Executive ownership
Studies have shown that 85 percent of brand initiatives fail because C-level management does not take an active role in the process. The reason is that a brand initiative needs strategy, leadership and resources that are owned by the executive team. And without leadership from the C Suite, the changes required to support the brand will never happen.
Assembling a brand development team
It all starts from the top. The CEO has primary responsibility for defining the brand strategy and aligning the business strategy to it. No brand initiative will succeed without the CEO's leadership. In fact, we won't even conduct a brand workshop without the CEO being in the room. It's that important.
A brand development initiative also requires the participation of key functional executives in the organization. These leaders each have unique insights that will help define the brand. And they direct the strategies, people and budgets needed to support it. Executives from the following functions usually make up the core of the brand team:
- Finance: Brings a bottom-line perspective to the conversation and will direct investments required for building a brand-driven organization.
- Marketing: Understands market conditions and competitive positioning, and owns the external touchpoints for driving the message into the market.
- Sales: Provides a real-world view of customer needs and the competitive environment, and owns many of the pre-purchase and purchase brand touchpoints.
- Customer Services: Is in tune with the real customer experiences and problems, and manages many of the post-purchase touchpoints.
- Human Resources: Knows the unique qualities of the workforce and is a key to driving internal adoption of the brand.
The core team can be supplement with board members, other functional executives, and employees at any level of the organization.
Ant Hill Insight
Identify the executive stakeholders that will provide the most valuable insight into the distinction of the brand and that lead change within their functional groups. Surround them with free-thinkers from various parts of the organization that might provide a different perspective.
