The Thesis

Brand Soul is the conviction that makes a brand matter.

It is the belief that fuels the offering. The personality that makes a brand human. The values that guide how a company shows up and how it serves. Without soul, a brand becomes forgettable, even if the product is brilliant.

This research examines 15 brands across three categories to understand what creates soul, what kills it, and what happens when it was never there to begin with.

The core finding: Soul is not a marketing strategy. It is an organizational truth that either exists at the core of a company, or it does not. It can be discovered and expressed, but it cannot be manufactured. And once lost, it is extraordinarily difficult to reclaim.

The Three Categories

HAS SOUL: Brands with a clear conviction that shapes everything they do. Customers do not just buy from them; they root for them.

LOST SOUL: Brands that once stood for something meaningful but lost it through acquisition, scale, or strategic drift. The shell remains, but the spirit is gone.

NEVER HAD IT: Brands that operate on pure utility or optimization. They may be successful, even dominant, but no one believes in them.

Why This Matters

In an era of infinite content and algorithmic optimization, soul is the last competitive advantage that cannot be copied, automated, or purchased. AI can generate endless marketing assets. It cannot generate meaning.

The brands in this study that have soul share a common trait: they are willing to be disliked by some in order to be loved by others. They have a point of view. They take stands. They make choices that serve identity over short-term optimization.

The brands that lost their soul share a different pattern: they prioritized scale over conviction, comfort over courage, or consensus over clarity. The soul did not disappear overnight. It eroded gradually, one safe decision at a time.

The brands that never had soul reveal that market dominance and brand soul are entirely different things. Power is not the same as meaning. Optimization is not the same as belief.

HAS SOUL

Brands with a clear conviction that shapes everything they do. People do not just buy from them. They believe in them.

1. Patagonia

Category: Outdoor Apparel & Gear
Founded: 1973
Soul Statement: We’re in business to save our home planet.

What They Stand For

Patagonia is the gold standard for brand soul. Environmental activism is not their marketing angle; it is their reason for existing. Every business decision filters through a single question: does this help or hurt the planet?

This conviction shows up in ways that would terrify most brands. They ran a full-page ad on Black Friday telling customers “Don’t Buy This Jacket.” They donate 1% of all sales to environmental causes. In 2022, founder Yvon Chouinard transferred ownership of the entire company to a trust dedicated to fighting climate change.

Key Evidence

• “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign actively discouraged consumption
• Worn Wear program repairs and resells used Patagonia gear
• Transferred $3B company to environmental trust rather than selling or going public
• Provides on-site childcare and bail for employees arrested at environmental protests
• Transparent supply chain documentation, including factory conditions

The Insight

Patagonia proves that radical conviction creates radical loyalty. By being willing to tell customers not to buy, they created customers who will only buy from them. The lesson: soul requires sacrifice. You cannot stand for everything and mean anything.

2. Liquid Death

Category: Beverages
Founded: 2019
Soul Statement: Murder your thirst. Death to plastic.

What They Stand For

Liquid Death proves that brand soul does not require earnestness. They sell water in tallboy cans with heavy metal branding, mock traditional beverage marketing, and maintain a commitment to sustainability disguised as chaos.

The genius is the contradiction: a brand that looks like rebellion but operates on genuine environmental conviction. They replaced single-use plastic with infinitely recyclable aluminum. They donate to clean water initiatives. They just do it while pretending to be a death metal band.

Key Evidence

• Aluminum cans are infinitely recyclable; plastic bottles are not
• “Sell Your Soul” loyalty program with intentionally absurd rewards
• Super Bowl ad featured kids at a party drinking Liquid Death, mocking alcohol advertising
• Country Club membership offers lifetime supply and equity stake
• Valued at $1.4B as of 2024, proving irreverence scales

The Insight

Liquid Death demonstrates that soul can wear any costume. Their conviction (sustainability) is genuine; their expression (death metal branding) is distinctive. The lesson: soul is about what you believe, not how serious you look while believing it.

3. Trader Joe’s

Category: Grocery Retail
Founded: 1967
Soul Statement: Your neighborhood grocery store.

What They Stand For

Trader Joe’s has operational soul. It is not expressed in manifestos or advertising campaigns; it shows up in every touchpoint of the experience. Hawaiian shirts. Hand-drawn signs. Crew members who seem genuinely happy. Fearless product discontinuation when something is not working.

They do not advertise. They do not have a loyalty program. They do not offer delivery in most markets. They refuse to chase trends that would compromise the experience. This restraint is itself a form of conviction.

Key Evidence

• No traditional advertising; relies entirely on word of mouth and the Fearless Flyer
• Employees (“Crew Members”) are paid above industry average and receive benefits
• Regularly discontinues products without sentiment, keeping selection curated
• Store design intentionally avoids warehouse aesthetic of competitors
• Private label strategy creates products unavailable anywhere else

The Insight

Trader Joe’s proves that soul can live in operations, not just communications. Their brand is not what they say; it is what they do. The lesson: every touchpoint either reinforces soul or erodes it. There is no neutral ground.

4. Nike

Category: Athletic Apparel & Footwear
Founded: 1964
Soul Statement: Just Do It.

What They Stand For

Nike believes in human potential. “Just Do It” is not a tagline; it is a dare. The brand exists to push people, not just athletes, to be greater than they thought possible. This conviction has led them to celebrate determination, resilience, and the willingness to fail publicly in pursuit of something meaningful.

The Colin Kaepernick campaign in 2018 proved Nike was willing to risk alienating customers to stand for something. They did not just feature an athlete; they featured an activist who had been effectively banned from his sport. The backlash was immediate. So was the loyalty it created.

Key Evidence

• Kaepernick campaign: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
• Featured athletes include those who overcame adversity, not just winners
• “You Can’t Stop Us” campaign during pandemic emphasized collective resilience
• Consistently highlights Paralympic athletes alongside Olympic ones
• Willing to take political stands that competitors avoid

The Insight

Nike demonstrates that soul requires courage. Taking the Kaepernick risk was not a marketing calculation; it was a values declaration. The lesson: brands with soul make some people uncomfortable. That discomfort is the price of meaning.

5. Lego

Category: Toys & Entertainment
Founded: 1932
Soul Statement: Only the best is good enough.

What They Stand For

Lego believes in the power of imagination and the joy of building. For over 90 years, they have maintained an almost obsessive commitment to quality, creativity, and play. The product has remained fundamentally unchanged because the conviction behind it has remained fundamentally unchanged.

What makes Lego remarkable is their ability to expand without diluting. They moved into adult sets, video games, movies, and theme parks without ever losing the core identity. A five-year-old and a fifty-year-old can both feel like Lego is for them.

Key Evidence

• Bricks from 1958 still connect with bricks made today; backward compatibility as philosophy
• Adult product lines (Architecture, Creator Expert) expanded audience without abandoning children
• Lego Ideas platform lets fans design sets, reinforcing community ownership
• The Lego Movie succeeded by embracing brand values, not just featuring products
• Premium pricing maintained despite commodity competitors; quality over volume

The Insight

Lego proves that soul creates longevity. Their conviction about imagination and quality has remained consistent for nearly a century while everything around them changed. The lesson: soul is not a campaign. It is a commitment measured in decades, not quarters.

LOST SOUL

Brands that once stood for something meaningful but lost it through acquisition, scale, or strategic drift. The shell remains. The spirit is gone.

1. Victoria’s Secret

Category: Intimate Apparel & Beauty
Founded: 1977
What They Used To Stand For: Aspirational glamour and unapologetic sexiness.

