Have you ever taken an out-of-brand experience?

The even more unpredictable-than-usual nature of the last 12 months has meant that even the most change-conscious businesses have had a difficult time of it. So, what is it that businesses can do to weather change well?

When markets are disrupted, the logical course of action for many businesses is to take stock of what it is they do, how they do it, their proposition, position, and how they externalise or communicate these things.

During the course of the pandemic, many businesses have had to modify how they operate and then inform their audiences about the changes. A number have also adjusted their marketing, messaging and creative output to reflect the current situation and to provide their offering with particular resonance and relevance.

While this type of action and such adjustments are vitally important, it isn’t, of course, simply a case of ‘change managed’ once they are completed. Change has always been an ongoing challenge for businesses. What the pandemic has done is to really bring this fact home with a bump. As we all grapple with the fallout of the last year and the so-called ‘new normal’, which will have repercussions almost indefinitely, now is a good time to get really comfortable with change.

The good news is that change and opportunity are closely related. The pandemic has not only turned the world on its head but brought with it great opportunities for us to make positive changes. Businesses can make the most of these. They have the chance not just to take stock of what they do but to step outside of their default ways of doing and thinking about things altogether. Now is the time to take an out-of-brand experience to obtain an aerial view of your brand and its environment. By doing this, you will widen your influences, obtain a broader perspective and even secure a new vantage point.

 

Take off with the NEO-normal

We see three key areas of overlap between what you need to do and where we can help:

One – Navigate/Negotiate/Narrate

You need to navigate emerging events, negotiate change and help others to make sense of these things with good communication.

We see it as our job to provide the creative thinking (brand strategy) and outputs (campaigns, content and creative) that will enable you to navigate your marketplace, negotiate challenges and develop a strong brand story that inspires confidence.

Two – Externalise/Empathise/Evolve

You need to express yourself to give existence to your ideas, be human and humane by thinking about what it’s really like to be in another’s shoes, and evolve to meet your audiences’ needs as well as ever-changing market conditions.

We see it as our job to bring your brand to life, to give it a presence, to nurture and develop it so that it continues to be relevant and believable.

Three – Organise/Optimise/Originate

You need to plan (and plan over) if you are to respond and adapt to change in a relatively effortless way. Continually evolving and resolutely unsentimental, the marketplace requires you to constantly innovate, to reset or refresh what you do altogether if necessary, and then refine and hone how you talk about it so that it lands with precision.

We see it as our job to facilitate you to ‘think creative’, to think differently and then distil this into a practical and coherent solution to your proposition, positioning and creative challenges.

Can we take you out of brand?

Why not take a ride in an imaginary (or metaphoric) hot air balloon with us? Picture your brand set out below you like a landscape or map. Be exhilarated by what you have built or helped to create. Now, take in the environment. What changes could or would be beneficial to your brand? The sky’s the limit!

If you have a B2B brand or creative challenge we can help you ‘think creative’ about, get in touch for a free 20-minute Zoom consultation. Email thinkcreative@neoposition.com to get in touch.