Sasha Strauss on Start-Up Brand Strategy

I was quite impressed by a talk I recently heard by Sasha Strauss, Managing Director of Innovation Protocol, a branding agency serving a variety of companies -- from start-ups to Fortune 500. Sasha's also a USC Professor in Communications.

First off, what made the talk super engaging was the intense energy and humor (often self-deprecating but always keenly observant) of the speaker. That just rocked.

Secondly, the content, while not particularly new, was super distilled and weeded down the core of what matters, and it made me consider the strategy of some of the biggest brands in a new light.

I would have liked to hear more examples of brand strategy at start-ups versus big companies whose brands everyone knows; that would have been a nice application of some of Sasha's frameworks.

Below are my main notes and takeaways from the talk. Overall, it was a blast, and I don't even dare to do justice to the full force of the event simply in writing.


Introduction

• Brand != logo
• Brand = exclusive and desirable idea embodied in products, places, services, people, and experiences
• Example product: Nestle Water (nothing special about it -- just an idea)
• Example person: Britney spears
• Example place: Hollywood
• Example experience: Disneyland (not the fastest rides, not the cheapest park, but the most desired)
• Disneyland vs. Universal: We pay more, drive farther just for a different experience (brand)
• Need to have that core idea everyone will sink teeth into
• Difference for winner is to sell the idea, the brand
• Great brand has power to change perception, influence preference, and command loyalty
• Change how others think about the business; don't use old definitions
• Brand = an idea that influences perception
• Case study: Starbucks (idea of the third place) [my notes here!]
• Other examples: Mercedes, Mickey Mouse (first brand that any human born knows from earliest age), McDonald's, Michael Jordan, Marilyn Manson, Mr. T (created his own brand)
• Have to tell the story consistently no matter what or where, even if change name, logo, etc.
• Specific product brands are more important because of the story than the overall corporate brand
• Managing many brands ("house of brands") more expensive; must not do this until at least $5M business; focus should start on one branded house
• Connection to creativity and self-expression
• Spend less time trying to build business than tell story

Brand Research

• Identify stakeholders before building brand; must first research
• Find the professional associations your customers join
• You can join too; go to their annual meeting, get their newsletter
• Find the industry experts, like JD Power
• Find the retailers and vendors; experience the places where your product will be sold
• Find the opinions of the general public
• Find direct and indirect competitors
• Find alliances and partners (example: BMW/Apple: similar demographics, similar focus on tech)
• Find the community around the topic and ask them about it
• See what media is saying
• See what investment community saying
• See who constitutes Board of Directors of important companies in your segment; the members on it will tell you a lot about where the business is going
• Ask competition's employees questions; ask who they're losing customers to
• Talk to customers and prospects: find on Twitter, offer Starbucks cards for quick phone call

Brand Strategy

• Don't rebrand: evolve
• Useful resources for start-ups (that he uses): LegalZoom, DocStoc, GoToMeeting, FreeConferenceCall, 99 Designs, Toastmasters
• Advertising (magazines, TV commercials, billboards): all feel different
• Ad = attempt to influence an audience through indirect, repeated communication
• Marketing: collateral, events, direct mail
• Marketing = attempt to influence an audience through direct communication (much more specific, not big broadcast, individual)
• Public relations: company meeting, annual report, newsletter, conference
• PR = attempt to influence an audience through third party validation; all already listening, become your advocates, most valuable marketing device (word of mouth)
• Brand message: who we are, why we matter, why unlike anyone else's story, exclusive, desirable
• Personal brand: only trying to tell the world about who I am, what it says about me as a person to others