You’ve optimized your sales process, fine-tuned your supply chain, and squeezed every last efficiency out of your organizational chart. And you’re still not growing the way you’d like. You suspect brand isn’t contributing to your business the way it should, but you’re not sure how to fix it.
That’s where Organizational Brand Strategy comes in.
What makes OBS different?
1. It starts from the inside.
Most strategies begin with your prospective target audience. OBS is different. It starts with the people who know your brand best: your leaders and teams. OBS digs into how your organization really works by aligning internal culture and purpose, then we energize that truth in communication strategies to your customers and prospects. When your leadership and employees can articulate and embody the essence of your brand, and we can deliver that promise to the right audience, growth follows.
2. It’s not about features. It’s about values and beliefs.
When we approach this work, we encourage our clients to not dwell on shiny objects, product specs, or service features. These things evolve and change over time. What shouldn’t change are the values and beliefs that give your brand real meaning. We call it your Brand Conviction. OBS uncovers and articulates your Brand Conviction, then connects everything you do to it. That connection adds value to every aspect of your brand, products, and customer experience.
3. It’s media neutral.
Too often, strategies are developed to serve a single channel or campaign (advertising, PR, digital, you name it). After all, ad agencies are in the business of making ads, right? Organizational Brand Strategy defines your brand’s core meaning first, without a bias for how to deliver it. Whether you’re telling your story in a Super Bowl ad, a product overhaul, a PR blitz, or a social media post, the messaging is consistent and powerful.
4. It’s driven from the top.
This isn’t a strategy you can delegate down the org chart. OBS takes C-suite buy-in and participation to be truly impactful . When your senior executives champion the brand, it paves the way for alignment across the entire organization. And it signals the strategic importance of a strong organizational brand.
5. It’s built to last.
Like we said with shiny objects: Campaigns fade, but OBS endures. OBS helps your team craft breakthrough ideas to guide your business for years, even decades. That kind of clarity continually reinforces the culture and beliefs that set you apart, and helps your brand weather market shifts, leadership changes, and whatever else the world throws your way.
If your brand feels like it’s underperforming, or if your organization has outgrown the story you’ve been telling, it’s time for a reset.
Connect with our team for a free consultation, and let’s talk about how Organizational Brand Strategy can help you unlock your next stage of growth.
Matt Williams is chief growth officer and managing partner for Brand Federation. Prior to joining Brand Federation in 2019, Matt was CEO of The Martin Agency, one of the world’s most creatively recognized advertising agencies. Over his 26-year career at Martin, he helped the agency become the 25th-largest in the US and managed brand strategy development for world-class brands like GEICO, OREO, UPS, Discover Financial, Walmart, and Benjamin Moore. Matt also is a Clinical Professor in the marketing department at the Mason School of Business at William & Mary. He teaches in the MBA program and is the developer and Faculty Director of the school’s Online Masters in Marketing.
