Brand and Butter
The straight-talking branding podcast for leaders who refuse to settle.
Brand and Butter delivers no-BS advice on how psychology, strategy, and design create brands that work. Host Tara Ladd, founder of Your One & Only brand design studio, breaks down the real influence and power of branding – how understanding behaviour and cultural shifts can transform how people see, think, and choose.
Sometimes funny, always honest, never dull. This is the podcast that cuts through industry jargon to talk about what actually makes brands stick.
Tara Ladd is the founder of Your One and Only, who design brands that breathe with culture through psychology, strategy, and design.
Brand and Butter
What makes a Brand DNA YOU-nique
Forget everything you thought you knew about branding. It's not your logo, your colour palette, or even your fancy website. True brand power comes from your "Brand DNA" – the psychological core that makes your brand genuinely unique.
In this episode, I discuss why most brands get their DNA wrong by focusing on superficial differentiation rather than true psychological positioning. We're witnessing massive behavioural shifts in consumer culture, and this fundamental change needs brands to develop authentic connections with their audiences, built on shared values and genuine relationships.
Want to find your market gap and build a brand that truly stands out? Check out The Gap Strategy 5 day Email Course and find the untapped positioning opportunities in your market.
Visit https://youroneandonly.com.au/
Follow YO&O on IG https://www.instagram.com/youroneandonly_au/
Follow Tara on IG https://www.instagram.com/iamtaraladd/
Connect with Tara on https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarajoyladd/
Sign up for the Design Mind Theory Email – See how other Brands use psychology to nail their strategies.
you're listening to Brandon butter a straight-talking occasionally in your face. No BS branding podcast for modern marketers and business owners. Here for those who want to understand the influence and power of branding and how pairing associations, consumer behavior and design thinking can impact what people see, think and feel. I'm your host, tara Ladd, the sometimes funny, sometimes vulnerable and often unapologetically blunt founder and creative director of brand and design agency. You're One and Only. Oh my gosh, how are you? What a week, well, what a last couple of two weeks, really, because I don't even know what day it is. It feels like that in-between stage between Christmas and New Year's. But anyway, here we are. I've just hit record on this podcast and of course it decides to bring this epic storm Now. Usually I love a good storm, especially when I'm safe and inside.
Speaker 1:I went camping with my husband earlier this year with my two boys and it just pissed down. I'm not a camper, to preface. So at 3am I was on my phone booking accommodation at the local Novatel because I was like I am not doing this again. The whole night we were up poking the rain from the top of the tent and just waiting for it to fall down and I was like not doing this again. No, so had it done, was out of there.
Speaker 1:Anyway, totally off topic for today, but what I am bringing to the conversation today I just wanted to let you know that coming back is, if you hear a massive bang which I feel like there's one coming like for the intensity, that's what you'll hear in the background, because I don't edit that stuff out, because you know real life, anyway. So what I want to talk to you about today is basically finding or understanding what brand DNA is. So you'll hear people harping on about strategy and what strategy means, and no one really goes into depth about it. They'll give you, like, mission, vision, values. Really, the way that I look at it is you start with a business plan. Obviously, if you're going to go into business, you're like this is what I'm going to do and this is what I'm going to sell, and you need to understand the viability of it and you do a bit of research around what it is that you're doing and you figure out whether there's a market gap, which is also part of brand, also part of marketing. They kind of all overlap. But then you get to the brand identity development and brand identity preface.
Speaker 1:I say this all the time brand identity isn't just your visual identity. I think a lot of people assume that when we say branding, it's the visual identity. Branding is the process of brand. So if you have a brand, branding is what you do to emphasize that. So, for instance, creating verbal guidelines.
Speaker 1:I remember having this conversation actually with us. I was working with a client and they came to us and I was trying to explain to them that the client had already done a pretty good smack of their marketing strategy. She'd come from a marketing background and it was pretty meticulous. And I was talking to this other guy we were doing the visual identity and he was asking me these questions Actually was asking my ex-staffy and essentially bullied her. And I then got on the call and gave him a mouthful and he was like you're asking for a brand strategy. I said no, I'm asking for verbal identity.
Speaker 1:There's a difference between a brand strategy and verbal identity. Brand strategy is the full end to end, right. It's the understanding, the mission, vision, right. So the objective of the brand, the intention of what you're trying to do with it, the alignment and the purpose. It's the values that you stand for, the actions that you lead by You're building in this whole whole, you're essentially creating a personality. That's also in there the brand personality. So how you show up, are you funny, are you luxurious, are you witty, are you serious? Did I say that already? I said luxurious, yeah, and all of this stuff is really important because if you don't know these things, then you're not going to know how to maintain consistency when you're talking to your audience.
