Our six zones of focus
Design, Messaging, Positioning, Value Proposition, Culture, Mission.
Over three decades of creative engagements have revealed that effective design and messaging represent just a small part of the big picture essential for enduring brand success.
Visual communication is essential in propelling sustainable long-term growth for purpose-driven brands. A solid marketing strategy and strong creative can help capture your audience’s attention in our crowded world of infinite choices. However, engaging messaging and effective design are just the tip of the iceberg.
Titanic Observations
If your organization were a ship navigating through an iceberg cluster, everyone could see the visible tip of design and messaging above the surface. Submerged below the icy water line are numerous hidden friction points that can negatively impact (or sink) the results from even the most creative marketing campaign.
Or, put another way… they create a very subpar customer experience. Unaddressed friction points are usually caused by a mission misalignment within organizations’ people, processes, and platforms.
To keep the metaphor going (which has its limits), these friction points or challenges dwell under the surface in four distinct “depth zones.” The deeper the zone, the more vital it is to your organization’s long-term health and longevity. The two deepest zones are the most important. Combined with the top two visible layers, a friend labeled all six levels our “Titanic Observations,” and it stuck ever since.
01 Design
Does your brand have a consistent, engaging, and memorable look and feel throughout every audience touchpoint?
We’re all about design! It’s been in our DNA since we started this adventure over 30 years ago. It’s the first thing your audience will notice and can make or break that crucial first impression.
Good design solves a number of visual problems to enhance communication and user experience, ensuring clarity, memorable brand identities, and user engagement. Consistent, accessible design across all audience touchpoint achieves clear information hierarchy, elevates professionalism, and makes marketing materials more effective.
Design is the silent ambassador of your brand.
But... you need more than great design.
02 Messaging
Are you authentically saying the right things and purposefully directing your audience to take the next step in their journey?
You need to say the right things at the right time. Your communication needs to be authentic, accurate, and to the point, giving them the next action they can take.
Good messaging helps solve many problems. It makes the brand clear and easy to understand, stands out in crowded markets, and connects with the audience. It builds trust, stays consistent across platforms, and drives conversions. Effective messaging is key to successful marketing.
Every great design begins with an even better story.
But... you need more than great messaging.
03 Positioning
Are you offering the right audience the right solution at the right time of their decision-making process?
You better know who your ideal audience is and their specific needs so your tailored messaging can actually make them perk up and pay attention.
Great positioning in marketing helps brands stand out in a crowded market. It identifies the right audience, communicates clear value, and establishes a competitive edge. This leads to consistent messaging, justified pricing, stronger brand identity, customer loyalty, and adaptability to market changes.
A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is – It is what consumers tell each other it is.
But... you need more than great positioning.
04 Value Proposition
Does your solution offer unique value and specific benefits that make you the preferred choice over your competitors?
You better have something that is actually different than the rest of the crowd in your industry so it’s obvious to your ideal audience that you are the IT thing.
A strong value proposition solves several key problems. It helps brands stand out in a crowded market, targets the right audience, ensures clear messaging, and boosts conversion rates. Additionally, it builds trust, adapts to market changes, justifies pricing, highlights unique selling points, and aids in customer retention.
Why should I buy from you and not your competition?
But... you need more than a great value proposition.
05 Company Culture
Do your people, processes, and platforms have mission alignment to consistently deliver a great audience experience?
You better have a happy, engaged team of people who are actively looking to help your audience. Your goal should be to provide a great experience in every interaction (including post-purchase).
A good company culture helps create a positive and productive work environment. It boosts employee engagement and retention, improves productivity, fosters innovation, enhances communication, and makes the company more adaptable to change. This leads to higher customer satisfaction, a better brand image, easier recruitment, and overall long-term success.
Culture eats strategy for breakfast.
But... you need to inspire and motivate your team to create a great company culture.
06 Mission, Vision, & Values
Does your mission genuinely provide real value to your audience and other stakeholders involved in your venture?
You better have a bigger mission than just making money, like one that takes care of all stakeholders involved in your organization – so that you are bettering the world.
A clear company mission, vision of the future, and tangible values can solve many problems in marketing. They give employees a sense of purpose, guide decision-making, and enhance engagement. They also align different departments, attract top talent, differentiate the brand, build customer trust, ease resistance to change, and improve marketing and branding efforts.
People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it.
Remove Friction. Create Alignment. Gain Traction.
Developing a clear and compelling mission (with clear values and a vision of where you’re heading) will help you create an inspired company culture to carry out that mission. Collaborative teams will proactively seek ways to deliver an excellent customer experience through every interaction.
A clear and compelling mission will also help clarify the middle zones, defining your value proposition and positioning in the marketplace.
To wrap up, building a successful brand isn’t just about great design and messaging. It’s crucial to tackle hidden challenges within the organization, ensuring every person, process, and platform is aligned to deliver an experience that turns your customer into a brand ambassador.
Alignment is the essence of strategy. Everything else is tactics.
