One of the most common obstacles preventing brand teams from crafting a solid brand plan is the fear of getting lost in an endless cycle of data analysis, only to emerge with nothing actionable or new.
However, this doesn’t have to be the case. The key to avoiding this time-consuming trap is to start by clearly defining your Brand Challenge.
You’ve likely heard the saying: "If you have an hour to solve a problem, spend 55 minutes defining it, and you’ll only need 5 minutes to solve it." I couldn’t agree more with this philosophy. Before putting pen to paper on any brand plan, it’s essential to take the time to fully understand and define the main problem or challenge that your plan needs to address.
Setting Your Sandpit
To define your Brand Challenge, begin by asking a few high-level questions about 1 ) Your brand's current commercial performance 2 ) brand health 3 ) and the broader market dynamics that influence it. This process helps you establish what I like to call your Sandpit—a well-defined area that will guide your entire planning process.
Here’s how your Sandpit can help:
Focused Analysis: Enables you to zero in on the specific areas that will uncover growth opportunities. Instead of wandering aimlessly through vast amounts of data, you’ll know exactly where to dig for facts, insights, and answers.
Strategic Prioritization: Your Sandpit will guide your strategic choices and priorities throughout the planning process. With so many potential opportunities to explore, it’s crucial to make choices. The best opportunities will be those that most effectively address your Brand Challenge.
Staying on Track: Whenever you find yourself getting lost in the weeds or veering off course, your Sandpit will provide the guidance and context
If you’re ready to kickstart this process and take your brand planning to the next level, I’d love to help you get started. Feel free to reach out!
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