Speaker 1:And so I was having this conversation with him and he was like you're wanting this, this and this. And I was like, well, no, because the client's already got that. All we need to do is add on the voice. And it was really hilarious just watching this person not understand brand and trying to tell me that I didn't know what brand meant, and that was just. They were like trying to tell me that I didn't know what brand meant, and that was just. They were like trying to name drop me and I was like I don't know who you think you are.
Speaker 1:Anyway, totally off topic, I'm usually really fun to work with, but if someone's going to come in and try and mansplain me because that's essentially what happened in this case I will step up to the plate. Anyway, I just don't like people being dicks. You know, just simple Don't be a dick, right, anyway. I just don't like people being dicks, you know, it's just simple. Don't be a dick, right, anyway? So the brand DNA is the establishment of your identity and how you show up, in the way that you speak, and again, all of those things, and this dictates literally everything that you do. So when I say to find a brand gap that can completely change everything, right? So if you know that you're trying to enter into this space that hasn't been entered into before, that may require you to then position yourself a certain way so that you create the right perception around that, and so that means that you may need to change your messaging framework.
Speaker 1:You may need to change your visual identity If you move in. I don't know. For example, you might move in, you might be in fashion and you're in high-end t-shirts, but all of a sudden, you find that people are wanting customized urban shirts I don't know, and I'm trying to think off cuff and then, all of a sudden, you need to move into the streetwear still high quality, but moving more into, like this, personalized streetwear. Instantaneously you may need to shift your identity to then move into that space, and so that may require vocal changes or verbal changes. It may require you to change your visual identity so that you look more street. It might mean that you change your color setting, it might mean that you have different imagery in terms of your photo shoot, and all of this stuff is like a direct knock-on effect.
Speaker 1:So I constantly say to people your visual identity is hugely important. Don't get me wrong, but your visual identity is also the answer to the strategy that you've already developed. And so, in a brand DNA, what I like to say is that it's the psychological core that makes a brand genuinely unique. The psychological core that makes a brand genuinely unique. So why brands get their DNA wrong is because they focus on that visual identity, or they focus on what they think customers want to hear, instead of just leading with intention. So I mean it's important to understand your customer. This sounds like I'm contradicting myself. Right, it's important to understand your customer, but it's important to listen to the right ones, because you could be getting a whole lot of feedback and customers come from a whole different range. Right, and until you get really specific on who it is that you're trying to target, you may be getting the wrong feedback from the wrong client and then going out and changing everything that you do, and that could be completely wrong, whereas if you just stick to what it is that you do and you know that you're going to be on the right track eventually, more of those right type of customers are going to be attracted to your brand. It's just how it works and the goal really is about consistency.
Speaker 1:A lot of people get stuck in the planning stage. I guilty. I am so guilty here as well, and I've just just gone out. Now. I'm like let's go so you may see more of me out there. That's because I've just gone. It's time. So it really is just about testing the market, seeing what sticks, finding your voice, speaking to it, because there's someone out there that is half as qualified as you preaching gospel about absolutely nothing and still making money because they're just there. Right, and that's the difference is that you're feeling really inadequate is because the anxiety is holding you back. That may not be you at all, but that's a large majority of people.
Speaker 1:And we also have to put into the correlation that the world has changed so drastically, and I keep saying this because people are like, yeah, yeah, whatever it's changed. I'm like no, no, I don't think you understand that what's happening right now is a massive behavioral shift. It's like we're watching this in society big, big behavioral shifts. Behavior is dictated by emotion, and emotions drive behavior in terms of buying. So if you're not understanding the scope of the audience and the cultural landscape, then you're completely missing what we need to be doing in terms of understanding marketing and communication. So we are kind of getting to that point where we really need to be understanding our audience on such a core level that you could be able to pick them out of crowd. And it's like it is. It's just another layer of things.
Speaker 1:So what I like to say is that when we push our brand DNA out, it's about finding the difference between superficial differentiation and, like true psychological differentiation. And so what does that mean? You could see, for instance, we see a lot of brands out there greenwashing. They say that they're environmentally friendly and that they give X amount to the planet, and then you find out that they're absolutely cocking that up and it's a load of shit, and then they get called out for it. That's what I mean by superficial differentiation is that they're trying to paint this picture of what they are and how they are different in order to appeal to a certain type of audience, but they're actually not showing up with conviction, and that's the complete difference is what you want to do when building out a brand, and this doesn't matter if you're a new brand or an established brand, because now more than ever, we're going to see established brands with good brand recognition start to fall down because media has fragmented so much and people are getting their advice from AI, from TikTok and Instagram and social media platforms and you know, and in-person events. There's so many different places that you can present your brand and your brand to be visible. Influencers are a huge, obvious influencer and this is important because if you're not constantly updating the trajectory of your brand and updating the messaging and getting a really good feel of the market, you could go out of business as quick as Blockbuster did. That was simply them, not what. Even Netflix pitched their idea to Blockbuster and they turned it down. It's understanding where the cultural landscape's going and trying just to keep your finger on the pulse right. That doesn't mean you need to do a complete overhaul, but it's really understanding where we're going.
