Notes: Branding Discussions - June 8th 2006

• 20060608PitchMtg.pdf: 20060608PitchMtg.pdf

Atendees

• Ted
• Pieter
• Jared
• John T
• Philippe
• Heikki
• Sheila
• Mimi
• Priscilla
• Caroline Barlerin from LPFI (presented in Part II of the Branding Discussion).

Brief from Sheila:

Part I: A discussion about developing a pitch for our products. This really means a short elevator statement we can use to describe what we are building. Ted is going to lead this discussion with others in the Ops team as well as Mimi, Priss and Pieter.

From a previous converstaion with David Koretz President & CEO of BlueTie, a leading Software as a Service Company that provides email and collaboration software on demand to small businesses and service providers worldwide.

The take away from the discussion focused on the:

• zero-->huh and then the huh-->oh really!

Meaning when you first explain about the product, the reaction you hear from people starts from:

• zero – have no idea what you're talking about
• to the 'huh' reaction – Ok, I think I understand what you're talking about

As you keep discussing, the person’s reaction will form from:

• 'huh' ok I'm starting to get it
• to the 'oh really!'– this is cool, now where can I get it?

For today’s goal:

• What’s our pitch?
  • What is the branding exercise?
  • What are the tools? How to get there?
• What our process is moving forward

• No exact process on what we're going to do next

Where did we leave off w/ David K?

Discussed about words that have a reaction - something people could walk away with an understanding of

• Productivity
• Project Management
• Personal Project Management
• Collaboration--> not so crazy about this word. People may not grasp right away
• Triage --> did not like the term. Unfamiliar with term.
• Inter personal

• Instead of projects we talked about work
• GTD triage, David K was not familar with nor read the book --> trying to reflect consumer view

• Current problem: When explaining the product, more people will say 'huh?' -->no context, has no meaning
• Or with the second group of people, “Oh, I get it and I want to know more” - Philippe

• After Mimi’s presentation (ie. ETech, BayCHI^?), most people understand and then the first question on their mind is usually “When can I get it?”
• Anyone can explain it and it shouldn't take a 1/2 hour or more.
• Objective, qualities, verbs (as done in 0.6 . What is it (the brand) doing?

What do we think Chandler is?

• Get people saying 'huh' and it sounds interesting, hope to help them to check it out
• Compare with something that is already out there and what makes Chandler unique–distinct from the leading products in that field? ie. turbo tax for the college application experience
• Exercise as product that is not automating in an automating form.
• Trouble coming with the elevator pitch
• No good model in another domain. Apply that model to a new domain
• Reinventing it, the social structure.
• Not that it's not useful
• Measure the effectiveness
• Just 'cause it's not concrete--> done a little differently
• Feels to me the criteria is the same.

Process

Positioning statement--> 1-2 statements, not a tag line, mission statement,

1. define prime prospects by their concerns wants and needs.
2. establish 1 point of difference (buy your product instead of competitors)
3. Declared position -->most repeated

Recommended book

Techno Grand (see Pieter's reading list)

• Range and complex product. The user that's using it.
• Out of all those choices, the one thing that differentiates you from your competitors, just ONE POINT of difference.
• Start out with the one thing that is different
• How to figure out who your market is
• Do the research and collect information
• Who is the target market?
• Not just make it up as you go along--> what that process is.
• Does the branding exercise give us the tools we need to give us the “zero-->huh and then the huh-->oh really!”

• When you create a brand --> figure out who your market is, what is important?
• Brand is from a customer’s perspective, not the vendor, all the language is oriented towards the customer.

• Customers see the brand not the company.

What we’re going to review

• Critiques of all those terms, in the market & something to think about. Terms: collaboration, Product Manager, etc.
• Question about targeting very small businesses. They may not be searching for this tool. They may not be aware of the collaboration problem. For the 2-10 ppl org. They can yell down the hall and my not need collaboration tools.

• David K, didn't squawk at the term PIM
• Biggest problem with productiivty, how to do you quantify it? For example, Microsoft’s branding message, says it makes you more productive

What are the tools your users using right now?

• Web mail, Outlook
• If that's the case, distinguish yourself - to not use web mail or outlook.
• Productivity and collaboration is already kind of distinguished us in any way.
• We're not tying to get them to stop using Outlook. It’s with the other stuff they use such as Omni ouliner, stickies, paper calendar (multiple tools) and trying to put all your info in one place.
• Triage productivity is on the path to the end goal

Need to answer the end goal

• Why do people need to care about the collaboration?

Questions on how to proceed

• What is the next action?
• What do you do next?
• What do you do right now?

• People don't feel like it’s a problem
• People don't feel like there's at a loss

What are some compelling reasons why one might choose Chandler over other systems?

• It’s a complete system (though this message may not resinate really well)
• It’s a trusted system
• Getting stuff out of your head

• Branding exercise from 0.6--> verbs and adjectives.
• In a pressured situation (when having to explain to someone)--> why is this interesting? What is the end goal of collaboration and productivity?

