Mosaic Pillar #4
There is no strategic formula. Every solution and plan should be built upon fresh research and brand fundamentals, and then uniquely customized to your audience.
Working in brand strategy, I often feel I live in a perpetual state of discovery.
From what consumer behaviors are telling us, how platforms are constantly evolving, and even, practically-speaking, what the economy is doing to our purchasing power - the need to stop and evaluate the specific factors influencing every situation remains. Learnings persist.
It’s one of the main reasons behind why I insist on incorporating a discovery phase into every client project, whether in-depth or accelerated. Always looking to discover these five A’s:
1/ Alignment
What are your goals?
How do you measure them?
Do we mean the same thing when we describe the work?
Start everything with curiosity and keep asking questions. I can’t tell you the number of times something like ‘content platform’ or ‘community strategy’ conjures very different examples in clients’ minds.
2/ Audience
Who are you talking to and who should you be talking to?
Does the data match that?
Is there an audience you haven’t considered yet?
Sometimes it's hard for clients to separate how they perceive their company and how their audiences might. Advice I’ve reiterated so much that I consider it a Mosaic-ism is:
By taking the subjectivity out through solid audience discovery, we ground where we are taking this brand in exactly who it's designed for.
3/ Authenticity
What voice/approach/strategy feels like you?
What resonates with the above audience(s)?
What makes this brand uniquely different in the category?
Simply put: it has to be true. True to your ethos, true to your audience’s need, and true against the comparables in your landscape. There’s always room to stretch, but let’s define your lane to start.
4/ Amplification
What is your secret sauce?
What’s worked and what’s not worked already?
What resources do you have within your network?
One of the most important things to discover in a new strategy project is all the good things and learnings that already exist. We need not wipe the slate clean; instead let's amplify the foundational power.
5/ Activation
In what form/channels does this need to come to life?
How will internal and external teams share implementation?
What’s our budget and timeframe?
Last, but not least - and maybe most practical. Let’s actually build what you need. A plan for a $300K launch isn’t helpful when the budget is a fraction of that. Another Mosaic-ism is:
Sometimes clients are wary of sharing small budgets for fear of getting small ideas. But it’s actually within the constraint of reality where greater (and more actionable) ideation can happen.
Let's define what's possible in the end and then optimize every step towards it.
If you’d like to chat more about bringing your A game to discovery,