Speaker 1:The other day I spoke the generational um transfer of wealth. So it's a great wealth transfer. That's what it is. And we're moving from boomers into gen z and millennials. It's like a 60 what was it? 62 to 84 trillion dollars. Some have even mentioned that it's like 90 trillion dollars being handed over to the next generation within the next two decades. Do you understand how much of a behavioral shift that is, how differently that those two generations think to a baby boomer generation, like out of this world? And sorry, gen x's? You guys always get missed out. I don't know why, but you know, when we're thinking about it that way, it's a pretty interesting statistic. So if we're thinking about it that way, it's a pretty interesting statistic. So if we're not understanding the pulse, that's where businesses can go out of business really quickly because they simply just aren't watching.
Speaker 1:And so, within your brand DNA, what you're trying to do is establish a foundation. You're trying to connect with people in a way that's true to you but also true to them, and it starts with like four core components, right? So I always say it's like an origin story why you really started, and I ask questions like this all the time and someone will give me a reason and then I'll say and are you talking about that? And they go, no, and I'm like, well, what the F? Because, like that's literally your own motivation for starting a business. And then what happened? You stopped talking about it and even I get called out of this all the time, but I speak about a lot of different things because there is an origin story. So that's the reason that you started, but your brand story itself.
Speaker 1:A lot of people get really confused with this. Your brand story is ongoing. It's a narrative that is continuous. So as new things happen, you're explaining that narrative, you're inviting people into the story. It's like every day is a new day, and what we're seeing now with the rise of personal brand, the rise, with the rise of fly on the wall content and people giving behind the scenes, is you're explaining that's brand awareness, that's brand building. What people are unaware of when they say marketing, that's brand awareness. That's brand building. What people are unaware of when they say marketing, that's brand marketing.
Speaker 1:So what you're actually seeing right now is the evolvement of brand and how important that is. It's so important to explain who you're working with. People have gone far from needing to learn right. People still need to learn, but they also need to learn how to do it. So they've gone from if you're in a service-based teaching someone else or in the education space. They've moved from wanting to know how was it why you do it? And needing to know how and what you need to do, and so that's where the big shift has happened. So your five ways to is all great, but tell me how I need to do it. We're seeing the evolvement, and this is why people buy frameworks. This is why these are so important.
Speaker 1:What's great about a good framework is that this is what I've been using AI for, and something that I've just been developing is that I've got all of this information. Like I've been in this game for 18 years. If you were to ask me to talk about brand off the cuff, I could talk to you for hours. There is that much stuff sitting in my head. I could, just, off cuff, come up with case studies, and it's just. I live and breathe this stuff right. So it's it's the difference between those that know what they're doing and those that don't know what they're doing is that will show.
Speaker 1:When you have these really great people start understanding how to use the technicalities and the mechanics of the way marketing can work and they can really push out some great content and this is where we're at. So we're at that place of explaining these mechanisms. Um, this is something that we do in the ideas lab the next iteration will be coming out in the middle of the year and we do a six month week by fortnightly breakdown, implementing all of these frameworks to make things really easy for the business. So blog frameworks and copy frameworks and, you know, design frameworks. It's like when you know that when you're trying to develop something and all you need to do is go, okay, I need to do this, this and this, like the way it's. So I can't tell you how much easier it is, and I've done this myself because I've realized that was the missing piece for me. So now content's just because it's so easy to just go, okay, I need to write a post about this, use this framework and then execute it like dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, and then you have that continuous way of doing things and you don't actually need to think about the eight steps. As an ADHD, this is hugely beneficial for me, because I don't want to think about all those extra steps. So if someone's a neurotypical person, that's like four steps To an ADHD person. That's like 20 steps. That's the whole thing, anyway. So what we look at is the frameworks and the ways of doing things, but it's executing the story right. So we come back.
Speaker 1:Coming back to not go off topic, it's talking about building that relationship, building that community, building that area of belonging, because that's where we're moving to. We're moving and I always say this we're moving away from aspirational, which is buy this to become this, and we're moving into belonging and you buy this because you belong here or you are one of us, and that's really where it's at. I think everyone's just over trying to be someone that they're not and it's really. I mean, there's always going to be those people. That's how people sell status, but it is really this place of just having this Instagram feed full of unrealistic expectation and then now we're kind of seeing it really getting stripped back raw because people are just over it. It's again. It's a behavior change, but anyway, coming back to it, we then look at the founder and the team value alignment, right.