• People are trying to make decisons and no individual can make the decision on their own. --> It's a collaborative process to come with a final decision
• People gather, review imput, give their 2cents, back and worth process, days, month, sometimes years.
• All with their specific domain knowledge

• Hub (target user) trying to do project planning, when people can come to a recital, task with pulling people coming together. What’s the goal of this project?

• Shared information for better decision making
• Wisdom of small groups
• It’s takes a village to make a decision (to raise a child)

Why is Mitch invested in this tool? this statement is paraphrased

If you spend all your money on a personal product, the tool you create can boost your productivity by 20%. If you create a product that service the general public, you can boost productivity %20 to millions of people.

• Making decisions together
• Focus management
• It’s the computer that should help you work…decision to help you run your life
• Reach out and touch someone?
• Support of the decision making

• People using 10 different products. Where do they search to look for the information?
• When people use different systems, it doesn't allow the collaboration.

• Business intelligence, decision support system for individuals
• Analyze
• Life intelligence

• You can use delicious, flicker, etc. but it’s how to pull them together into one application?
• Identify your domain and centralization that facilitation

Goals of having a brand

• Is it better for us to create a new category?
• Don’t want to be yet another e-mail client, because that is not what Chandler is. Yet another web mail, internet calendar, etc.
• An example of branding: Dominos (pizza) was the first to do home delivery and you get it 30mins or less.

• You can also take something away-an 'anti' mission statment
• For example, Firestone tires don't have inner tubes
• Pulling sales away from the other products out on the market
• Then become a dominate leader in the market

• Strategy that is unique and there is no market for it, and you create it and you build that market
• Strong branding market

• Solve ppl sort of have, they have in a different way
• Relabeling
• New problem space

• Early adopters know they have this problem
• Information overload. ppl understand -->outlook is part of the problem
• Not for early adopters not the target audience.
• They already know those things
• It’s for the next circle of people

There are 2 classes of people

1. Explain long time-->target audience.
2. 5 or 6 sentences who are asking for when can I get it

• You don’t create branding for early adopters because they will download the latest thing and then they’ll go on to the next thing
• The audience we want are the people influenced by early adopters --> these are the people we want to target

• Capturing that and making it useful to early adopters
• Value statement - 25 words or less. (Could we come up with that in 4 wks before Philippe heads off to europe? And he can use it to test at the conference in Europe?)

How does Ted communicate the message with people he meet?

• Themes personal project mangement, David Allen sense information, compare with 3 or 5 application and have to find what you need and pull them all together coordinate with other people
• To make a comparison w/ Outlook work with ppl you need to call--> you need to find all that stuff work with that.
• Focus groups--> with the 7/2nd europe python --> forcing function
• Create a pitch page on the wiki

---

Branding Part II

Caroline Barlerin from LPFI

Talk about their experiences with formal branding efforts. Caroline’s background experience is in Marketing and Business Develoment at [[http://www.landor.com/][Landor]. Brand strategy help Taproot Foundation --> non-profit connect business professionals with nonprofits who need their talents and expertise. Mareting and Board chair in Chicago think “pro-bono beyond law”.

Notes from her presentation

• Using the tools branding 1:1
• Myths about branding build a great product the product speaks for itself at one time it was true

• Think about how quickly things are iterrated, brand part of what the business.
• It is not a nice to have – but more of a must have. A lot of people think branding is important

• Myth: Brands are only needed for commercial things, ie. package goods, shoes, toothpaste, etc. not for technology
• Think about how quickly products iterrate and how things are changing
• The power of product technology changes help give the thread sustaining a business longevity
• Myth: Branding is just a logo. Misunderstanding the collective experience of how you build a brand
• External expression core of what a brand is.
• Traditionally branding costs a lot of money - that is not the case either best practices and discipline and owning it, and to continue to work on - branding needs to be maintained
• Core foundation steps
• Authentic, true, and incorporates into the business and strategy

What is a brand?

• Psychographics – lifestyle compliment and compete knowing your audience is really important
• the reputation is important – a brand can act like a badge
• For example, if you rolex that says something about me. If you wear certain type of sneakers, it says something about me. incorporate the product to wear on a brand
• Turning it into a verb, and turning it into a noun

Where did branding originate from?

• Branding a cow-->reputation piece what kind of reputation you want?
• Disciplinary we can do this, and not do this
• Landor methodology is to differentiation-->factor of uniqueness, know your audience and give them a promise relevance share of heart and share of mind.
• Relevance more important then differentiation -->rather then pop out at me. There is a big difference in branding something you pick from a grocery store vs. shopping on the web.

Share of heart and share of mind

• Total experience not just the mane or logo or the founder of the web site
• In reference to OSAF, we're all part of the brand--> impression CIO chief Impression Officer how that sheds off partner product and services
• You can’t have a strong brand or foundation credible brand on a bad product
• There is a rational and emotional side you and need to satisfy both
• What is measurable and analytical there is still an emotional side
• The emotional speak, “I don't care, I like this.” Loyalty go beyond – the promise, the reputation,

• The name (brand) is an important
• Remember the emotional side, this is also known as the sweet spot.

