A
brand is one of the few things a company can own forever. Without
patents, technological insulation, or barriers to entry, a company’s
brand – the relationship it has with its customers – is one key
asset a company can rely on to extract value over time. An
experienced
Brand
Strategy Consultant can help maximize brand
value, by aligning brand and business strategies with customer
requirements.
There are a variety of
reasons why an organization may hire a
Branding
Company. Clients will often consider a brand
consultant when they want to:
- Grow
the existing business through improved marketing, branding and
innovation
- Enter
new markets with existing products or
services
- Develop
and validate entirely new business
opportunities
- Integrate
businesses and brands as a result of mergers, acquisitions and
company re-organizations
Certainly,
companies can decide to address these business issues internally,
though there are certain benefits to hiring an outside
Marketing
Strategy Consultant. Common benefits of using a
consultant vs. internal resources include:
- Deep
experience and expertise that may not be resident in-house. This is
often the case when formulating market segmentation, brand
positioning, and brand architecture strategies, which may occur every
few years or so
- Fresh
thinking and cross-industry perspective, which is particularly true
when your consultants work across business categories vs. specialize
in one particular domain
- Objectivity
and fact-based decision making, which can be very useful when
internal consensus is lacking. Make sure your project is staffed with
a Market
Research Consultant who understands when and how
to obtain the necessary customer
understanding
- Dedicated,
external resources that can fee up the internal team for other
pressing business issues
When
looking to hire an expert in
Brand
Consulting be sure to review the bios of key
consulting team members. If the consultants’ education and
experience favors art direction or copywriting, there is a good
chance the marketing “solution” will involve a new logo, an ad,
other similar output vs. a comprehensive, market-based growth
solution.