Speaker 1:So at the very core of starting and I've just discussed this with the rebrand that we've done for Hacker Lily and we're going to be speaking with Laura next week. I, we I say we, the team is a we, but I am on here, but I am on here, but I'm speaking with Laura next week and we're gonna go through her process. It's gonna be really ad lib, we're just gonna talk about it, but it's a discussion, because there's all of these elements of a brand strategy and development process that a lot of people just don't understand. So we're talking about the intricacies of finding out where you sit in the market, but, like also also understanding that there is a big difference between product brand and a brand brand. So a business brand is different to a personal brand, is different to a product brand, and that is really important to know.
Speaker 1:So within your business brand, you have personal brands and that's why the founder is obviously really important, because people see the founder as the alignment to the business brand and they will buy from the business if they think the founder is a good person. It's like this halo effect. We saw this happen with Stanley and the car fire, when the girl's car burnt down and the thing that was left was the Stanley with ice still inside, and so he jumped on because they gave that chick, gave them so many impressions for free, that they were just like here free car, and then that made them look even better. So everyone's like I'm gonna buy Stanley, and so they. That's what you consider. A halo effect is when one positive action ricochets and creates this umbrella across everything else, and that's what happens there.
Speaker 1:So when you have the founder talking about their story behind the scenes and what they live, if you develop this relationship because you do, that's what Instagram, social media and all of that is really becoming now is almost like personalized sitcoms. That's why we're so drawn to Netflix and streaming services now, where you see things move away from movies that go for an hour and a half, because people want that continuation of narrative. They wanna know like people will sit down and watch a whole series you know 10 part season in one night, because they just want that extension of a narrative. And so that's what we're seeing every day. Every day, when you jump online, you're seeing someone get on and you're seeing a bit about their life and what they're doing, and that's what people are gravitating to. That's what they want to know, and so the moment that you stop talking about that stuff is the moment that they don't give a shit anymore. And so it's interesting because they see people will get on and they'll educate.
Speaker 1:This is what you need to do. This is why you're missing that's important content, don't get me wrong. Like you need to put that up there, but, at the same time, the important content is telling them of who you are and where you've come from and why you exist, and people will buy from you for that. Like we understand the motivations behind you know altruistic brands Thank you water. Like they're giving back. It's like, oh, you buy from them, you're giving back. It's like, who gives a crap? I always reference them.
Speaker 1:All of these things have this like social movement embedded into them. Like take notice of what people are doing. Like everything is there for you to see. It's whether you open your eyes to the conversation and listen to what people are saying, and so the founder and the team values are hugely important, because we've seen this happen with Tesla. So we've seen the founder's values directly misalign with a large mass of consumers and they've completely ditched the Tesla brand. Shares have dropped, the valuation has dropped and we're seeing this in action. This is what it's about. So it does have a negative impact. However, it also has a positive impact. So we saw this with the Stanley CEO and you doing good things shows good results.
Speaker 1:You know people want to see you do those things. They want to know that the companies that they're buying from, or the businesses that they're buying from, have good intention and integrity and align to what they believe in, and so that's why it's more important than ever to really talk about things in detail and, if you're not afraid with it, push the boundary on what it is that you want to talk about, because if you push it into a place that no one's going to speak to, you're going to capture this whole market that other people are just like nah, fuck, that, that's too dangerous. I am all about doing that. I'm about towing the line. I'm very vocal on my personal Instagram, so anyone that follows me there is going to know where my values and alignment sit, and that is ricocheted and directly associated with what happens with your one and only, and so you see those behaviors come through, you see those conversations come through and you gravitate to the people that believe in the same things, and it all comes down to the psychographics what belief systems? So, at the same time, while I was saying at the beginning, you need to be understanding what your customer wants. You need to be understanding what the right customer wants. So make sure that it aligns to the larger message.
Speaker 1:So it's not a product. Your product is a brand in itself. For instance, I just had a mental blank there. You know, like the iMac, right, the Apple iMac. Imac is its brand on its own. Apple is the brand brand to can stand alone as their own product and brand. And that's the series of Apple I was going to say Nike Jordans completely missed that.
Speaker 1:It's like I was like was it air something? Nike airs, that's what they call it. I was like I forgot and just skipped to a different brand. See, so you know what you're talking about. You can just rattle off things like of the car after off the cut off, the, god See, brain works about eight steps ahead, anyway. So that's the difference is that the brand itself will give the product a kick. And the irony of Nike kick, give it a kick. But we also take into consideration the alignment and association there. So this is why people have ambassadors and stuff.
Speaker 1:If you have a strong brand association, your product will sell, like that's essentially what will happen is it will sell and so you can have a bunch of different handbags, but why does a Chanel handbag sell? That's all about marketing. All of that is marketing. Every single part of that selling more is marketing, because if there was no badges on it, no one would have a damn clue. Someone would be like I would be able to tell you from the stitch Cool, great. Most people would not be able to tell, and this is where the differences are. Is that that brand is what holds value, not the symbol itself. And so when someone asks you, can I please have a logo? And they say this isn't giving me the vibes it's like, because you need to create those vibes, all of the associations that come with the brand you need to build through your narrative.