What Happened

Victoria’s Secret was once culturally dominant. The annual fashion show was a television event. The Angels were celebrities. The brand defined what “sexy” meant in America for nearly two decades.

But the definition of sexy changed, and Victoria’s Secret did not. As culture moved toward body positivity, inclusivity, and authenticity, the brand clung to a singular, narrow vision of beauty. Competitors like Aerie and ThirdLove emerged with messages of self-acceptance. Victoria’s Secret responded too slowly, and when they did pivot, it felt like damage control rather than genuine conviction.

Key Evidence of Soul Loss

• Fashion show cancelled in 2019 after years of declining viewership and cultural backlash
• Angels replaced with “VS Collective” of activists and athletes; felt reactive, not authentic
• Former executives made dismissive comments about plus-size and transgender models
• Rebrand messaging emphasized “what women want” without evidence of listening to them
• Competitor Aerie’s “no retouching” pledge resonated where VS’s glamour fell flat

The Insight

Victoria’s Secret lost its soul by refusing to evolve its conviction. They mistook the expression (Angels, fashion shows) for the soul itself. When the expression became outdated, they had nothing underneath to stand on. The lesson: soul must evolve with culture, but it cannot chase culture. VS did neither.

2. Skype

Category: Communications Technology
Founded: 2003
What They Used To Stand For: Connecting humans globally, simply and freely.

What Happened

“Skype me” became a verb. That is how dominant the brand was in defining video communication. The product was simple, reliable, and felt like magic: free video calls to anywhere in the world.

Then Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion, and the soul slowly drained away. The scrappy company focused on human connection was replaced by a division focused on corporate integration. The UI became bloated. Features became confusing. Reliability suffered. Zoom, FaceTime, and Google Meet did not beat Skype on features; they beat Skype on focus.

Key Evidence of Soul Loss

• Acquisition by Microsoft shifted focus from consumer simplicity to enterprise complexity
• UI redesigns prioritized feature density over user experience
• Reliability declined as corporate infrastructure was layered onto consumer product
• “Skype me” disappeared from cultural vocabulary; replaced by “Zoom” and “FaceTime”
• Brand messaging still claims connection, but product experience contradicts it

The Insight

Skype lost its soul through acquisition. The company that bought them did not understand or prioritize the conviction that made Skype matter. The lesson: soul cannot survive integration into a soulless parent. The culture always wins.  Notably, the replacements — Zoom, FaceTime, Google Meet — have not filled the void. They are portals to human connection, yet none have attempted to own that meaning. The opportunity for soul in video communication remains unclaimed.

3. Chipotle

Category: Fast Casual Dining
Founded: 1993
What They Used To Stand For: Food with integrity.

What Happened

Chipotle pioneered the idea that fast food could be ethical. “Food with Integrity” was not a marketing slogan; it was a sourcing philosophy. They championed local farms, humane animal treatment, and transparency about ingredients. The brand made customers feel good about what they were eating.

Then came the food safety crises of 2015-2016. E. coli outbreaks across multiple states. Norovirus. Salmonella. The brand built on food integrity became synonymous with food safety failures. The recovery focused on operations and safety protocols, which was necessary, but the soul never fully returned. Today, Chipotle feels indistinguishable from any other fast casual chain.

Key Evidence of Soul Loss

• “Food with Integrity” messaging quietly deemphasized after food safety crises
• Recovery campaigns focused on safety protocols, not sourcing values
• Menu innovation (lifestyle bowls, quesadillas) feels reactive to competitors
• Digital ordering and throughput optimization prioritized over experience
• Current marketing is functional, not conviction-driven

The Insight

Chipotle lost its soul when crisis forced them to choose between conviction and survival. They chose survival, which was understandable, but never returned to conviction. The lesson: crisis reveals whether soul is real or performative. Chipotle’s soul did not survive the test.

4. Barnes & Noble

Category: Book Retail
Founded: 1886
What They Used To Stand For: The magic of discovery and the joy of getting lost in stories.

What Happened

Walking into a Barnes & Noble in the 1990s felt like entering a sanctuary. The stores were designed to encourage wandering. Live readings brought authors to life. The cafe invited you to stay. It was not just a bookstore; it was a third place before the term existed.

Then Amazon happened. Barnes & Noble responded with price wars, cost-cutting, and format experimentation (remember the Nook?) instead of doubling down on what made them irreplaceable: the experience of discovery. The stores became cookie-cutter. The magic disappeared. What remains is a chain that sells books, not a brand that celebrates reading.

Key Evidence of Soul Loss

• Store designs standardized and stripped of distinctive character
• Nook e-reader strategy chased Amazon instead of differentiating
• Live events and author readings reduced as cost-cutting measure
• Cafe experience declined; no longer a destination for lingering
• Current stores feel like warehouses with better lighting

The Insight

Barnes & Noble lost its soul by fighting the wrong battle. They tried to compete with Amazon on convenience and price instead of doubling down on experience. The lesson: when a soulless competitor attacks, the answer is more soul, not less. B&N chose less.

Note: Barnes & Noble has an opportunity for a comeback. The cultural demand for “third spaces” is rising. Independent bookstores are thriving by offering what Amazon cannot. B&N has the footprint to reclaim their soul if they choose to.

5. Facebook / Meta

Category: Social Media & Technology
Founded: 2004
What They Used To Stand For: Connecting the world and making it more open.

What Happened

Facebook’s founding story had genuine soul. A tool to connect college students. A way to stay in touch with friends and family. A mission to make the world more connected. For a while, it felt like that mission was real.

The erosion was gradual. Data harvesting practices. The Cambridge Analytica scandal. Algorithmic amplification of divisive content. A platform designed for connection became associated with disconnection, misinformation, and mental health concerns. The rebrand to Meta felt like an escape attempt, not a genuine evolution.

Key Evidence of Soul Loss

• Cambridge Analytica scandal revealed data practices at odds with stated mission
• Internal research showed Instagram’s harm to teen mental health; company downplayed it
• Algorithmic changes prioritized engagement over meaningful connection
• “Meta” rebrand seen as distraction from core platform problems
• Trust metrics among users have declined consistently for years

The Insight

Facebook lost its soul through the gradual prioritization of metrics over mission. Every individual decision to optimize for engagement seemed reasonable. Collectively, they hollowed out the brand’s meaning. The lesson: soul erodes one compromise at a time. By the time you notice, it may be too late.

NEVER HAD IT

Brands that operate on pure utility, optimization, or necessity. They may be successful, even dominant, but no one believes in them. Power is not the same as soul.

1. Amazon

Category: E-commerce & Technology
Founded: 1994
What They Stand For: Relentless convenience and optimization.

The Case

Amazon is the most optimized machine in modern commerce. They have revolutionized logistics, cloud computing, and consumer expectations. They are arguably the most successful company of the last 30 years.

They have never had soul.

Some argue early Amazon, the online bookstore, had soul. But that was potential, not conviction. Amazon was never about books; books were simply the first category that could be optimized for e-commerce. The mission has always been optimization itself: faster, cheaper, more selection. That is a strategy, not a belief.

Key Evidence

• No discernible conviction beyond growth and efficiency
• Treatment of warehouse workers contradicts any “customer obsession” values
• Brand evokes utility, not affection; people use Amazon, they do not love it
• Advertising strategy is entirely transactional; no emotional storytelling
• Acquisitions (Whole Foods, MGM) absorb other brands rather than building one

The Insight

Amazon proves that dominance does not require soul. You can win on optimization alone. But people do not root for Amazon. They depend on it. That is a different relationship. The lesson: power and soul are independent variables. Having one does not create the other.

