thriving business, exceptionally satisfied customers and an exciting plan for growth. But they could only share a small fraction of that with us.
The same could just as easily happen with your business. Whether you are a start-up, a business that is shifting into a new space, or a company that needs your broader marketing team and agency partners to be shielded from certain material inputs, the unknowns can feel overwhelming. But the reality is that businesses very rarely have every brand card neatly laid out on the table. There are many doors to access in the pursuit of brand insight, and the truth is they’ll never all be open at once.
The good news is, when hard data is scarce there are still a number of fundamentals you can rely on to uncover the hidden truths and elevate the all-important “so what” that drives any solid brand strategy. Here are three best practices for how to define a brand strategy when you lack the luxury of full visibility:
1. Honor the intangibles
Even when we don’t know every detail about a client’s offering or business strategy, we can uncover what makes them tick. Why do they exist? What’s their origin story? What are their vision and values? How do they approach their work differently from anyone else? Why do their employees want to get out of bed every morning and go to work?
Every business leader has insight into these questions, and most love talking about them. The most powerful brand strategies capture who an organization really is at their core. This is the DNA that stays with them, even as their business evolves. And when the people of an organization truly see themselves in their brand, they’ll be even more inspired to deliver on their brand promise every day.
2. Look for clues in business challenges
Chances are any organization looking to strengthen its brand is also facing any number of business challenges that need to be addressed. Each challenge provides a window into what that organization cares about and how it wants to be seen. If you can learn more about those challenges, there’s a good chance you’ll not only gain important intel but also can ensure the brand strategy you ultimately shape becomes an essential part of the solution.
Recently we had this kind of lightbulb moment of clarity happen when a new client shared a critical insight about audience prioritization. It turns out their biggest business challenge was not attracting new customers, it was accelerating talent acquisition. With a sharper understanding of who we most needed to influence, we built the brand to serve as a magnet for attracting talent. By elevating a unique aspect of the employee experience to a central pillar of their brand, we positioned them to stand out—and played a key role in solving an issue that was core to their business success.
3. Use your expertise as a proxy
The reality is that even when you’re starting a fresh brand strategy engagement, you are never starting completely from scratch. At CXO, we bring our past experiences with us. That may include other companies in the same category, organizations with similar types of challenges or businesses with shared customer profiles.
While each client is unique, we don’t shortchange what we come to the engagement with. What’s worked well in the past? What hasn’t? Are there novel but relevant insights we can bring to the table by expanding the scope of our competitive audit to include out-of-category best practices? What in-category experience can we draw from to strengthen those insights? All of this helps to fill gaps and add valuable context.
When information isn’t everything
With all the data we’re accustomed to having at our fingertips, it’s easy to assume you’ll always be able to find what you’re looking for. But as we’ve all experienced, good information is still (and probably always will be) a precious resource.
So when the information needed to build a brand strategy seems limited, you’ve got more to work with than you might think. Sometimes, information isn’t everything.
Need help filling gaps -- or have a secret for overcoming a brand information challenge? Reach out to us at info@cxocommunication.com and we can compare notes and brainstorm our next best practice together.