Speaker 1:It's all about how you show up the intentions that you have, the actions that you lead by, where you're showing your brand, who you're associating with, what messages you're leading in terms of conversations, like. All of these things are hugely important. What perception do you lead Like? What imagery do you have? Are you showcasing quality? Are you showcasing trendy urban vibes? Are you showcasing children's play things? Like? All of these things will align with a wider message, and 90% of our decisions are made subconsciously, which means that they're made by our unconscious brain. They're on autopilot, which is why you'll grab a chocolate at the chocolate bar on impulse. It's all emotionally driven, and so that's something that you need to consider.
Speaker 1:So then you look at the genuine competitive advantages, not made up ones like where can you actually slot in with a huge difference? Right now and I'll say it again, liquid Death show this really well there was no water in a can, but not only that, they stacked it. They value stacked here. They did water in a can, the sustainability approach, aluminium being better than plastic. And then we look at their irreverent branding. So we look at them being really ballsy, who they're associated with, what color scheme they have, what their alignment looks like in terms of their visual identity, their tongue and cheek humor in the way that they market themselves, like they absolutely take the piss. No water brand is doing that. None, absolutely zero. And so, in leaps and bounds, they are in a completely different ball game. Like no one is even coming close to them, and if they tried, they're going to look like a me too brand.
Speaker 1:To this day, I still use Spotify over Apple because they were first to market. I don't know why I just and I like this is an Apple girl over here, but complete we'll just not. Because Spotify were their first, it was just like they got there first. It's it's hard to come back from second place and Apple had the money to do it and they like people still use them, but not like Spotify. And so it's understanding what your actual gap is. And it doesn't have to be creating something massive, like like liquid death, that just created water in a can. If you think about that as a beverage company. They just created really cool visual identity tongue in cheek campaign and water in a can. It wasn't this huge, elaborate thing, right?
Speaker 1:So many of us are out there creating products or creating service offers that are so easy to create a distinct difference, but we're missing the mark because we're too sidetracked with what's going on around us. So that's why I've created the Market Advantage Gap workbook, which goes through the four markets of opportunity Super cool. We've had a lot of good feedback from that and I was gonna give it for free. And then Cherie from the Digital Picnic was like you can't give this for free. And then from that point, I just created this whole product suite from it. So it's a real. I'm really proud of it and it's something that I think a lot of people will really like. You can check it in the show notes. I'm not going to sell it to you, that's not the point of today, but it's there If you want to look.
Speaker 1:I've also got a email marketing, email marketing and email series going at the moment for five days, which is to find your brand gap, which breaks that down a little bit more. So it's like five days and it goes over those those things. So when you know what you need to talk about and how and how you need to talk about it and where you need to position, like everything else is just easy, like I can't even tell you that it's so easy. So Liquid Death would have been like no other brand is being like really cool and irreverent with their marketing and no one's in a can Bang. You're easy. You've already got the messages that you need to go out with because no one else is doing it. When you know that that's what you do and that's the difference, it's so easy to go out and market.
Speaker 1:It's hard to market because most people just actually don't know how they differentiate. If I say, why would I choose you over your competitor. Give me a reason and they will usually go. I don't know. And I'm like, well, there's your problem, so try that first. And so that's the biggest thing even with established brands, they get so used to being in the game for so long and getting used to these word of mouth, referrals and you know their ownership in the market that they're missing the actual fragmentation of that reputation, because new play, new players are coming into the scene and they're they've like it's, their status is dropping a little bit without them recognizing it if they're not keeping their eye on the pulse, and then all of a sudden they're like, oh, hang on a second, these competitors come out of nowhere and it's you know. At the end of the day, they've completely lost their market share because they were just unaware of what was going on around them.
Speaker 1:So it's really important to watch the conversation, to watch the narrative, to watch the cultural shift and way people are consuming content. We're seeing this happen right now with the Australian election. We're watching traditional media trying to really smear campaign online influencers and their viewpoints because they think they're calling them like influencers, but really they've all got either a economic degrees and political degrees, and it's quite interesting to watch that happen, because they're losing. They're losing market share and people are listening to a different form of media. This is exactly what happens.
Speaker 1:As we get older, people become more fixated. This is basic psychology. As people get older, they become safer. They don't want to take any more risks because they're getting older. It's just the way it is and not all. So don't be all over there being like I am fighting the system. Yeah, absolutely Obviously. But like genuinely, as a larger population, it's all. In any way, you can go and back it up. You will stay safer in your decisions and that's what we're seeing happen. So the young, younger generation are all like change. The older generation like no, we don't like change. So it's like this really big shift.