2. Spirit Airlines

Category: Aviation
Founded: 1983
What They Stand For: The lowest price. Nothing else.

The Case

The irony is in the name: Spirit Airlines has no spirit. Their positioning is clear: we are the cheapest option, and everything else costs extra. That is a business model, not a soul.

There is no conviction behind Spirit beyond price optimization. No belief about what travel should be. No story about connecting people or enabling experiences. Just a transaction stripped to its most basic form: moving a human body from point A to point B for the lowest possible cost.

Key Evidence

• Entire brand identity built on price; no emotional or experiential positioning
• Customer experience intentionally minimized to reduce costs
• Marketing is entirely functional; no storytelling or brand building
• No loyalty beyond price; customers leave the moment a cheaper option appears
• Industry-lowest customer satisfaction scores worn as cost-leadership badge

The Insight

Spirit Airlines demonstrates that some businesses are designed without soul from the beginning. The model requires transactional relationships; soul would actually be a liability. The lesson: not every business needs soul. But businesses without soul compete only on price, and there is always someone willing to go lower.

3. Comcast

Category: Telecommunications
Founded: 1963
What They Stand For: Infrastructure you cannot avoid.

The Case

Comcast exists because many Americans have no other choice for high-speed internet. This is not a brand relationship; it is a hostage situation.

The company has consistently ranked among the most hated in America. Customer service is notoriously frustrating. Pricing is opaque and ever-increasing. The brand makes no attempt to be liked because it does not need to be. When you have regional monopolies, customer affection is irrelevant.

Key Evidence

• Regularly ranks as one of America’s most hated companies in consumer surveys
• Customer service designed to prevent cancellation, not create satisfaction
• Pricing structures intentionally complex to obscure true costs
• Brand advertising focuses on product speeds, not values or experience
• No meaningful community investment or cultural positioning

The Insight

Comcast proves that monopoly removes the incentive for soul. When customers cannot leave, there is no business case for making them want to stay. The lesson: soul requires choice. Brands that eliminate customer choice eliminate the need for meaning.

4. Albertsons

Category: Grocery Retail
Founded: 1939
What They Stand For: Proximity.

The Case

Albertsons is the brand you choose when there is no Trader Joe’s nearby and you do not want to go to Walmart. That is not a positioning. That is a default.

There is no discernible conviction behind Albertsons. No point of view on food, community, or experience. The stores are fine. The prices are fine. The selection is fine. Fine is not soul.

Key Evidence

• No clear brand positioning beyond “full-service grocery”
• Store experience indistinguishable from most regional competitors
• Marketing is entirely promotional; no brand storytelling
• No distinctive private label strategy or product philosophy
• Customer loyalty driven by location and habit, not preference

The Insight

Albertsons demonstrates that category presence is not the same as brand meaning. They exist in grocery; they do not stand for anything about grocery. The lesson: occupying space is not the same as owning a position. Albertsons occupies; Trader Joe’s owns.

5. Oracle

Category: Enterprise Software
Founded: 1977
What They Stand For: Database infrastructure.

The Case

Oracle is one of the most valuable software companies in the world. They power critical infrastructure for enterprises globally. They have made Larry Ellison one of the richest people on the planet.

Nobody roots for Oracle.

The brand is associated with aggressive sales tactics, complex licensing, and vendor lock-in. IT departments use Oracle because they have to, not because they want to. The company has never attempted to build emotional connection because their model does not require it.

Key Evidence

• Brand perception driven by licensing complexity and aggressive sales
• No consumer-facing presence or cultural relevance
• Customer relationships contractual, not relational
• Marketing focuses on technical capabilities, not values or vision
• Competitor Salesforce explicitly positioned against Oracle’s culture

The Insight

Oracle proves that B2B success does not require soul. Enterprise purchasing decisions are driven by features, integration, and incumbent relationships. Emotional connection is not a factor. The lesson: soul matters most when customers have easy alternatives. Oracle’s switching costs eliminate that pressure.

Pattern Analysis

Shared Traits of Soulful Brands

1. Conviction that precedes strategy. These brands knew what they believed before they figured out how to monetize it. Patagonia did not discover environmentalism through market research. Nike did not test “Just Do It” in focus groups. The belief came first; the business followed.

2. Willingness to be disliked. Every brand in this category has made choices that alienated some potential customers. Patagonia tells people not to buy. Liquid Death looks like a beer brand. Nike features controversial athletes. They understand that meaning requires exclusion.

3. Consistency measured in decades. Lego has maintained the same core conviction for 90 years. Patagonia has never wavered from environmental activism. Trader Joe’s has resisted every trend that would dilute their experience. Soul is not a campaign; it is a commitment.

4. Integration across every touchpoint. Soul shows up in operations, not just communications. Trader Joe’s soul is in the Hawaiian shirts and hand-drawn signs. Patagonia’s soul is in the repair centers. These brands do not just say what they believe; they build systems that embody it.

5. Customers who identify, not just purchase. People describe themselves as “Patagonia people” or “Trader Joe’s shoppers.” They do not just buy from these brands; they belong to them. This identification creates loyalty that survives price increases, mistakes, and competition.

What Killed the “Lost Soul” Brands

1. Acquisition by soulless parents. Skype died inside Microsoft. The acquiring company’s culture overwrote the original conviction. This is the fastest way to kill soul: sell to someone who does not understand or value what made you special.

2. Optimizing for the wrong metrics. Facebook optimized for engagement. Chipotle optimized for throughput. When the metric becomes the mission, soul becomes collateral damage. What gets measured gets managed; what gets managed often loses meaning.

3. Failure to evolve expression while maintaining conviction. Victoria’s Secret confused their expression (Angels, fashion shows) with their soul (making women feel confident and attractive). When the expression became outdated, they had nothing to stand on. Soul must evolve; it cannot fossilize.

4. Crisis that forced survival over conviction. Chipotle’s food safety crises required a focus on operational recovery. That was necessary. But they never returned to conviction once the crisis passed. Soul cannot survive extended hibernation.

5. Fighting soulless competitors on their terms. Barnes & Noble tried to beat Amazon on price and convenience instead of doubling down on experience. When a soulless competitor attacks, the answer is more soul, not less. B&N chose less.

What “Never Had It” Brands Reveal

1. Soul is not required for success. Amazon, Oracle, and Comcast are enormously successful without any discernible soul. Dominance can be achieved through optimization, infrastructure, or monopoly. Soul is one path to success, not the only path.

2. Soulless brands compete on switching costs. Oracle has complex licensing. Comcast has regional monopolies. Amazon has Prime ecosystem lock-in. When soul is absent, brands must create other barriers to exit. The relationship is contractual, not emotional.

3. Nobody roots for soulless brands. People depend on Amazon. They tolerate Comcast. They comply with Oracle. But they do not advocate for these brands. They do not forgive their mistakes. They do not wear their logos. Utility creates usage, not loyalty.

4. Lack of Soul can be a strategic choice. Spirit Airlines has explicitly chosen to compete on price alone. That is a legitimate strategy. But it means they will never have customers who care about them beyond the transaction. Some businesses are designed this way.

READY TO BUILD SOMETHING PEOPLE BELIEVE IN?

