How Do You Define Your Brand?

Your brand is the secret sauce of your business. Read on to see how defining your brand can ultimately define your business. 

Recently, a new business closed in Oklahoma City. While that happens every day all across the world, this business was unique in both what it offered and, apparently, how it defined and marketed its brand.

The business was called The Banquet Cinema Pub and, the name pretty much said everything; the place offered food, movies and alcohol. More specifically, Banquet Cinema aspired to be a locally-owned version of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema; a chain of theaters where you can dine, drink, and enjoy a movie, separately or all at the same time. The problem for Banquet Cinema, however, was that they failed to define their brand to their market. And, while it's easy for me to cast aspersions and play backseat marketer, Banquet Cinema's owner basically said that very thing:

“The biggest challenge has been that the movies have done really well, but people were confused they didn’t need a ticket to come into the space,” Wheat said. “And then were those going to the movies and not knowing there was this whole dining experience up front.”

Banquet Cinema did generate some publicity when it opened, and that likely created some word-of-mouth, but it appears ownership did little more to define their brand after that. While there was a website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts, the lack of brand definition is apparent with each. Where Banquet Cinema could have clearly defined the unique qualities of their business on their website's "About" page, they gave potential customers this instead:

Get ready for a unique movie & dining experience with a giant dining area including shuffleboard tables, games and a fantastic array of food and drink, along with two charming cinema rooms.

I realize it's hard enough to run a bar, restaurant, or movie theater, so trying to market all three rolled into one is certainly a significant challenge. In their social media however, Banquet Cinema seemed to never market all three elements of the business together. Instead, rather than a coherent brand identity and unified marketing message, it appeared at various times they wanted to be a brunch spot, a live music venue, a neighborhood pub, or a sports bar. Given that, it's certainly understandable that "people were confused they didn’t need a ticket to come into the space" and that there "were those going to the movies and not knowing there was this whole dining experience up front.”

While the above statements indicate (to me at least) they could clearly see their problem with their brand identity, Banquet Cinema pulled the plug after roughly six months in business. When you're only relying on word-of-mouth advertising and social media to market your business, establishing a brand identity that will build a customer base takes time. The old Rule of 7 in advertising was that it took at least seven impressions to compel someone to act on your marketing message. In the digital age, you need at least seven impressions if not more, and your message has to be clear and precise to rise above all the other clutter. While I'm sure there were other factors, from the outside at least, Banquet Cinema's narrow marketing plan and what appeared to be a lack of coherent branding certainly didn't help the business rise above the noise.

So now, think about your business. Remember that your brand is the promise your company or products makes to your customers. Does your marketing accurately reflect that? Does every bit of advertising you do contribute to defining and shaping your brand to not only your existing patrons, but to potential new customers who may be unfamiliar with your products or services? In other words, if someone saw your website, one of your ads, or social media posts, would they be able to quickly ascertain who you are, what you do, and what you're selling?

Knowing what your business is about is one thing, but if you can't relate that to your customers, you might have a problem. Just as every movie tells a story, make sure your marketing script tells a story of your business that will continually connect with your patrons so that they can relate to what you offer.

If you need some help telling your story, defining your brand, or developing a better brand strategy, give us a call and let's talk about it over a beer, a bite, and maybe even a movie.

See also: Margaritaville and The Four Ps of Branding Magic

How Cool Do You Want To Be?

Special Tour de France As Advertising Metaphor Bonus Content!

Behold one Mario Cipollini, known as the Lion King and one of the most dominant sprinters in professional cycling in the 90's (and not to be confused with Mario Cipollina the former bassist for Huey Lewis and the News or Mario Batali, that obnoxious TV chef guy). As a good looking, outspoken, and flamboyant Italian, Cipollini got plenty of TV time and, if you watched the Tour de France during that period, you were pretty much assured of two things:
1. He would win at least one stage during the race, if not more, and be in contention every day, and
2. He would suddenly develop an "allergy" to altitude and drop out of the Tour as soon as the race reached the high mountain stages of the Alps or the Pyreness.

I bring all this up because Mario Cipollini, just by riding in the Tour for the Saeco-Cannondale racing team, made me want a Saeco espresso machine. I'd never seen one, I didn't drink that much espresso, and I'd never even heard of them until Cipollini's dominant run in the Tour. Why did I want one then? To be cool and have that cool association with the Tour de France and Mario Cipollini. Everyone else could have their shiny Krups or Cuisinart machines, but I was gonna be the only guy to be continental enough and worldly enough to own a Saeco. Did I want to pay $350 or more to own such a beautiful machine and be one of the beautiful people? Though I wasn't quite as jaded as I am now, that was a lot of coin for a coffee machine, so my answer was…non, merci (or no, grazie to Cipollini)!

So what have we learned? Well, Saeco did a wonderful job finding the right vehicle (both the cycling team and Mario Cipollini) to promote their brand. Using me as their target audience (then a young, upwardly mobile gadget snob, coffee drinker, and cycling fan), the repeated impressions ultimately caused me to act and find out more about what they offered and then created demand for their product.