Speaker 1:At the moment, I'm just, I just love watching it play out like it's. It's also divisive and gross, but it's. It's also really interesting just to watch how people are behaving and watching the difference in between traditional, mainstream media and the difference with like social, and I'm actually interested in seeing how this is going to play out. Like which one has more pull. Is it social or is it traditional media? Because I cannot tell you the last time I sat down and watched mainstream TV, I mean, I mean I watched Channel 10 or something like that, but, like the only time I think I watch maybe Channel 10 news if it's on the TV after we've watched something like that is very few and far between. The only time I will turn the TV on will be to watch I don't know ABC News if it's there, because the kids have been on ABC Kids and I just go up one. Or I am watching streaming services and it's like not very often. Most of the time I'm consuming my phone, so I'm watching news sites that I've followed and that's pretty much where I get my news from is social media. So it's interesting to see that conversation play out.
Speaker 1:But so now let's move into part four and that's the psychological resonance with the target audience. So it's understanding how they're thinking and behaving and what the connection is there. And coming back to that exact thing if your brand isn't in the place where those people are consuming content, or consuming or will just are that's placement, right? That's placing. So this is the five P's of marketing. What are they again Price, product, people, placement, purpose, I don't know, I can't remember. Ask a marketer. Anyway, you still use them.
Speaker 1:So it's could be perception, be perception, or this thunder. Do you hear that? But that's that's what it is. Right You're. You've got to figure out all these things because you're, you could have an amazing brand and if your product sucks, people aren't coming back. Right, and then you could have really amazing product, but if your people suck, they're not coming. It's like making sure that all of those things are ticked and in the right spot, but again, you could have the best people and the most amazing product, but if you're in the wrong place, no one knows you exist. So it's understanding all of these like movements and the mechanics. This is what we say, the mechanics of how it works. You could be spending seven hours creating a bloody Instagram reel or something, only to realize that you could get so much more market share just being on LinkedIn I've said this before or being in person.
Speaker 1:I had a huge kickback from an in-person speaking gig. That was massive, because they got to listen to me and understand how I spoke. They got to hear me genuinely be myself. They watched my body language. Like in-person experiences are out of this world. They're coming back. Well, they have come back. I don't know if you've noticed, but people are really building this community in real life, because it's hard to maintain online community. We saw the shift from real life to online. Now everyone's over online and now they're going back offline again. So you've got to really look at different ways of connecting with your audiences but, more importantly, looking at the ways that your audience consumes so that you can be in the right place for them to see your brand.
Speaker 1:I spoke with a friend a couple of months back who told me well, she was asking if I was doing paid ads and I'm not, and I never have, and I mean I've done like maybe like two weeks for something that I was selling, which now I know was absolute waste of time. But now I'm like looking into doing it correctly, and my friend said to me that her online stuff was bringing in 50% of her revenue and I was like, oh God damn it. And so if you're not in the right place, and so what I've been noticing people do is they will go out and promote their services in terms of like. They create like a brand story and narrative and a fun kind of conversation through their socials, but then they actually use their paid ads to sell their product, um, and so they soft sell through their feeds and they hard sell through a retargeting campaign, which is really interesting. So, um, keep an eye on that, just watch what people are doing, because that's interesting behavior. If you've already got them into the funnel and where they sit, then you can kind of target them there.
Speaker 1:But it is about understanding the audience. But it's about understanding the audience after you already know what type of audience that you're wanting to attract, and then speaking to them directly, not to everyone and then changing based on what everyone says. It's changing based on what your target audience says and what they want. So feedback is important, but make sure it's feedback from the right audience. And so then we look at identity formation in brands, right. So how brands mirror human psychological development, right? It's really that simple. We completely changed our tagline to be brands that breathe with culture, because it's exactly what we do.
Speaker 1:You realize that technology advances with the way that people behave. We see trends happen from the way that people behave. We see things happen on the TV. The direct correlation of this is during the pandemic, when a lot of the pandemic, when a lot of the alcohol brands started to make sanitizer like no one's buying sanitizer anymore like we do, because I have an immunocompromised child but no one's buying sanitizer like that anymore, and therefore that was like a little time for them to profiteer off, but then it's dropped off now, like, people just aren't looking at it like that anymore, they don't need to, and so it's understanding the, the Like people just aren't looking at it like that anymore, they don't need to, and so it's understanding the, the role of, of timing and place and all of those types of things of knowing where people's heads are at and therefore, how their behavior is going to follow that.
Speaker 1:And so if you know that people are in a state of I need to stay hygienic and clean and need, you know, create the product, be in there at the right place at the right time. So timing huge, massive, massively. You know if you can get there before it hits, kudos to you. That is exactly a strategy that you can use and that's the point is trying to stay ahead of the game so that you can capitalize when the game hits. So that's one thing there. But then also looking at identity crisis signs in brands, so like inconsistent messaging and copying competitors just makes you a me too brand, like there is nothing distinct about you. So I've been having this problem for the past. I don't know 12 months where I know that I'm not like any other brand. Um, we like just different. If you met me in person, you'd be like yeah, yeah, I get it, but it was.