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Over the past decade, we’ve watched something alarming happen in the world of branding and creativity. Not suddenly, the way a storm rolls in, but slowly and quietly, like a foundation settling at the wrong angle.

It’s the slow erosion of meaning from the brands we build and the work we create.

Everywhere you look, creativity has been flattened into content. Content has been flattened into output. Output has been flattened into deliverables. Agencies are trying to scale like SaaS companies. Brands are chasing trends like day traders. People are outsourcing their instincts to algorithms.

Somewhere along the way, we forgot that brands are not machines. They are not funnels. They are not logos awaiting feedback from the masses.

Brands, at their best, are alive.

And life (real life that is) requires a soul.

The coming years will draw a clear line between the brands that lead and the brands that disappear. The difference won’t be budget, or tech, or how many pieces of AI-generated content you crank out before lunch.

The difference will be soul. Whether a brand has it, whether its leaders protect it, and whether its partners can help articulate and amplify it.

This is a declaration of belief. A rallying cry for the brands who still believe that real creativity matters. Creativity that hits hard, makes us think, and awakens something in us.

If you’ve made it this far and feel even a hint of a spark, welcome. You’re our people.

WHAT IS BRAND SOUL?

Brand Soul is not a tagline. It is not a mission statement someone wrote during a leadership retreat and then laminated. It isn’t your logo, your color palette, your product roadmap, your competitive claims, or your MQL targets.

Brand Soul is the conviction that makes your brand matter.

It’s the belief that fuels your offering. The personality that makes you human. The values that guide how you show up, and how you serve.

It’s what makes people root for you.

It’s what makes your team feel aligned instead of scattered.

It’s what makes your story land with force instead of floating into the void.

Without soul, a brand becomes forgettable, even if the product is brilliant. Consumers don’t connect to perfection; they connect to humanity. They connect to tension, ambition, conviction, identity, vulnerability, aspiration. They connect to the feeling that a brand stands for something real.

In the years ahead, as competition intensifies and AI floods every channel with more content than the world could ever digest, the brands with soul will rise above the noise. Not because they shout louder, but because they actually mean something.

The future of marketing isn’t more. It’s meaning.

So, if soul is the heartbeat, what stops it? Two things: the cult of speed, and the comfort of “safe.”

WHAT KILLS SOUL

The Cult of Speed

We operate in an environment addicted to immediacy. The dashboard. The weekly report. The month-over-month growth line. The idea that if a piece of creative doesn’t deliver instant performance, it’s a failure.

Here’s the thing:

You cannot spreadsheet your way to brand soul.

You cannot gimmick your way to loyalty.

You cannot optimize your way to cultural relevance.

You cannot use an attribution model to find meaning.

If Brand Soul had an enemy, it might be speed.

When creativity is compressed into timelines that leave no room for insight, emotional intelligence, or the kind of deep listening that makes good work great, we end up with something that looks like creativity but feels like nothing.

We lose the moments where breakthrough ideas are born. The unexpected connections. The uncomfortable conversations. The willingness to walk past the obvious answers in search of the right one.

Craft becomes an afterthought. Care becomes optional. Soul becomes collateral damage.

You don’t have to be slow to be effective. You don’t have to be precious to be beautiful. But you do have to be deeply unwilling to sacrifice meaning on the altar of speed.

Rushed work doesn’t move markets. It just fills calendars.

The Comfort of “Safe“

Speed isn’t the only threat. There’s another force quietly draining soul from the work. The choice of who you partner with to bring it to life.

When sales are down, we naturally try to figure out why. But instead of being honest with our answers, we reach for easy excuses:

Our budgets aren’t big enough. Our website is too slow. Our packaging needs an update. Our conversion rates are below industry standards. We need more influencers. We need to create more content. We need a better sales deck. We need more brand awareness.

Or my personal favorite: We need a new agency.

Agencies can be catalysts for success, or they can exacerbate an existing problem.

If you’ve ever hired one, you’ve probably experienced the agency that says all the right things, plays within the lines, delivers the expected work, avoids friction, and never pushes too hard. A perfectly polite partnership that produces perfectly forgettable results.

Safe agencies are appealing because they reduce anxiety. They keep everyone comfortable. They avoid risk. They don’t challenge internal politics. They make leaders feel protected.

But protection is not progress. And comfort is the silent killer of breakthrough ideas.

The cost of choosing a safe agency isn’t measured in dollars, it’s measured in opportunity. The stories you never told. The bold play you never made. The differentiation you never claimed. The market share you quietly surrendered.

Safe work looks fine today. But it disappears tomorrow.

Safe should never define soul.

WHAT GROWS SOUL

So if speed and safety are the enemies, what’s the antidote?

It starts with how you define partnership and whether you have the courage to demand more from it.

Real Partnership

Great partnerships aren’t built on convenience. They’re built on honesty, curiosity, shared ambition, and a willingness to get in the trenches together.

Real partnership requires the courage to ask the hard questions and the humility to truly listen. It demands transparency, accountability, and mutual respect. It requires both sides to show up not as transaction managers, but as collaborators.

Partnership isn’t agreeing with each other. It’s believing in each other.

And when that belief is real, creative limitations fall away. Possibility expands. The work takes on momentum and meaning.

Soul takes root.

The Long Game

Short-term wins matter, but they’re not the same as long-term value. Quick hits don’t build brands people believe in. Soul does.

Great brands play the long game because they understand something the impatient overlook: connection compounds. Meaning compounds. Trust compounds.

Over time, the brands who invest in soul build a moat that competitors cannot replicate, no matter how much money they pour into performance.

The long game isn’t slow. It’s strategic.

And in the years ahead, it will be the most powerful competitive advantage a brand can claim.

Courage

Partnership creates the conditions. But soul still requires one more ingredient: the courage to be different.

We believe creativity still matters and maybe more than ever.

We believe breakthrough work requires courage: from us and from the brands who hire us.

We believe “boring” industries are the next frontier of great storytelling.

We believe differentiation requires truth.

We believe the world doesn’t need more content, it needs more meaning.

And we believe that if you’re willing to build a brand with soul, we can help you make work that actually matters.

FOR THOSE WHO FEEL IT IN THEIR GUT

If you’re reading this and something inside you says, “Finally, someone who gets it,” then you’re the kind of brand we built this for.

You’re not chasing noise. You’re building meaning.

You’re not afraid of the long game. You’re committed to it.

You know that brand isn’t decoration, it’s identity.

And identity is destiny.

You believe your story matters. You believe your people matter. And you believe your work can matter more.

If that’s you, let’s build something.

The industry will continue shifting. Technology will accelerate. Content will multiply. Attention will fragment. Metrics will evolve. Tools will change. Trends will rise and fall.

But the one thing that will always remain…the one thing no competitor can copy, no algorithm can manufacture, no shortcut can replace…is your soul.

And the brands who honor it, articulate it, and express it with courage will own the future.

The future is wide open, and you deserve a brand that feels as alive as the ambition behind it.

LET’S GET TO WORK

The importance of a strong brand strategy is undeniable. It’s been well documented that brands that have fostered consumer trust over the years do not have to continually work as hard to communicate their reasons to believe or overcome objections. Their built-in sense of history and authenticity automatically generates increased sales and customer retention. The positive financial impact garnered from this type of loyal customer base is measurable and irrefutable. But what about the impacts of internal branding?

Whether employees work behind the scenes or work directly with customers, every single employee on your team impacts multiple customer engagements, so the ripple effects of an internal brand campaigns are even greater. This is especially true with a brand refresh or new brand launch because the stakes are higher.

