The Art and Science of Brand Building

By Ed Faruolo, Founder of VitaLincs and ANA Faculty

Have you ever wondered where your customers drink their coffee? If you haven’t, perhaps you should. After all, if I say Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts, you will immediately get a vision in your head about their customers: what they look like, what’s important to them, what their values are, and perhaps even their overall belief system. That’s because both brands have done a masterful job of defining exactly who their products are for. One could argue that they aren’t competitors at all and that the only thing they have in common is that they sell coffee, stuff to go with it, and a place to buy it.

To achieve what these great brands have achieved, you have to really understand who your ideal customer is and how to engage them. Here are some questions to help you get deeply in touch with your customers to help build or strengthen your brand so it is and remains vital in their minds:

•     “What are your ideal customer segments? What do they value already, and what should they value in your brand?
•     “What are the key motivators of your customers, and how do you establish a strong emotional connection?
•     “What are you competing with in the minds of your customers?
•     “What archetypes are unique to your category/brand, and how do you leverage them within your identity and your marketing practices?
•     “How do you establish a differentiating brand positioning?
•     “How do you identify critical brand assets and align them to design a distinctive brand experience?

To learn more, take the ANA’s new on-demand training course, The Art and Science of Brand Building. It will help introduce, refresh, and remind you of how to keep your brand fresh and relevant in a dynamic competitive landscape. This course is available and complimentary to client-side marketer members only.

Ed Faruolo has an exceptional track record for creating and securing sustainable market opportunities for new and existing business ventures. Ed led marketing for three Fortune 100 companies and founded VitaLincs to help clients increase their appeal within markets they serve.