Speaker 1:I was struggling to really articulate that and, to be completely fair, I had to run myself through my own processes that I'm selling now and when a lot of that sits in your head, a lot of the knowledge sits in your head, it's hard to execute because someone else can't run you through those things. I actually worked with two people outside of the business. That helped me to identify some really cool things. Now, one thing that one of my content guys picked up through a conversation of deep strategy work was he said to me, trailblazer. And I said, yeah, and he goes. Well, that's everything that you've told me, this is all that I see from that and I was like, well, it's's true. And then I was like you know what? I'm just going to own it. So I was doing it at about 50%. Now I'm just going to turn it up a few levels and do exactly, and I've I don't know, for some reason, I just feel like I've stepped into my true self as I wear my disobey necklace and my exist loudly t-shirt.
Speaker 1:So when I say I wear my values on my sleeve, I literally wear my values on my body. So it's yeah, it's understanding that making sure that you've got those right pillars in place, that the messaging is going out that is consistent to where you wanna be not copying someone else, not doing what someone else does, because not everyone's gonna have the same plan. So for me, we don't want a big. I've said from day one you go back through any of our content. It is that I've never wanted to own a big agency.
Speaker 1:It's always been a boutique, specialist agency with no more than like five to 10 people max and I had like five girls at once to four girls at one stage, including myself, and I was like I hate this. And that wasn't because I hated the team. The team were freaking awesome. It was the actual people management that came with that. So I couldn't imagine running a team with a lot of other people in it. That's so much people management. So it's really just about okay. I've done that now. Now I'm moving back. I still want a team. I love a team. I thrive in a team, but I don't want a huge, big team. So that was the reevaluation that I had to have. So, knowing that strategy, it's like okay, so moving forward, what objectives do I have and how do I need to make those happen?
Speaker 1:To run a successful small boutique agency, it doesn't require as much as it would take to run a hundred person agency or 50 person agency Like the turnover needs to be massive. Therefore, the work that you take on needs to change, like it's a whole different direction. So you're you're using the different marketing approaches to make sure that you're attracting different clients and if you're following someone else's strategy and you don't know what that is, you're going to get the wrong people in it's. It's just that simple. So it's understanding the disconnect but trying to align everything right. Because the minute that it's kind of like those movies where on all those things go ding, ding, ding, ding and in alignment it all like lines up, it's like that's honestly what it feels like. So then we also look at the psychological power of authentic positioning. So when you own that space like that is your space to step into people will come to you as like a new source. You will be the person that people need to go and see or will go to and refer, because you were there. You own that space. If they think of something or that you know, the conversation of what it is that you're talking about comes to mind, they will think about your brand, and the way that you do that is by continuously talking about the same thing over and over and over again, and that's where consistency comes in. If marketing did not matter, would big brands still put millions and millions of dollars into their budget to market Coke at the moment, have brought back their share, a Coke campaign, and I think recently Pepsi had overtaken them, which is huge, right? So, considering I think it was Mexico, they were drinking more coke than water.
Speaker 1:At one stage I did this essay when I was doing a marketing diploma. Yeah, that was something that I did half a marketing diploma. I don't know why I just stopped, but yeah, I did half a marketing diploma. Um, and that was one of my essays that I did that I got really well, that I scored really well in was talking about the coke brand and the analysis of it, market analysis of it and the stats of it, and I could dove straight into that it was really interesting. So to think that they've brought back this nostalgic campaign they were the first to market with. They were almost like the first to personalize. If I remember correctly, this was done when I was in my old agency and I remember it coming out I think it was by Ogilvy, sydney, and they created this amazing campaign where everyone's names were on it and they were like I'm going to buy a Coke because it's got my name on it. Well, now they're doing the same thing. They're putting slogans on it. It's very similar. I say that the Cadbury share, a bar, spoke about that a couple of episodes back. They like literally that was like the foundation.
Speaker 1:I reckon they would have taken that idea and just amplified it for their own. And this is why it's important to understand brand, understand history of brand and to understand where it's come from, because then you can see what's worked in the past and not reinvent. You just have to go that worked really well for them. What if I tweaked it and did it like this, which is essentially what the market gap analysis does? And when you're looking at things through a different lens, you can just find these opportunities so much better and I would challenge everyone just to really sit down, try not to think of it too big and just assess where they can kind of say, well, here is an opportunity that I can tap into right now. How can I do this better? And you will be so surprised at what you come up with when you sit down and just dedicate some time to just one streamline of thinking like one direction, not the band, the thinking type, anyway. So when we look at like the before and after of a business, that's kind of moved away.
