Your Iconic Image : How to Build an Iconic Brand
Beth Strange
Beth Strange Strategy
As an Elite Performance Strategist, Certified High Performance Coach, speaker, and writer, I help extraordinary top performers and entrepreneurs to BE, DO, and HAVE what they want and need in their professional and personal lives.
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate with distinction from Penn State University with a degree in Linguistics, and Harvard Neuroscience Certification, I spent my early career as an educator, administrator, and business owner in the branding and reputation management industry. My guiding principle is to always do the right thing, a principle I believe is a professional's most valuable asset. My bottom line is measured by the satisfaction and success of my clients.
Prior to my full-time strategist role, I spent 25 years assisting high-profile and emerging corporations, academic institutions, groups, and individuals in defining and refining their presence and becoming influential by applying proven principles in reputation, brand, public relations, and image management. I\u2019ve obtained certification as an internationally Certified Image Professional and Brand Analyst with extensive certifications, education, and experience in Presence Management industries.\xa0
Native Pennsylvanians, my husband, Michael, and I and our seven children have also lived in Hawaii, Georgia, and Maryland. Now that I\u2019ve been a North Carolina resident for the past nine years, I never want to leave. I enjoy playing as a concert flautist, cherishing my children and grandchildren, serving in my church, training at the gym, appreciating performance cars, renovating our yacht, and regaining my perspective by the ocean.
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It\u2019s numerable small, almost imperceptible elements that weave into a tapestry.
They\u2019ve arrived by strategy and by default\u2026.Some built their brand brick by brick\u2026others just kind of fell into it.
I don\u2019t think Kim Kardashian has a brick by brick strategy\u2026.Warren Buffett\u2026a lot more strategic.
There is kind of a magic potion and mix\u2026Coco Chanel, professional athletes\u2026
The Branding Pyramid\u2026.the bottom is Purpose.\xa0What is the brand\u2019s purpose? That spills into what are the values, what\u2019s the mission?\u2026Your purpose will be wide spread.\xa0
What is the Personality of your brand?\xa0What are the characteristics? What is the visual identity of your brand?\xa0
What\u2019s the Promise of the brand?\xa0What problem do you solve?\xa0What are you giving with your brand?
A lot of brands aren\u2019t really providing much value and they are usually a flash and burn.
At the very top\u2026this is where we really need to strategize and constantly be evaluating and controlling the Point of difference.\xa0\u2026What makes you one-of-a-kind? \xa0
Unique is not the best word\u2026what is the distinction?\xa0
You cannot build and iconic brand without any of these steps in the pyramid.\xa0It will fall over.
I will submit that we can and must control all of it.
We talk about image, brand, reputation, PR, presence\u2026they all dovetail.\xa0Not one of them is an island.
This will be the pre-K version of the distinction between those: every individual has an image, but not every individual has a brand\u2026.a person\u2019s image is essentially how they seem\u2026.generally this is the physical manifestation of a human being.\xa0Brand is an individual\u2019s representation in the marketplace.\xa0As soon as a person appears in a market, they now have a brand\u2026.how do they appear\u2026behave\u2026communicate.\xa0Reputation are the long standing beliefs of others about your image and your brand. \xa0
Image and brand are self focused, self defined..reputation is other defined. \xa0
What is the definition of an iconic brand? \u2026a very broad definition is\u2026a person or product that inspires unbreakable loyalty in its people.
Apple\u2026.Disney\u2026the most powerful brand in the world by all the metrics\u2026was Lego.\xa0
\u2026Unbreakable loyalty\u2026is #1.\xa0#2\u2026iconic brands polarize their people.
Nike. \xa0
That\u2019s not a negative thing.\xa0We should all be polarizing.\xa0We should have people that are with us or not so much.
Polarizing is one of the smartest brand strategies for up and coming iconic brands.
Think about Coke and Pepsi.
Almond Joy and Mounds.
To build unshakable loyalty\u2026.in no particular order\u2026
- Be Distinct - then protecting that distinction
- Appeal Emotionally to Our Community - Google\u2019s emotional appeal to people is\u2026we\u2019re going to be easy for you to use
- You Must Innovate.\xa0You must be able to pivot\u2026realign.\xa0Netflix vs. Blockbuster
- Generate Affinity For a Life/Lifestyle That Your People Want - Harley Davidson
- Remain True and Committed To Your Purpose and Your Values - Coca Cola changed its formula and nobody liked it
- Be The One and Only - Amazon\u2026their one click checkout\u2026even if its very small, what is the one and only
- Concentrate on Your People, Not Your Product - Starbucks kills it with that\u2026coffee was the product, but\u2026it was all about the people
- Become a Master Storyteller - Girl Scouts of America and their cookie sales\u2026NorthFace is another one
- Become Elite in at Least Some Area of What Your Brand Represents - Maserati\u2026Coco Chanel
- Start With the Focus Being on the Audience\u2026and how great they can be or become before how great the brand is. It\u2019s about the audience being paramount and how their life can be changed or blessed if they are involved in your brand.
If their brand is created around how great they are, they come and go pretty fast.\xa0If the brand is created around how great are my people\u2026that\u2019s what makes a long lasting iconic brand.
We drill down on these elements\u2026so that we can serve our people in the best way that we can.
Go to the base of the pyramid and really define \u2018what\u2019s your purpose\u2019?\xa0What\u2019s your big Why, but what\u2019s the big Why of your product?\xa0What\u2019s the big Why for your people?
My mission\u2026create abundance with good extraordinary people.
Don\u2019t take any wooden nickels.
Be really thoughtful about your life.\xa0Be thoughtful about your actions.\xa0Live your life be design and not default.
If it\u2019s important to me, I put it on my schedule, I put it on my calendar, I create a strategy and I do it.
My calendar.\xa0I am a calendar ninja\u2026My Maserati.
bethstrange,com
Audio : Ariza Music Productions