A Winning Self Brand Strategy:
Own an Important Attribute
By Catherine Kaputa, founder of SelfBrand (www.selfbrand.com), a brand strategy company that works with people, products and companies.
This article is number four in a series covering ten brand strategies from the commercial world that people can apply to themselves to propel business success. The strategies are excerpts from Catherine’s forthcoming book, U R A BRAND! How Smart People Brand Themselves for Business Success (Davies-Black Publisher, Hardcover, April 1, 2006, Foreword by Al Ries). Here is self branding strategy number 4.
Strategy No. 4: Own an Attribute
The most common positioning strategy for brands is to own an attribute. Mercedes-Benz’s brand strategy is built around prestige, BMW’s is driving performance, Subaru’s is ruggedness, and Volvo’s is safety.
For this strategy to work best, you should select the brand attribute that is credible for you to own and gives you maximum opportunity in your category.
For example, when Pampers first developed the disposable diaper in the early 1960s, sales were poor. The marketing was positioned around convenience, a brand attribute that had a clear-cut benefit for busy moms. Moms didn’t have to disinfect and clean the diapers themselves or use an expensive diaper service. Convenience was especially beneficial for moms on the go with their babies. They didn’t have to carry stinky cloth diapers around with them until they got home. But that attribute positioning didn’t resonate with mothers. They felt guilty. Cloth diapers were best for babies, while paper diapers were best for moms. So moms voted with their hearts, and sales were poor.
Then Pampers changed its brand positioning to “better absorbency,” which was a benefit for babies. Mothers could buy the diapers and feel that they were doing what was best for their babies, not best for them. Sales took off, and cloth diapers and diaper services went the way of the buggy whip.
Every category is associated with attributes that are important to customers and prospects. And you can slice your industry, profession, or job category to find the best fit for the attribute you want to own and the category in which you want to do it. This is true regardless of your industry, whether it’s financial services, manufacturing, marketing, law, medicine, academia, or what have you.
Your job as a self-brander is to stake your claim to the attribute that is best for you and is not owned by a competitor in the arena where you will have the most impact. Benjamin, had just been promoted to president of his company. The good news: it was a great job. The bad news: it was a difficult job. Sales revenue was down, and his industry was in a serious slump. Benjamin’s first task was to rally the troops and unify the company, particularly the division heads, most of whom were strong personalities with a tight grip on their fiefdoms.
We built Benjamin’s personal-brand strategy around the attribute of follow-through. It was an important attribute, one that many colleagues and employees associated with him because of his track record. Other executives might have great creative skills or people skills, as Benjamin did, but none had his sense of accountability and follow-through.
Follow-through was an important attribute for the company at this juncture. In Benjamin’s estimation, the company’s problem was not a lack of innovative ideas but the inability to follow through internally (by getting all the various departments to work together) and with clients (by focusing on being a real business partner, not simply on closing).
Benjamin wanted to lead by example in terms of follow-through with colleagues and clients, and he also took positive action to embed the attribute in the company culture. One of the first things he did was broadcast his management philosophy to all the employees. His rallying cry was “Follow through, everywhere, all the time.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
January 1, 2006 Vol.2, No.1
|
U R A BRAND
How Smart People Brand Themselves for Business Success.
By Catherine Kaputa with foreword by Al Ries.
Pre-order from
Amazon.com or
Amazon.co.uk
In Bookstores
April 1, 2006
Click to find out more
Who We Are
Catherine Kaputa is a brand strategist, speaker and author. She is president of
SelfBrand, a marketing consultancy that works with companies and individuals
who want to unlock the optimum marketing focus and game plan.
www.selfbrand.com
|
|
|
|
|
