Every well-managed brand has a Brand Standard Manual (BSM). It’s sometimes given a different name, like Brand Book, Brand Bible, or Symbol Simon’s Guide to Don’t Mess With Our Logo. We’ll stick to BSM, thanks. Even more so, an underdog startup enterprise needs a BSM as a foundational document designed to achieve and express a consensus: this is who we …
How to identify, then crush, your fiercest competitor
Name two of your competitors. You probably missed the fiercest one. Let me explain. Prospects, the people you want to do business with, are already doing business with Other Guys. (Let’s call them the OGs). You can’t magically invent new human beings, so your challenge is to overthrow existing loyalty, to steal customers away from those OGs. It’s never easy. …
Why a “PJLM” makes your brand story work
Once (dramatically) upon a time … a PJLM interacted with a brand … That’s how the most engaging brand stories begin. PJLM is the indispensable element to make your narrative effective, the vital component that actually converts prospects. So, what is it? Here’s a hint: what do these ad campaign samples have in common? • An anxious teenage boy sprays …