Two, there was the public relations triumph, in that the company promoted their brand through sponsorship of a cycling team that participated in the Tour de France. I certainly wanted to be associated with the cool factor of the Tour and thus, people like me developed a favorable opinion of Saeco. And, though I wasn't ready to buy a coffee machine at the time, that favorable opinion has stayed with me every time I've had to make a coffee machine buying decision. (In a related note, I now also hold quite the favorable opinion of my current coffee machine, but that's a blog for another day.)

How does it all apply to you? How cool you want your brand to be is in your hands. How and where you advertise matters. The impressions you make on consumers (both opinion-wise and number of exposures) matter. Know your target audience and use the media that will best put your brand in front of them (If you don't know who your target audience is, then you it's likely you won't be able to reach them). Know where your target demographics associate and make sure your brand associates there too. Promote in a manner that will not only explain the promise your brand offers, but also creates a positive opinion of your company, product, or service.

Think of developing an ad plan to make your brand cool like a bicycling stage race. There are plenty of riders who can win a day here or there, but there may be only one who can make your brand a winner at the end of the race. Pick the right vehicle, know what makes you cool (your universal selling proposition), then pay close attention to where and how you promote your brand and how it's perceived, and you'll be a winner at the finish line.



See also: Keep Your Marketing Momentum Going

Margaritaville And The Four Ps Of Branding Magic

( First off, let me point out that, no, this post is not coming to you from Margaritaville, nor is it being written with toes in the sand and drink in hand. Instead, know that you're reading original, first rate blog material, fresh from the beehive of activity that is the Home Office of Ph Communications.)

For one week in May of 1977, Jimmy Buffett hit Number One on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart with his song Margaritaville. Though he would have lesser hits on the charts before and after, Margaritaville was Buffett's only number one song. However, instead of becoming what many would call a "One-Hit Wonder," Buffett turned Margaritaville into a multi-billion dollar brand. How? By selling the dream of Margaritaville.

When questioned about the lyrics behind the song, Buffett defined Margaritaville as a state of mind where one can always find a warm beach, blue skies, and a cold drink to help wash your cares and troubles away. And today, millions of people spend millions of dollars each year to have their little piece of the dream Buffett is selling. (DISCLAIMER: In a more innocent, less cynical age, I too once dreamed of living the Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville lifestyle. However, finding out that Buffett was more interested in selling the lifestyle than he was in actually living it was one of the greatest disappointments of my life. See also: Santa Claus, There Isn't A)

Today, everything Jimmy Buffett does is geared to sell the "dream" of Margaritaville. His concerts (often outdoor shows) are setup as beach parties and his music relies heavily on the themes of high times and low tides, beach barbeques, boat drinks, and bar stools. If you want to take a little bit of it home with you, a Buffett concert merchandise stand offers a variety of Margaritaville-themed hat and clothing options (he even has his own line of Margaritaville apparel and footwear). And, if you get hungry or thirsty, there's Margaritaville brand Chips and Salsa, frozen seafood, a Frozen Concoction Maker, Chicken Wings, margarita mix, tequila, and Margaritaville branded LandShark Lager (which sucks, btw). You can enjoy it all while lounging on your very own Margaritaville Outdoor and Beach furniture. And, if you want to find your own Margaritaville, you can visit a Margaritaville Cafe, Margartaville Casino, Margaritaville nightclub, Margaritaville airport lounge, or Margaritaville beach resort hotel. There's also the Radio Margaritaville channel on Sirius/XM satellite radio, which plays Jimmy Buffett's music, concerts, and others artists from the same genre, 24/7/365 and, if you only have a few minutes, there's even a Margaritaville iPad and Facebook online game (though maybe not everyone was excited about that). Oh, and just in case he doesn't have enough money, his greatest hits album is among the Top 200 selling albums of all time and his Margaritaville inspired books have sold millions of copies!

Now, with all that in mind, think about your company and your brand and ask yourself how you cover the four Ps of branding:


• Promise If a brand is defined by the promises a company or organization makes to its audiences, what promises or dream does your brand offer your customers? Jimmy Buffett sells the dream of Margaritaville. Identify what makes your brand special and make sure everything you do is focused on selling that dream and fulfilling that promise.


• Position Does your brand make you stand out from your competition? What makes your brand unique? Though many have tried to glom on to Buffett's sound and style (Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, et al) no one has been able to top the dream of Margaritaville (or write a song half as enduring). How do you position your brand in your marketplace? What makes you stand out from the crowd? What do your goods or services offer that the other guys don't. The key to successful branding is to not only know those differences but to also know how capitalize on them.


• Promote How consistent is your marketing in promoting your brand? Through his music, his concerts, and every bit of branded merchandise he sells, Buffett reinforces his brand, the dream of Margaritaville. How does your marketing and advertising fare in comparison? Make sure every marketing message you put out, be it radio, TV, direct mail, print, email, blog entry, tweet, or Facebook post works together to promote your brand.


• Patience The Margaritaville brand and all its' extensions didn't happen overnight. Just as Jimmy Buffett continues to tour and sell his brand, branding your product or business doesn't have a finish line. Establishing your brand is one thing, but it takes work, and an ongoing, concerted effort to build on your brand equity as your customers evolve.

You don't need a hit song to build a successful brand. Instead, just remember the Four Ps of Branding. And if you think you need help building your brand, just call the fifth P...Ph Communications, and let's talk about it over a margarita!