March, 2015
DO YOU HAVE TOO MANY “CHEFS” IN YOUR BRAND KITCHEN?
Have you diluted your brand’s passion message; that one thing that makes you unique, by mixing up a brand recipe filled with other’s opinions or comments? Too many brand chefs ruin the soup! Keep your brand “recipe”, your story coming from your point of view… grow it with your special sauce and of course your main single ingredient: your core value.
All the committees, teams, associates, folks that want to “help” your brand are expressing their own interpretation of either what they need or want from your brand experience. Have you clearly communicated your vision, mission, proposition statements to your folks…are you all thinking the same “one single core value” your brand was born to show? If your brand is feeling “lost”, diluted, sitting there like a caved in soufflé…not attracting many clients to take a taste…you most likely have too many diverse thoughts now shaping your messaging.
How can you get that brand strong and talking unique value again?
You can gather the “chefs” all together (keep this down to 4-5 max…be selective) and have a discussion, a brainstorming session about your brand statements.
Now, you will need to declare that YOU are the “Head Brand Chef”. Get into action by posing key questions, taking notes, offering some new ideas, getting all involved by keen guidance and listening. Remember: There is no such thing as a “bad idea” or thought…no judgments from anyone! Then post those thoughts on large sheets of paper on the wall to inspire more discussion.
Don’t know where to begin?
Here’s an example of several good questions to ask your group about your Mission statement:
First thing: Go ahead and list your core values both personal and business. Do they match? If not, why not? If you have your own company…you essentially ARE your brand.
Second thing: Using your Mission statement as example:
- Share your company Mission statement…ask “what does this mean to you?”
- How does that Mission statement FEEL to you?
- How does your company core value (state this for the group) fit your core value? What is YOUR core value…your passion that you live for, walk and talk for and with?
- What about the Mission statement would you change with what you know about your company and its core value / values?
You will be able to see by this discussion that everyone has different views of most every topic you discuss. That is why a “Head Brand Chef” (you) needs to keep your brand recipe original, guard the unique ingredients and let no one add a “pinch of this or a pinch of that”.
Third: SHOW everyone in visual quick sketch story what your discussion / brand looks like. “Words” are great, visuals have a built in UNIVERSAL meaning…everyone “gets it” in the present moment. It is amazing how simple visuals can both show “differences” as well as need for change, clarity, alignment, etc. Sketching a brainstorm session is invaluable as a physical “marker” for your conversation. This creates a safe record (without ownership power or judgments!) to discuss and to get everyone understanding that each person has different opinions for different reasons…and if these “styles” align or do not.
Use Visual Sketching as a springboard to clarify brand interpretation, get folks all on the same page, and inspire an opportunity to express without having to modify your brand message.
By showing all the “extra” ingredients being added by toooo many chefs in the brand kitchen you can begin to get your brand back to its original recipe. Refocused and back into the expression of your unique core value that will tempt more folks to “sample” what you have cooked up as your brand soup!
Happy cooking!
Thanks for offering me your valuable time, love to share with you and receive your “Shares”
I’m Paula Brown; Visual Scribe / Feng Shui practitioner / Author / Animal Communicator. I am a visual storyteller showing you how to IGNITE YOUR STORY, YOUR ENERGY, YOUR WELL-BEING for both business and home. My site is: www.chilightful.com Connect on: LinkedIn, Twitter. and you can “like” my facebook page at: www.facebook.com/ChiLightful