Company makes products consumer purchase the piece

• Brand equity-->something build over time tarnish or halo factor something going wrong, that gets the emotional and technical side ”I was promised speed” – why promise and brand is so important.

The value of brand

• The brand can make a business credible
• Build the product and then you build the brand. Iteration and how things change you just put the product
• Trend that is a bigger opportunity that is creditble 90s, they were building brand;funding for the product they didn’t have think long term, but not building something you can't achieve.

Build the brand for the future

• Branding 1.0 possibly 2.0 product.
• Market expansion recruit staff “I believe in”
• Sustainable partnership creditbility, image part of it.
• Marty brandt - power branding b2b branding stuff power branding,
• On going process buy in from the beginning-->
• Branding is not a democracy. Make a concious decison, we're choosing this one and move forward.
• Findings, mission values, analysis, implications
• What space can we own, differentiated share of heart/mind what are the points?

• Where are they going to interact with the power applications? For example, the magnet on the fridge for the pizza company where people are going to come across when you’re hungry
• Puzzle pieces brand foundation one, family, the company behind family products and organization
• The history of the company/product might be important--> can be a useful tool for your branding
• If I was helping --> the personality of the company --> look at the founder --> what are the traits of the founder? What do we want to keep? What do we want to add?
• Attributes what should be added?
• If you stay fast, innovating, how you do it?
• Position it differently current, investors?
• How to dial up to different people?

Audience and needs

• Describe their experience. What other poducts interact with daily if this really help me solve a problem, that's reputation, ease of mind.
• Once again company build products, customers buy brand
• Prioritize those who are your competitors?
• Forecast out who can come in ie. Look at Polaroid for the digital age of prints etc.
• Do they talk about the car model or the brand?

• As a user, are they going to use multiple products?
• Think about how your audience. What the entry point it?
• Point of differentiation – what makes you different and prove it. Values attributes what is unique and how you do it is as important.

Future vision

• January is different from 2 years from now. What is the inside and outside your category do you admire?

Brand exercise

• What are the 3 brands I really love?
• Can be totally be outside the technology potential emotional promise--> helps understand
• Make, keep and measure your brand promise. Is the reputation getting better? Worse? Survey people.
• How you behave is how you change it? Build the trust.
• Embrace passion and have fun

Success is never final and failure is rarely fatal

• Pieter, wiki slide show what is branding slightly different approach
• Bibliography
  • “The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding” - Laura Ries
  • TechnoBrand^? - Chuck Petties

• Next steps who is going to engage in this process?
• Understand the terminology – resources to do something useful and successful
• Identify what the process is? Who is going to drive this forward?
• Make a project and work on it.

• Two brands – strong one and weak ones reputation expressed internally and externally
• there is work done short cuts inheriting work attributes from mitch
• PPD - to owning it Pieter/Ted - driving and coordinating
• not a democracy - PPD decision ownership no logo contest no naming contest
• is that true or not. another fun exercise any spokes exercise who would it be? living or ded why and what that is. trust and reliability of who it is.

Branding architecture

• Brand architecture definition from wikipedia: Is the structure of brands within an organizational entity. It is the way in which the brands within a company’s portfolio are related to, and differentiated from, one another. The architecture should define the different leagues of branding within the organisation; how the corporate brand and sub-brands relate to and support each other; and how the sub-brands reflect or reinforce the core purpose of the corporate brand to which they belong. [Bennie,2000]

• GM has 33 - Dell has 1
• Think about good, better, best
• The key is to create clarity and leverage the brand without diluting it.
• For example, what does Kraft mean? Phillip Morris, branding change the name of a brand and the stock price went up etc. branding and naming
• Nice thing - then so mainstream 2:2 chart: the boutquie thing --> general
• More examples, Mitsubishi, Yamaha

• Good model to follow is Dell – to build one strong brand rather then a lot of different brands.
• Be careful of cannibalizing the brand ie. Holiday Inn - Crown Plaza, nobody walks in to ask for a more expensive room at Holiday Inn. So they took away the Holiday Inn and just have Crown Plaza as a higher end hotel.

• Apple - computer to the rest of us. The brand stands for one word.
• How important design is to target and infuse something
• The Dell brand is change the way people buy it’s business

• Product first then the organization - When the company brand is the same is the product ie. Could you pass me a kleenex? I’m going to make a xerox copy. I'm going to FedX^? my package.
• What's inside the package? --> that’s what your actually branding?
• There are plus and minus on both and think about it--> Inner related. Company first product first both together

• Branding is customer oriented. We would have a bias of the company position and in the branding. This is the danger of doing it in house.
• Is the president part of the brand?
• When the customer buys Lexus even though it’s made by Toyota - That message is not communicated at all
• Organizational branding and the suite
• A product brand inherits brand from the parents to the child

-- PriscillaChung - 09 Jun 2006