When your company is investing money and time to build and launch a brand to external audiences, you need every asset to be working in concert — including your human capital. Executing a successful internal brand launch will create a foundation for greater success with your customer-facing brand campaigns.

Here’s why:

Aligns Employees to Your Brand Vision

A brand refresh rarely happens out of the clear blue sky. Generally, something has happened to spur action. Often this will be a merger or acquisition, when employees from multiple disparate brand cultures must unify behind a singular brand vision. Understandably, newly acquired employees will have little understanding of what that vision is, but even legacy employees may not be aware of how the future direction of the brand will change based on a new merger.

If a merger is not the driving force, new product lines, shifting markets, or flagging sales may be behind a decision to update a company’s branding. Whatever the reason, if your brand is going through a refresh, providing employees with the background behind the decision and the vision for the future will help them to understand and align with the mission. 

British Petroleum was keenly aware of this when choosing to undergo a brand launch. In addition to the recent purchase of Amoco in 1998, the company was also facing a dramatic shift in the market as consumers were becoming aware of the harmful environmental effects of fossil fuels. They chose to rebrand as BP to unify both teams behind a clear vision to move “beyond petroleum.” Though a future that moved away from fossil fuels could easily have been scary for employees who had built careers around drilling for oil, a survey after the internal brand launch revealed that 90% of employees felt the company was moving in the right direction.

Builds Brand Culture

An internal brand campaign creates a rally cry for employees. It serves as a reference point for team members and helps employees see how small shifts in key attitudes and behaviors can breathe fresh energy into their day-to-day lives.

That was the approach the owners of Aldi’s took when investing in the launch of their fun new brand, Trader Joe’s, in 1958. Though already known for their no-frills grocery stores with little emphasis on branding, the company saw their fledgling new brand differently. Trader Joe’s was to have a focus on happiness, rather than savings — so they committed to creating customs and rituals that could guide employee behavior in their new venture.

Aligning employees to this vision has helped Trader Joe’s build a sense of connection among team members. This sense of connection not only reduces team turnover, it encourages employees to seek internal promotions. The resulting culture also guides future employee hiring decisions and has helped the brand to be recognized as one of the best places to work in the nation.

More importantly, these happy employees deliver joyful service, which serves as the foundation for a cult following that has continued to grow over the years. Though the original Aldi brand is older and more established, Trader Joe’s has built much stronger brand equity and consumer loyalty that is hard for other grocers to beat. 

Delivers on Brand Promise

As the Trader Joe’s story shows, communicating a clear brand vision to employees has an impact that extends beyond the company’s walls. When companies invest in internal brand campaigns they create consistency between internal and external brand positioning. 

An internal brand campaign creates a platform for employees to stand on when working behind the scenes and when serving customers, guiding all internal and external communications. Whether your company stands for fun, as in the case of Trader Joe’s, or innovation, like Google, clearly communicating your brand internally reminds employees of why they do what they do, and how they should be doing it.

The strong culture that results extends beyond simply performing tasks as expected. According to Edelman, 60% of employees choose to work for a company that is aligned to their values. Work is an important part of our lives, which many people openly talk about with friends and loved ones. When employees see how their actions support and help to achieve the larger brand vision, it creates a greater sense of purpose, turning employees into brand ambassadors, even outside of business hours. 

If you are ready for a new brand launch or considering a brand refresh, talk to us to learn more about how to align employees to your vision, build a strong culture, and deliver on your brand promise — starting with an internal brand campaign.

Gigasavvy creates winning creative marketing campaigns and insightful brand strategies that position our clients for long-term success. Connect with us to chat about about how we can help you take your business forward. 

Brand development is an important exercise for new brands, but even well-known, long-established brands such as CocaCola and Pepsi occasionally update their logo, color palette, and brand messaging. So how is a marketer to know when is the right time to update or redevelop their brand, or when to manage the brand as it currently exists? And what does brand management even mean?

Here we will unpack the principles of brand management to understand when brand development is necessary, and when it isn’t. 

Start with a Brand Audit

Before all else, we must understand what we have. You cannot identify whether or not it is appropriate to invest in all new brand development, or even a brand refresh, without first understanding your brand’s value and the opportunities for improvement.

I like to think of a brand audit in terms of five key elements: 

• Brand Awareness 
• Brand Perception
• Brand Purchase Behaviors
• Brand Preferences
• Brand Promotion

Brand Awareness

Your brand awareness is the extent to which audiences are aware of your brand as part of the competitive set. This includes awareness of your individual branded products or services as well as awareness of the parent brand. Brand awareness is viewed along two dimensions: Brand recall, which measures consumers’ ability to remember your brand without being prompted, and brand recognition, which is the ability for consumers to recognize your brand when being offered a choice from a list of others in the same category.

Brand recall and brand recognition can be measured by conducting surveys with audiences that are aligned with your brand’s demographic, psychographic and behavioral profiles. These measurements should be taken over time, especially before and after promotional campaigns, to keep a pulse on brand awareness and to understand the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. 

Brand Perception

In addition to understanding audiences’ brand awareness, it is important to know their perceptions of your brand. What do current and potential customers believe you stand for? How do they perceive your product or service reliability and quality? Do customers perceive your brand as providing good economic value? What about elite status, or a high-end experience? 

Similar to brand awareness, brand perception can also be measured with surveys. But, as this is a deeper layer of brand engagement, there are additional tools which can help you identify brand perception, including sentiment tracking on social media, and actual customer feedback. To make this data actionable, any tools you deploy to measure brand perceptions must also be used to gauge the perceptions of your competitive set.

Brand Purchase Behaviors

Purchase behavior looks beyond audiences’ opinions by measuring how consumers actually interact with your brand. Here you evaluate what motivates consumers to make a purchase, why they chose a particular brand (whether it’s yours or a competitor’s) and how well your brand meets their expectations. 

Fortunately, we have a great deal more data to draw on when evaluating purchase behaviors, including actual transaction and customer onboarding data (particularly the ‘how did you hear about us’ questions asked in the onboarding process), customers’ loyalty and lifetime value, and customer service feedback. Your customer database should serve as a wealth of information here, but more can also be gleaned from surveys and focus groups.

Brand Preferences

Once consumers have experience with your brand, whether they’ve purchased your product or not, you will be able to begin measuring their brand preferences. Which brand consistently meets or beats your audiences’ expectations? Are they willing to pay a premium for that brand? Why? 

These questions and more can be answered by evaluating online purchase behavior, customer turnover, customer service feedback, competitive market presence (e.g. earnings reports, press releases), social media sentiment tracking, focus groups or 1:1 interviews, and of course, surveys. The key here is to fully understand why customers choose you (or why they don’t), whether or not they are likely to switch after they’ve made that choice, and why.

Brand Promotion

It is a well-known marketing principle that it costs five times more to acquire a new customer than it costs to keep an existing customer or client. An exception to this rule is customers who come in by a referral from your existing clients. In today’s world of social-media-only brands and AI-generated online reviews, consumers are perhaps relying more than ever on trusted referrals from people they know. According to reputation.com, word-of-mouth drives as much as 50% of purchase decisions, with 76% of Gen X and Millennial consumers relying on recommendations from people they know more than they rely on branded content.

The primary key performance indicator of a customer’s likelihood to recommend your brand is called the Net Promoter Score (NPS). The NPS is calculated by surveying a statistically relevant sample of customers and then calculating the difference between your brand’s detractors vs. promoters. To help gauge your brand health, you should be measuring your NPS annually and comparing it against your prior scores as well as the current NPS benchmark for your industry. 