Speaker 1:We worked on the Dog Mum, which is a business based in Brisbane, australia, and when they first came to us I was working with their founder, emma, who no longer owns the business. She sold the business. But when we first worked with them they were just like you know standard online business. They had developed you know a decent following online Um, but she was ready to kind of move to that next level and she was just screen printing t-shirts with different sayings on them and she wanted to make her brand look a little bit more reputable. And Em was an absolute legend. She still is. We talk Um and I went in and I we did a massive campaign during the bushfires which generated a lot of money too, so that was really cool.
Speaker 1:But, yeah, what we did there was created these silhouettes of these dogs. This was our idea to come up with something just to portray her brand differently. So we created these distinct assets that were silhouettes of dogs, so like outlines of dogs, super easy to replicate if you're a designer, and really good way to kind of evolve the library. So many different dog types, so, yeah, let's have at it. That completely shifted their business, so that's what they started to sell. When that went out, they had people requesting shirts with their dog breed, and so we were just designing these different dog types to keep up with the hype of everyone wanting their dog breed. And so we were just designing these different dog types to keep up with the hype of everyone wanting their dog on a shirt.
Speaker 1:And obviously then she didn't need us anymore. They hired a designer to be able to execute. That, which is the whole point of what we do, is to not just do the execution all the time, you know, because there's other designers that can go out and do that stuff. We're more more for the high end management. You know, team vibe. But if you're a smaller business, you know, having us on the books continuously can be costly if you aren't in the right place, and so having a junior designer or someone else to be able to replicate the style guide that we've developed is exactly the point of it. It's here's the, here's the brand. Now execute following these rules, and so that's where they really kick off. And they made cups and pajamas and like it just went nuts and to this day they still use that stuff, and I remember because they're in Brisbane. I'm in Sydney and I saw someone. I'm in Southwestern Sydney. I saw someone only a couple of months ago with a car sticker on the back and I was like, huh, we did that, and it's really interesting to just to see how one and that was design.
Speaker 1:One thing can completely shift how people see your brand, and that was, yeah, really, really cool to watch and see. But so the important thing is, if you're struggling to articulate what makes your brand different, it's to really just dive in and look at the potential positioning gaps that you have and go back to the beginning. Why did I start asking yourself those questions about? You know, in deep alignment to the, to the process, because it might be that you've started a business and that you've actually outgrown that and you're still kicking on in the same strategy, but you're actually not aligned with it anymore. So you need to basically not rebrand but just refresh it.
Speaker 1:And it's a rebrand doesn't always entail a complete end to end. It could be like a reposition which is essentially you know. The intention of why you're in business is still there, the purpose is still there, your values are still there, but you just need to shift how you're seen in the public. That's what we call a repositioning, and sometimes that will have a visual identity realignment. Or what we're doing for our retainer client, our longstanding retainer client, omnistruct, is that they're moving into a more boutique, specialist business, and so we're moving them from big construction firm with lots of team into small, specialized project management boutique style business, and so that means that the language now needs to, but the visual identity is banging. So we're not changing that at all, but we are changing the way that we communicate and we're also changing the imagery that we would put out to represent the brand and the way that we would communicate that conversation.
Speaker 1:So if you're needing to do something, don't think of it as being like a complete overhaul. It's just that sometimes you need to find these gaps to figure out the areas that you need to update. So, again, if you want to have a look at our framework, we've got that rolling out for people at the moment. I'll drop the links in the show notes for you to have a look at, but it will guide you through step-by-step. The paid version obviously is the market gap advantage and then we have the email series that just breaks that down so that you can see that just in. You know five emails that can give you a bit of an overview. But that's essentially the four core parts, where there's lots more to a brand strategy, but the four core parts Well, there's lots more to a brand strategy, but the four core parts to look at.
Speaker 1:It's like the psychological resonance with your target audience. I'll start from the beginning. I should say like your brand story, it's like your values, your positioning in the market and your connection with your audience and rolling that out in a way that people really want to connect with. So, as you can see, there's a few bits involved in it. So I, when someone says, oh, I've already got a brand strategy, I'm like okay, can you please give it to me? And then I get nothing but like a style guide and I'm like that's not, that's not it. So anyway, hopefully we can educate everyone one by one, because if you have a solid brand strategy, you have a solid way of bringing in new people and owning your own space in the market. So hope you like that one.
Speaker 1:Waffled on for a little bit. No big thunders, I don't think. Maybe one, but if you want to chat, you know where to find me and until then I'll chat to you next week. Did you like that episode? I hope so, because if you did, why don't you head over to whatever platform you listen on and rate and review? It's much appreciated and helps others know what we're about. If you want to follow us, you can find us at yourwannanonly, underscore au on instagram or head to wwwyouroneandonlycomau.
