CMOs: 3 Recommendations for Creating and Maintaining a Stronger Brand Identity

In the age of digital over-saturation, standing out with a strong brand identity is crucial,
as to engage new customers and retain old ones. Having a memorable and solid brand
identity is necessary to catch eyes and hold them.

In the article Developing a Tone of Voice for Your Brand Can Solidify Your Presence in
Consumers' Minds by Casey Halter, published in AdWeek, Halter outlines the many
reasons why companies should be constantly striving to create and uphold a tone within
their public-facing communications. She notes that given the increase of content
channels, brands must also increase the amount of content they are putting out to
satisfy all channels; however, this content must engage and create a relationship with
the viewer. The most important aspects, she writes, in creating this tone is to have a
close and holistic understanding of the brand as well as understanding who the brand is
communicating to. She uses Denny’s as an example of a brand who has adopted a
surreal but funny tone to create content that will always generate buzz.

Image from MarkGrowth

In the article How to Develop a Unique (& Memorable) Brand Identity in 2019 by
Kathryn Wheeler, published in Hubspot, Wheeler gives a concise but extensive
rundown of the many parts that makea brand’s identity. Understanding your brand’s
core values and audience, as well as having a memorable logo are all key things that
must be done before integrating these items into the content that has been created
for public communication. Wheeler also stresses the importance of knowing what to
avoid, including mixed messages and inconsistency in messaging.

Based on these articles and what I have learned in my studies as an Integrated Marketing Communications student, I recommend these 3 action items for strengthening
a brand identity.

- Have a voice. Companies that do not have a voice on social media channels have
a harder time communicating their brand essence.

- Be collaborative. Make sure all key stakeholders, from copywriters to salespeople,
have a say in creating the voice of the brand.

- Monitor the competition. Keeping an eye out for what others are doing in your
industry are doing in terms of brand identity is crucial, as you don't want to overlap
in your messaging with competition.

Having a memorable brand identity can only serve to better you brand, as it helps
imprint your
company in the minds of viewers.

Jesse Zhou is a senior at Northwestern University studying Radio/Television/Film and Integrated Marketing Communications. He has worked for Closed Sessions Recordings and CUSP Magazine, as well as working with the teams behind musicians such as Chance the Rapper and A$AP Rocky. 

Visit fmljesse.xyz for a detailed look at Jesse's portfolio. 

Research Managers: 3 Tips on Understand What Your Target REALLY Means on Social Media

As a research manager, if a customer just tweeted s/he hates your brand on Twitter, how could you interpret it? Can you really understand what s/he means? As a graduate student in the Northwestern Medill Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) program with an interest in market research and digital marketing, I have found two articles on festivals you will find interesting

The article "Take Command of Your Data: Understanding Audience through Social Listening" on Social Media Week by Nicole Brown makes a strong statement that understanding needs and wants is paramount to giving the people what they want. She points out research managers should think through the objective of social listening before collecting and analyzing data. The article also proposes that research managers should understand what customers are saying about the brand and take timing, trend, preferences and moods into considerations.

Source: Social Media Today

"9 Tools for Small Business Reputation Management and Brand Monitoring" introduces the tools and methodologies research managers can use for social listening. The author, Ken Mueller, from Inkling Media underscores the importance of brand monitoring and reputation management on social media. He claims that a holistic social strategy is way beyond simply posting on a favorable social channel. According to this standpoint, research managers should keep their ears to the ground and find out what people are saying or not saying on social media by using the right tools.

Based on these two articles and insights gained from the Northwestern Medill IMC program, I have three actionable tips research managers should consider:

• Look beyond text. Link words and sentences to the comprehensive context in order to understand and act on the world of social media. You can glean much more useful information by integrating the text with other factors, such as channel, trend and timing. It is also effective to take a multi-phase approach – using both qualitative “listening” and quantitative “monitoring” elements. 

• Don’t just focus on buzz sites. Understand the channels that your target customers are using and reasons why they use them, other than believing Twitter, Facebook, Google+ are the only players in the social media eco-system. Integrate customers’ opinions across channels to develop comprehensive picture of customer base. 

• Apply the findings to your brand. Always end up with insights instead of research results. Interpret texts appropriately and make the process relevant to brands. Come up with suggestions on how to address customer concerns, encourage further feedback and adjust marketing campaigns. 

Social is here to stay. Social monitoring, listening and analytics are necessary equipment in the research managers’ toolbox. Brands need to embrace the power of social media, listen carefully to what their targets are saying, and most importantly, really understand real meanings behind the texts.

Yimin Wang is an Integrated Marking Communications candidate at Northwestern University. Interested in marketing research and digital marketing, she is working on understanding consumers – their behaviors, attitudes, and tensions - in the digital, social and mobile context.

Contact her via Twitter and LinkedIn.