Deciding What to do After the Brand Audit

After you’ve quantified your brand’s strengths, weaknesses and opportunities you’ll be able to decide whether you are in need of a full brand development exercise to rebrand your organization, or if you are well-poised to move forward with purposeful brand management with a slight refresh. 

Brand Development

Brand is so much more than a look and feel. A brand identity is the cornerstone of the customer experience. Sometimes audiences don’t sense the brand image we want to convey. This can happen for many reasons including evolving business strategies and new product launches, or differences between marketing strategies vs. operational realities. 

If your brand audit uncovers serious concerns or a vast disconnect between how audiences perceive your brand vs. how you’d like to be perceived, it’s best to revisit your brand strategy and begin the process of brand development. An experienced brand strategist will walk you through the process of identifying your real brand promise (current and aspirational), and develop a comprehensive brand strategy to help you communicate your brand story to all audiences. 

Brand Management

When audiences’ perceptions of your brand are aligned to your brand identity, you are free to turn your attention to brand management. In this case, the focus is on reinforcing brand perceptions while building greater brand awareness, driving brand preference and increasing brand advocacy.

Just as brand development takes a focused commitment to understanding and addressing audiences’ needs, brand management requires a purposeful approach. Building brand awareness requires achieving a balance between performance marketing and brand marketing. Rather than focus too much on CTAs, you must tell your brand story in an authentic manner that connects with audiences emotionally on all upper funnel marketing platforms. 

That same emotive storytelling should carry through to lower parts of the marketing funnel in order to drive and/or reinforce brand preference at the point of purchase decision, and should also be used to build brand advocacy within your customer base. Marketers often focus on direct response, deal-oriented advertising, but when this is balanced with brand advertising audiences feel good about the brand they see and interact with. This creates a greater propensity to trust, buy, pay a premium, and recommend your  brands’ products and services.

Since 2008, Gigasavvy has helped brands identify opportunities and connect to their audiences with impactful brand strategies. Contact us to get help developing or managing your brand. 

Addy Award Wins

This year we had a great time celebrating at the AAF Orange County American Advertising Awards where we celebrated this craft that we love so dearly. We were honored to be recognized for our commitment to authentic storytelling and strategic branding with two Gold Addy Awards, three Silver Addy Awards and six Bronze Addy awards, in addition to an individual award for one of our team members.

Read on to see what we won and to check out the work.

Gold Addy Award Wins

HI-CHEW. Choose Different. Choose Fun. Chew HI-CHEW (:30 Spot)
Elements of Advertising: Animation, Special Effects and Motion Graphics

Recently we crafted a fun and colorful new commercial spot for HI-CHEW that celebrates the freedom to be yourself with our “Choose Different. Choose Fun. Chew HI-CHEW” concept. The animation, special effects and motion graphics we created for this spot earned has generated great results for HI-CHEW and has earned us a Gold Addy Award in Orange County. The spot also went on to receive a regional Gold Addy Award for District 15, and will be moving on to compete at the national level. See the video and the case study here.

Flexfit Catalog Photography
Elements of Advertising: Still Photography, Campaign

When Flexfit wanted to take a fresh approach to B2B marketing, we jumped in with both feet, creating a fun storyboard that captures the many ways these tech forward hats can take stylish brands to the next level. We managed a photo shoot to capture creative product shots that were used for the latest Flexfit catalog, earning them a great deal of attention from their buyers, and also earning us a Gold Addy Award. Check out some of the photography in our case study here.

Silver Addy Award Wins

Flexfit Shot Show (:60 spot)
Film, Video and Sound:  Internet Commercial Single Spot

Our Flexfit photography wasn’t the only project which won accolades for this client. Earlier in the year, we also produced a :30 video spot called “Flexfit Shot Show,” which was designed to highlight the state of the art technology that only Flexfit can offer. This video was recognized with a Silver Addy Award:

Flexfit Made for This (:60 spot)
Film, Video and Sound:  Internet Commercial Single Spot

Not long after completing the Flexfit Shot Show project, we began work on another concept for Flexfit to showcase the versatility of the brand’s wide ranging line of products. With designs stylish enough for even the most discerning audiences and performance that brings undeniable breathability and comfort, Flexfit hats are perfectly designed for every situation. That was the thought behind our “Made For This” campaign concept, which earned a Silver Addy Award with this spot:

HI-CHEW. Choose Different. Choose Fun. Chew HI-CHEW (:30 Spot)
Film, Video and Sound: TV Advertising for a National Single Spot

In addition to winning a Gold Addy Award for our animation, special effects and animated graphics, the “Choose Different. Choose Fun. Chew HI-CHEW.” commercial :30 spot was also honored with a Silver Addy award in the National Single Spot category for TV Advertising.

Bronze Addy Award Wins

West Coast University When Your Caring is Calling (:60 Spot)
Film, Video and Sound: TV Advertising, Local, One DMA, Single Spot

Having worked with West Coast University before, we were well aware of their commitment to delivering not only a quality education, but also to bolstering the communities they serve with highly-qualified, mission-ready healthcare professionals. That led Gigasavvy to conceptualize the “When Caring is Your Calling” campaign, which was localized each of West Coast University’s markets. Our approach was recognized with a Silver Addy Award for TV advertising running in a local market, and helped to attract many more students to the healthcare profession. Read the full case study and watch the commercial spot here.

American Career College Your Story (:60 Spot)
Film, Video and Sound: TV Advertising, Local, One DMA, Single Spot

All healthcare heroes have a story, a reason they chose to serve others and to pursue their noble profession. That was the thought behind the American Career College “Your Story” campaign, which features real ACC alumni sharing their story about what drives them to give their best each and every day. By telling their stories, we were able to weave a narrative that helps American Career College recruit new classes of healthcare students for America’s future, earning us a Bronze Addy award in the process for this video.

D.R. Horton Building Memories (:15 Spot)
Film, Video and Sound: Internet Commercial Campaign

When you buy a new home, you aren’t just moving into a house, you are moving forward in the next big chapter of your life, in the place where you will make memories. This thought captures the essence of our D.R. Horton Building Memories campaign, which was originally conceptualized for a single market and was soon used in multiple cities, earning D.R. Horton strong results in several markets around the United States. Read the case study full case study and see the video spot here.

Black Angus Badass Burger Campaign
Integrated Ad Campaign: National

The restaurant industry has shifted dramatically over the years, leading Black Angus to create an off-premise strategy that could serve audiences who want to enjoy easy restaurant-quality food without the dine-in experience. We helped launch the sassy new line of Black Angus Badass Burgers with edgy branding and an integrated campaign that highlighted the bold, flame-kissed flavors of the new burger brand. The campaign earned us a Bronze Addy Award. See the full mouth-watering campaign here.

Black Angus Market Brand Development
Integrated Brand Identity Campaign: National

Black Angus also recognizes that there are times when audiences also want to take home their hand-cut, 21-day aged steaks, farm-to-fork poultry, sustainable seafood, signature sauces, and other quality ingredients to prepare beautiful meals at home. To meet the demand, they built out an online marketplace to offer all of these products to audiences for local pickup at any nationwide location. Gigasavvy developed fresh branding to highlight the top-tier quality of the ingredients, earning us a Bronze Addy Award. Check out the fresh brand story here.

