Brand Strategists, Ditch Your Frameworks!
By Levina Kusumadjaja
So. Many. Frameworks.
I just can’t keep up sometimes. So many frameworks to learn, so many concepts to understand, and so many tools to apply in doing brand strategy. Nailing all the brand attributes, writing the most perfect positioning statement, creating the most complete stylescape... sometimes I wonder, do we even need all of this?
Strategists are often trapped by the frameworks because that’s what they have known all along. It’s something familiar, something they were taught to do. However, as strategists, your main job isn’t to master branding frameworks or tools. Your main job is to understand the brand and help your clients understand their brand, so that they can build emotionally connect with their customers.
If a positioning statement will help you accomplish that, then by all means, write the best positioning statement ever for your client. If a 50-page brand roadmap will do the job, then do just that. But if a series of 10 post-its on the wall can accomplish that, then you can also do that. Whatever it is that you end up making and presenting to your clients, just make sure it helps them and their brand reach their goals.
Getting to the goal > Using frameworks
Frameworks and tools have little value if they don’t help the clients solve their problems. You can spend weeks working on the look and feel of brand using all these cool animations and hi-tech presentation style, but if that doesn’t help your client get to their goal, where’s the value in that? There is more value in a text paragraph that explains your client’s brand story, immediately gives them clarity, and brings you client closer to their goal, even though this paragraph lacks visual appeal.
Positioning statement, brand roadmap, brand attributes, and all of the other frameworks are not there to make things more complicated. They are there to help you and your clients understand the brand better, so that it will help clients communicate the brand to the customers better. It makes the approach more tangible. They are tools available to articulate who the brand is, what the brand does, why the brand is as it is today, what the brand is trying to be, who the brand is trying to reach, and so much more.
When you present a brand roadmap, conduct your strategy workshop, or do what you do as a brand strategist and designer, always remember that it doesn’t have to look a certain way or be done in a certain way. There is only one rule: what you use must give your clients value and help your clients reach their goal. The tools need to help you and your clients understand the brand, provide clarity, and solve problems. That’s it. What makes your work valuable is how much it helps your clients get to their goal—no matter how many or few frameworks you use in the process.
Cheers!
Levina
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About the author:
Levina is a writer based in Indonesia. Because of Melinda Livsey, she recognized the power of brand strategy for every creative. She is sharing about her learnings as she goes to help creatives have fun in their growth and journey of building brands. Connect with her on LinkedIn and say hi!