Brand Workshop Description and Process

The objective of the Brand Workshop is to establish a brand promise, create a uniform positioning statement, develop a value proposition, form a mission statement, uncover the emotional underpinnings that make the brand relatable to consumers and identify the one word that describe the company in the minds and hearts of its consumers.  That word which it, alone, owns.  We will also clearly define the ideal target(s) for the brand, along with an understanding of the business development and customer acquisition process. 

Over the course of two days, through a highly structured, intensive iterative process conducted among the company’s team members – participants for this workshop come from various divisions and job functions, including: management, operations, sales people, marketers, advertising and anyone else who is client facing or “touches” the consumer.  The ideal number of participants is around twenty but can vary from as few as eight to as many as thirty.  This is an intimate process and involves a great deal of probing, debate and group interaction.  Too few participants and we won’t yield the necessary response diversity and too many and the group can become distracted, or worse, disengaged.   

We will facilitate a series of exercises specifically designed to distill down to the word (or words) that best describe the company and determine what it is that distinguishes it from its competitors and connects it with consumers on an emotional level.  This is critical, so that we can properly position the company among a crowded field, all vying for the attention of prospective customers and precisely market it for the greatest impact.  Future sales success will depend on the company’s ability to quickly and effectively describe itself and allow prospects to understand exactly what makes the company’s offering(s) distinct.

During the workshop, we expect a great deal of discussion and internal debate to take place – where sometimes heated exchanges will occur.  This is normal and a healthy part of process.  We will also explore, define and agree upon business targets and prospects for the brand.  Targeting is a natural outgrowth of the marketing and positioning work. 

Ideally, this workshop should be conducted in a comfortable off-site setting to minimize and avoid external interruptions.  The output we provide depends entirely on the company’s input and this input requires that each participant to intently focus on the process. 

Overnight, we will sequester ourselves to analyze and synthesize the group’s work from that day and create a document that will be presented to the group on the morning of day two.  The group will then react to and edit the document until all are satisfied with the outcome.

After the workshop is completed, we like to talk with a few selected clients or “friends of the brand” and expose them to what we uncovered to gauge their reactions.  This will confirm that what was created in the workshop is true of the brand, meaningful to consumers, distinct from the competition and resonates with the intended audience.

The output of the Brand Workshop is a comprehensive deck that details the findings and results of the entire process along with:

• The Brand Promise
• A Uniform Positioning Statement
• A Value Proposition
• Mission Statement

We will also include the word(s) that provide the emotional connection to the targeted consumers.  Selected client interactions will also be integrated into the deck.  The deck will serve as a foundation document for all future marketing, advertising, PR and business development strategies and tactics.