Flexfit Made for This Social Media Content
Online Interactive: Social Media Campaign

Our Flexfit “Made for This” campaign concept came to life across multiple mediums, including organic social media content, which has helped the brand to double quarter-over-quarter audience engagement on Flexfit’s social media channels, as well as doubling the brand’s online order activity. If you have not yet read the full case study, be sure to check it out here.

Individual Addy Award

Cameron Muir, Gigasavvy Sr. Account Manager
Wizards of Advertising: Above and Beyond Award 

Last, but certainly not least, our very own Cameron Muir was recognized with an Addy Award in the Above and Beyond category of the Wizards of Advertising awards, for his day-in and day-out commitment to doing whatever is needed to help his clients get tell their brand and campaign stories, to drive the results business results they are looking for. Many thanks and congratulations to Cameron!

Gigasavvy is a strategic brand, content and creative agency that believes in the power of big ideas to drive big results. We thrive in helping clients unpack challenges, chase goals and realize opportunities. Connect with us to chat about how we can help you drive your brand forward.

In the world of branding and marketing, consumer brands certainly get most of the attention. But the brands we are all familiar with don’t just sell products, they are also customers of various goods and services. That’s where business-to-business commerce, or B2B comes in. And B2B is big business.

In the United States the B2B sector accounts for 62% of the economy, employing more than 100 million people. This means that if you are a B2B brand, you’ve probably got some pretty stiff competition. Business-focused brands spent more than $22.14B in advertising in 2022. So if you have not yet invested in strong B2B branding, you are going to face serious headwinds. 

What is B2B Branding?

Just like consumer brands, B2B branding is much more than a logo and a color palette. A well-crafted brand identity helps business buyers and other audiences clearly understand and resonate with everything that a brand stands for. It is the cornerstone that inspires customers and employees not only to connect, but to willingly participate in brand conversations. 

While some B2C brands can afford to be transactional, B2B brands need to focus on creating much higher levels of engagement. Business products tend to be more complex and costly than their consumer counterparts, and are generally sold to fewer audiences with longer sales cycles. B2B buyers’ needs are generally more layered and nuanced. A strong B2B brand will recognize this and respond accordingly. 

Why is B2B Branding So Important?

It is a common misconception that B2B buying is all about facts and figures, charts and graphs — that if it makes sense on paper, the sale is all but assured. That explains why so much B2B marketing focuses on bulleted lists of product features and statistics. However, a study of more than 3,000 business buyers indicated that customers are twelve times more likely to buy from a brand with which they have an emotional connection. Not only that, but they are also 30 times more willing to pay a premium. 

Business buyers have all kinds of emotional skin in the game. If a consumer buys a product for personal use and does not like it, the risk is often only their own momentary dissatisfaction. But if a business buyer buys the wrong product, their reputation — and possibly their job — is at stake. Conversely, if their acquisition drives good business results in the form of cost savings, efficiency, innovation, etc., they can earn recognition, raises and promotions. B2B sellers don’t just have to convince businesses based on facts, they have to carve out a brand position that convinces human buyers based on personal motivators.

How Do You Define B2B Brand Positioning?

Sadly, a staggering 68% of B2B brands do not understand their customers at all. A good brand strategy starts here — digging in to understand customers, not in terms of where they work, but in terms of who they are. What motivates them; what keeps them up at night; how are other brands and solutions failing them; and how can your brand help them achieve their professional goals or solve problems at work? 

The answers to these questions are at the heart of brand positioning — the strategic space a brand occupies in the hearts and minds of customers. A brand position goes beyond outlining a company’s offering. It inspires audiences with a brand promise, shares the brand story, outlines the brand’s personality traits and establishes trust and credibility with brand pillars and values.

Because of the higher level of sophistication and complexity in business products, B2B branding is often imbued with a more sophisticated messaging framework than typical B2C brands. This gives B2B brands a platform to connect mentally and emotionally with business buyers, and creates a sense of resilience that transcends the shorter-lived, constantly fluctuating technical product advantages.

How Much Should Companies Spend on B2B Branding?

B2B firms find marketing dollars maximized when consistently spending 54% on performance marketing and 46% on brand. But it takes time. Anyone in B2B marketing can attest that it is incredibly difficult to move the needle on B2B sales with creative ad campaigns alone. The sale does not happen until all of the stars align. 

Although 67% of the B2B buyer’s journey happens online, the performance marketing models so many marketers have come to embrace in the world of consumer marketing do not work in the land of B2B because 90% of business buyers operate outside of traditional sales flows. B2B buyers start their research path long before they are ready to make a purchase, sometimes to start evaluating vendors, and sometimes in order to inform a budget discussion for the upcoming fiscal year. 

After correctly identifying and targeting the right audiences, B2B sellers have to continually speak to prospective buyers, building trusting relationships and keeping themselves top of mind, until that magical moment when they have an approved budget. The brand who is remembered in that moment is the one who is likely to get the sale. 

The Future of B2B Branding

Every generation has their moment of being the most talked about group of people in America — for the sheer size of their population, and for the change they are expected to bring about. These days, much of the buzz is still about Millennials. You’d be forgiven for thinking that they just cropped out of nowhere like an alien force. In fact, they’ve been living among us for decades, growing older, going to college and getting jobs. As it turns out, not all of them are influencers. 59% of B2B buyers are Millennials — making them the largest generation in this role.

As the first generation to really experience, embrace and reject all that digital marketing brings to bear, it should come as no surprise that 90% of these business buyers are demanding deeper relationships and a higher degree of personalization from B2B brands they interact with. This goes beyond simply placing a first name at the top of an email. It starts with crafting a B2B brand strategy that clearly defines audiences, understands their needs and speaks to how it will help them step forward in the world. 

Gigasavvy has deep experience helping B2B brands assess the landscape and position themselves for long-term success with compelling brand stories and award-winning marketing campaigns. Connect with us to chat about how we can help you drive your brand forward.

→Homemade videos on YouTube gain traction, so Marketers want to hire social media experts to make their content ‘go viral.’ 

→Social media users grow incredible followings, so brands want to hire Influencer Specialists to replicate this success for their own brand

→Consumers start to rally around issues like sustainability and DEI, so brands invest in bringing in consultants to learn how to quickly check these boxes

The challenge is that what made these practices successful in the first place was that they were completely organic. They were not connected with any traditional marketing practices or an orchestrated business plan. Brands want to achieve this viral success, but customers demand authenticity. What’s a marketer to do?

Know Your Brand

An apple tree will never sprout oranges. As your brand grows and evolves, the best thing you can do for your business, your team, and your customers, is to get crystal clear on exactly who you are. What are your values? What is your story? How does your personality show up? Where are you positioned?

Having a clear brand strategy will act as a compass, so that you will know what trends align, and you will be ready to jump on that next organic opportunity.
Without knowing these things, the default is to react to each independent trend, which can create mixed and muddled messaging, consumer confusion, and frustration all around. While you may never be able to appeal to 100% of people, consistency and clear messaging will gain trust and buy-in from your customers, and respect from spectators.

Know Your Audience

People do not always enjoy being marketed to. This is especially true in millennial and Gen Z audiences. While we may want to appeal to everyone, a brand will actually gain more traction and respect if it embraces polarizing qualities. This means knowing what you are and who you are for, and what you are not. Having a clear stance will create more genuine messaging and relationships.

Get to know your audience so that you can dialogue rather than monologue. What is important to them? What makes them tick? Where do they spend their time? What do they believe about the world? These more nuanced specifics are where you’ll find the greatest opportunity for authentic connection.

