MDM530 Week 3
From Missteps
to Mastery:
The Role of Strategy in
Successful Branding
The Role of
Strategy in Branding
Brand strategy is a comprehensive plan that aligns a company's values and goals with its branding efforts, guiding how it interacts with and communicates with its customers. This concept is vital because it influences consumer perceptions and ensures consistency across all brand touchpoints (Full Sail, 2024).
The case of Kinecta Federal Credit Union's acquisition and rebranding of Nix Check Cashing demonstrates the critical role of strategy in branding. Initially, Kinecta failed to understand the unique needs of Nix's customer base, resulting in a loss of clientele when attempting to transition to complete banking services. However, by reassessing its approach, Kinecta adopted a more suitable strategy, rebranding to Nix Neighborhood Lending and emphasizing community-focused services.
This situation contrasts with another case where Procter & Gamble successfully rebranded Old Spice from an outdated brand to a modern, appealing one through humorous and bold advertising strategies (Crawford, 2024). Unlike Kinecta, Old Spice's rebranding effort was driven by a deep understanding of its target audience's preferences and a clear strategic vision. Both cases highlight the importance of thorough market research and understanding the target audience to create a successful brand strategy.
A well-executed brand strategy offers numerous benefits, including enhanced brand loyalty, increased customer trust, and market differentiation (Full Sail, 2024). However, challenges include the necessity for continuous market research and the ability to adapt to changing consumer behaviors. Kinecta's initial missteps underscored the difficulties inherent in rebranding without thoroughly understanding the target audience's needs. Effective brand strategies must also incorporate a mix of media channels and ongoing evaluation to ensure they resonate with the intended audience.
Collaboration in the
Branding Process
Collaboration in branding involves multiple stakeholders, including marketers, designers, and community representatives, working together to shape a brand's identity and strategy. The team integrates diverse perspectives and expertise through this collaborative approach, creating a more holistic and effective branding process.
The collaboration in the Kinecta and Nix Check Cashing rebranding process highlights the importance of involving community insights and internal teams to realign the brand strategy effectively. By understanding their target audience's needs, Kinecta shifted its strategy and rebranded to Nix Neighborhood Lending, which better served the community's financial needs. This collaboration was crucial in regaining customer trust and expanding services.
A similar collaborative effort can be seen in the rebranding of Dunkin' Donuts to Dunkin'. The company engaged with internal teams and external agencies to streamline its brand and focus on beverages, reflecting consumer trends (Neumeier, 2005). Additionally, Sean Adams emphasizes in "Branding for Designers" the importance of strategic collaboration to ensure brand consistency and effectiveness across various platforms and touchpoints (Adams, 2024). Both examples demonstrate the value of collaboration in achieving a successful rebranding effort, although Dunkin's rebranding was driven more by market trends than community needs.
The benefits of collaboration in branding include diverse perspectives, improved problem-solving, and enhanced creativity (Adams, 2024; Neumeier, 2005). However, challenges can arise, such as potential conflicts among stakeholders and the complexity of coordinating efforts. Effective communication and clear objectives are essential to navigate these difficulties and ensure successful outcomes.
Adjusting Strategy
for Audiences
Adjusting strategy for audiences involves tailoring a brand's approach to meet different customer segments' unique needs and preferences. This method ensures that the brand remains relevant and effectively communicates its value proposition to diverse groups (Clark, 2018).
In the case of Kinecta Federal Credit Union and Nix Check Cashing, Kinecta initially needed to understand the specific needs of Nix's target audience when they transitioned to offering complete banking services. This oversight led to a loss of clientele. By conducting thorough research and understanding their customers' needs, Kinecta successfully rebranded to Nix Neighborhood Lending. They brought essential financial services in-house and focused on community engagement, leading to regained customer trust and expanded services.
Similarly, another approach to communicating with all kinds of audiences emphasizes tailoring presentations to different audiences by comprehending their unique needs and preferences (Clark, 2018). Another underscores the value of strategic adjustments and understanding the specific needs of different customer segments to drive successful branding initiatives (Adams, 2024). Both examples highlight the critical role of audience-specific strategies in achieving brand success.
Adjusting strategy for audiences offers significant benefits, including increased customer satisfaction, loyalty, and market penetration (Adams, 2024). However, this approach also presents challenges, such as the need for continuous market research and the complexity of managing diverse strategies across different segments. Effective implementation requires a deep understanding of the target audience and flexibility to adapt to changing consumer preferences.
References:
Adams, S. (2015, March 27). Part 3: Strategy 101 and Part 4: Parts [Video]. in Branding for Designers. LinkedIn Learning. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/branding-for-designers/
Clark, D. (2018, May 22). How to Give the Same Talk to Different Audiences. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2018/05/how-to-give-the-same-talk-to-different-audiences
Crawford, S. (2024, April 30). Role of Branding: Building a Brand That Stands Out. Inkbot Design. https://inkbotdesign.com/role-of-branding/
Full Sail Online (2024). 3.2 Lecture: Strategy in Branding. In Brand Development. Full Sail University. Retrieved November 16, 2024, from https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/194534/modules/791297/activities/4549842
Full Sail Online (2024). 3.5 Case Study: Adjusting Strategy. In Brand Development. Full Sail University. Retrieved November 16, 2024, from https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/194534/modules/791297/activities/4549845
Neumeier, M. (2005, August). The Brand Gap. New Riders. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/the-brand-gap/0321348109/
Week 3:
Required Design Challenge
NOTE: This week’s challenge was a very basic introduction to Adobe Premiere Pro. The latest version of Premiere is version 25, and I have been using it professionally since version 1.0 when it came on a CD-ROM; I think I still have the one in a box somewhere. This introduction to Premiere was not intended for me, but I thought I should still go through the exercises and felt that I should do more than the assignment asked for, so I made three videos.
The assignment required us to import and export these clips as-is once we had edited them together. However, they were created in a print-sized format (5618x2796 ppi), not standard video format. Most web services do not support anything above 4K (UHD 3840 x 2160 dpi); even 4K seems excessive for this assignment. As a result, I re-rendered them at FHD or 1080p (1920x1080 dpi). Because the aspect ratio is different, these videos will have black bars on the top and bottom of the frame to maintain the aspect ratio and prevent stretching the image vertically.
Required Design Challenge
file: Wk3_ReqDC_1080p.mp4
I had some fun finding music beds for this video, and I boiled it down to three clips, so I made two additional versions with alternative music beds.
Required Design Challenge - ALT. audio 1
file: Wk3_ReqDC_AltAudio01_1080p.mp4
Required Design Challenge - ALT. audio 2
file: Wk3_ReqDC_AltAudio02_1080p.mp4
With this video, I adjusted the timing (lengthened) of the first video clip so that the transition from the first to the second clip synced with an audio cue in this track.