Know Your Message

Failed messaging can come from one of two sources:

→It is too vague.

→It is too specific.

If you do not have a clear brand- you don’t have a clear and understood ‘why’, or mission or vision or personality, then when it comes to marketing and messaging, there isn’t much to grab onto. If you have a controlled brand where you micromanage messaging and bottle up approvals at the top, then marketing and messaging becomes forced and disingenuous. 

The biggest impact comes from one clear message being shared multiple times. What is the one thing you want your audience to know? By tapping into this core truth, you have a structured framework with guardrails that allow your team, your brand partners, your influencer partnerships, and even your audience to grab hold of this messaging and exponentially share it along with you in a way that is genuine, accurate, and productive.

Concluding Thoughts

Can you strategically implement organic marketing?

If you are hoping to manufacture and manipulate a viral sensation by replicating something that worked for someone else, probably not. If your audience can see the business plan come through the creative, it has missed the mark. 

But can you be strategic about finding organic opportunities that align with your brand and resonate with your audience? Absolutely. 

When you take the time to know your brand, know your audience, and know your message, the reach potential becomes infinite. By having a clear strategy in place, you will be ready to jump on the right organic opportunities.

Gigasavvy creates winning brand, marketing, campaign and content strategies that position brands for long-term success. Connect with us to chat about how we can help you take your business forward. 

Meet the Designers: Teague Anderson

How did you fall into design?

I always loved making things when I was younger, and my love for design was born when I had to make PowerPoint presentations for my classes. I always wanted to flex on everyone with how good mine looked and how cool my slide transitions were.

How would you describe your design style?

I would describe my design style as sophisticated. I really like clean and simple, but like to add a little flare here and there to avoid work becoming too stagnant or boring. 

Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration from everything! Our whole world was created by a Designer, and there is no shortage of inspiration to draw from. Whether it’s beautiful nature scenery or cruising up and down aisles in the grocery store looking at packaging, it is always fun to see the different ways people express their creativity.

What type of projects would you work on full time if you could?

I would work on branding projects full time if I could. It is so fun to see a brand come to life from nothing, and to set someone up for their future success as a business. The whole process from logo development, to colors/type, to applications etc. is really enjoyable and rewarding.

Gigasavvy is a brand strategy firm and creative agency that is passionate about helping brands craft their authentic story. Contact us for help with your brand.

What does this word even mean? It almost seems like a buzzword these days. But, while some things are, in fact, trends meant to fizzle as fast as they flame, some things are actually solid, age-old truths that we just happen to be paying more attention to right now. 

Strategy is one of those things.

Strategy: A plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim. 

It’s unlikely that anyone would refute the value of a good strategy. When you are investing thousands to millions of dollars in your business, you would expect that it comes with a solid plan of action that will achieve your aim. Otherwise, what’s the point? 

The challenge is that strategy takes time. And a little patience. Much like the blueprint and foundation of a house, there is a lot of unseen progress before the first exciting wall goes up. As brands are feeling the pressures of budget cuts and increased expectations, the temptation to forgo the unseen and jump straight into tactics can often take over. Agencies wanting to close the deal are not immune to this temptation, and the result is a very flashy, semi-productive campaign that doesn’t actually move the needle. 

Re-Thinking Strategy

Traditionally, business strategy sat with the CEO, operations and finance executives, and marketing and advertising were siloed out. Marketing was simply brought in afterwards to sell the strategy to consumers. With the advent of social media and consumer driven marketing, the role of CMO has almost entirely shifted from campaign management to impact management.

Consumers want to know more than just the product or service- they want to know the heart of a company and its leaders. Marketing now owns huge company leadership considerations such as DEI, sustainability, and social impact. While this can feel at times daunting, it’s actually great news for business leaders. You can now grow your bottom line simply by showing up authentically each day. Strategy is now less about creating a message, and more about curating and leveraging the message that your team is already bringing to life with every customer interaction.

Re-Thinking Marketing 

When we rethink marketing as an investment rather than an expense, the focus shifts. Marketing is not about spending dollars to megaphone your message; it’s about using creative problem solving to move your business forward with the support and revenue from your customers. 

Whether the solution is product, operations, service, marketing, advertising, branding, etc, it all comes down to creative problem solving. When your strategy is steeped in a focus on your customers’ needs, wants and motivations, you will hit your target more quickly, efficiently, accurately, and impactfully. Every time. 

Gigasavvy creates winning brand, marketing, campaign and content strategies that position brands for long-term success. Connect with us to chat about how we can help you take your business forward. 

Increased Brand Credibility and Trust

Consumers are more likely to trust a recommendation from a person they admire or relate to than from corporate advertising, especially when there is no face to the brand. In fact, 92% of consumers trust peer recommendations over advertising. Often being loyal customers themselves, brand ambassadors share stories that resonate with their audience and the genuine experiences foster trust and credibility within their communities. 

People trust other people that they can feel a connection to and resonate with. This simple yet profound reason is at the heart of why brand ambassadors are so effective. When a relatable, authentic person endorses a product or service, it clears the air of the constant promotion coming from the direct source. 

Wider Reach and Visibility

Brand ambassadors can extend your brand’s reach. A single campaign from an influential ambassador can open up your brand to hundreds, thousands and even millions of potential customers. With the rise of social media in our day to day lives, this is a strategic way to capture the fleeting attention of consumers and stop them in their tracks while scrolling. 

With their diverse and extensive followings, whether they are micro or macro influencers, brand ambassadors can introduce your brand to new markets and demographics that go far beyond traditional organic reach. 

Enhanced Engagement and Interaction

Community engagement is what sets you apart from your competition. Building lasting relationships with customers is a crucial part of maintaining authentic relationships within the community. Through their social media presence and online interactions, brand ambassadors create a two-way communication between your brand and target audience. 

This method of communication, when you are talking WITH your audience and not AT them, can encourage feedback, address concerns, and create an interactive experience that deepens your relationship with customers. Long term success builds a solid community around your brand that fosters ongoing interactions. 

Cost-Effective Marketing

Brand ambassadors can be significantly more cost effective than traditional advertising methods. Although most ambassadors are paid for their services, some are also open to an exchange of products or experiences. In addition, micro influencers cost 96% less than macro influencers on average. This means that for a relatively low investment, you can achieve extensive coverage and promotion. 

The nature of organic ambassador promotions will often lead to a higher ROI because of the fact that their authenticity in endorsing a product will likely convert more into sales. 

Valuable User-Generated Content

Brand ambassadors are an amazing source for user-generated content (UGC). To break past the constant promotion of products and services within social media platforms, the genuine experiences that ambassadors share create a compelling and relatable funnel of content that can be repurposed across different marketing channels. 

This allows brands to allocate resources that they normally would be using on content creation to other areas of their marketing efforts. Authenticity is highly valued by audiences, particularly within Gen Z, making UGC an effective content strategy. 

This allows brands to allocate resources that they normally would be using on content creation to other areas of their marketing efforts. Authenticity is highly valued by audiences, particularly within Gen Z, making UGC an effective content strategy. 

Integrating brand ambassadors offers a multitude of benefits to your marketing strategy. They are a valuable asset for not only building trust within your target audience but also are viewed as a highly credible source for advocating for products and services. With a strive to be seen as genuinely authentic in the marketplace, it is essential to implement the cost effectiveness of user generated content into your overall marketing plan. 

As a strategic creative agency, Gigasavvy brings brands to life across all channels to authentically connect with their audiences. Connect with us to chat about how we can help you drive your brand forward.