The misconception of Strategy vs Trends
Definition of Trends
Trends are transient shifts in consumer preferences, technology, and market dynamics. They can include anything from the latest social media platform to a new design aesthetic or a popular marketing tactic. While trends can provide a fresh perspective, they are inherently temporary and often lack depth.
Pitfalls of Trend-Only Focus
A trend-only focus can lead to short-term gains but often fails to build a lasting brand foundation. Brands that chase trends without a solid strategy may find themselves pivoting too often, confusing their audience and ultimately diluting their brand identity. For instance, a brand might jump on a fleeting meme culture only to alienate its core demographic when the trend fades. A brand might adjust its overarching aesthetic with high investment only to build engagement for a narrow period of time.
The Essence of Real Strategy
Definition of Strategy
Real strategy is a comprehensive plan that defines a brand’s long-term goals and the means to achieve them. It involves understanding the brand’s core purpose, values, target audiences, market conditions, and competitive landscape. A well-crafted strategy aligns with the brand’s mission and vision, ensuring a cohesive and consistent approach across all touchpoints, past, present and future.
The Role of Strategy in Branding
A robust strategy goes beyond aesthetics. It’s about creating a unified brand experience that resonates with customers on an emotional and rational level. For example, a luxury brand’s strategy might focus on exclusivity and quality, guiding everything from product development to marketing communications.
Introducing the ‘CoreFour’: Our Proprietary Strategic Process
Overview of CoreFour
Our ‘CoreFour’ process is designed to simplify the complex world of brand strategy. It consists of four key steps: Research, Analysis, Insight, and Direction.
1.Research
At Big+Bold, we begin with comprehensive research, gathering data on market trends, consumer behaviour, and competitors. This phase is about uncovering the ‘what’ and ‘why’ behind category movements, competitors, and best in class, as well as across the product, the service, the company, the culture, and the existing and desired consumers.
2. Analysis
In this phase, we dive deeper into the data collected. We identify patterns, opportunities, and threats, providing a clear picture of the brand’s current position and potential areas for growth. For instance, we might discover that a client’s primary audience has shifted demographically, requiring a re-alignment of marketing efforts or an evolution in the brand position.
3. Insight
Insights are the golden nuggets that drive strategy. We distil the analysis into actionable insights, such as identifying an untapped market segment or a unique selling proposition. For example, for a tech client, we might find that their product is particularly popular among young professionals looking for productivity tools, shaping our messaging accordingly.
4. Direction
The final step involves crafting a clear, actionable strategy that guides all creative, brand, marketing and advertising efforts. This could include defining the brand’s positioning, developing key messaging, and outlining the media mix. It should inform all our outputs with substantiation. Our goal is to ensure that every aspect of the brand’s communication is aligned with the overall strategy.
Why Simplicity Matters
The simplicity of the ‘CoreFour’ process lies in its versatility. It can be applied to all aspects of brand, marketing, design, and advertising work. Unlike overly complicated frameworks, ‘CoreFour’ ensures that the strategies we develop are not only comprehensive but also practical and implementable, making them effective in achieving the desired results.
Bringing CoreFour to Life
Global Client Case Study: Hughes Insurance
Background
Hughes Insurance is a leading insurance provider in Northern Ireland, having committed to meeting customers’ specific insurance needs for more than 45 years. It recognised the need to revamp its brand to enhance market presence and better serve its increasingly diverse and evolving customer base. As a result of a competitive tender process, Big+Bold were selected as Hughes new marketing partner. We were tasked with developing a comprehensive strategy to deliver a multi-channel campaign that would successfully resonate with Hughes’ target audiences and deepen its position as a trusted insurance provider.
CoreFour Application
Research
The foundation of our CoreFour approach, we began our work for Hughes by conducting a detailed discovery process, gathering market and competitor statistics, alongside consumer behavourial data. This step allowed us to start to uncover the who, what, why and where for Hughes in relation to its current and aspirational positioning within the insurance sector. It also aided our planning approach for Hughes multi-channel campaign, in line with their four overarching goals for this campaign.
These included:
- Refreshing the Hughes brand identity to make it contemporary and appealing.
- Development of strategy which would ensure increased engagement amongst Hughes existing and potential customer base.
- Increasing Hughes’ brand awareness and visibility across Northern Ireland.
- Reinforcing Hughes’ commitment to customer care to build stronger customer relationships and loyalty.
Analysis
Using the data gathered, we completed an in-depth analysis of Hughes and its market, based on our insights collected from Google Analytics, Nielson Market Research, Global Web Index and McCann Truth Central. This provided us with a comprehensive understanding of Hughes’ current positioning, audience demographics, allowing us to set them as a brand and company within the broader and current context of the wider insurance landscape.
Insight
The findings from our analysis highlighted both the local and global opportunities and challenges that would directly impact Hughes. Using this information, we focussed our attention on several areas, and developed a set of subsequent insights that set our direction of travel for the new Hughes’ brand and campaign. These key insights were summarised under the following headings:
- Accelerated digital transformation
- Customer Centricity
- Trust and Transparency
- Proactivity vs. Reactivity
- Auto Insurance Advancements.
Direction
Having set our direction of travel, we moved on to the development of the campaign concept itself ‘Here for You’.
The core line for both brand and campaign, it fully encapsulated Hughes Insurance’s commitment to their customers, and it also supported the natural evolution of Hughes in relation to brand development. Inclusive, flexible and relatable, it reflected Hughes’ commitment to customer care.
Taking it a step further, we symbolised ‘Here for You’ with a Hughes specific keyring, holding together a set of keys. Keys allow us to protect and hold together the precious things in our lives, making it an appropriate metaphor for Hughes’ insurance offering.
We then proceeded with campaign rollout, which based on our desk research, allowed us to select strategically relevant campaign outputs, including TV, Radio, OOH and Digital/Social creative. Using our findings from the previous CoreFour steps, we were able to breakdown creative appropriately for each selected channel in order to target audience subsets, based on Hughes’ products and services – car, telematics, home, business and van insurance. This strategically planned creative placement allowed us to maximise visibility and reach for Hughes, positioning their brand in the right areas to reinforce the message of being ‘Here’ for their customers.
Outcome
Our CoreFour process allowed us to produce a comprehensive, relevant and accurate marketing campaign for Hughes and the consistent ‘Here for You’ theme resonated with the right audience, in the right place at the right time.
The carefully selected combination of TV, OOH, digital and radio advertising elevated Hughes’ brand visibility, strategically placing them in high-traffic areas, successfully capturing the attention of commuters and motorists. This broad reach was further reinforced by a carefully executed digital and social campaign, ensuring a consistent brand presence both online and offline.
The creative itself was relatable and subsequentally well-received. The messaging resonated with viewers and reinforced Hughes’ commitment to customer care and support. Overall, the campaign increased brand awareness, strengthened customer loyalty and trust and delivered on Hughes’ overarching goal – to position their brand in such a way as to ensure continued competitive advantage and success within the insurance market.
The Impact of Real Strategy – Effectiveness Over Aesthetics
At Big+Bold, we believe that great design and great brands must serve a purpose. Our ‘CoreFour’ process ensures that every creative decision is rooted in strategic insight, making the work not only visually appealing but also effective in achieving business goals. For example, a visually stunning ad campaign might catch the eye, but if it doesn’t align with the brand’s strategy, it won’t drive the desired results. Our approach balances creativity with strategic rigour, ensuring that our work delivers measurable outcomes.
Real strategy provides a roadmap for the future, allowing brands to navigate market changes and consumer shifts. By focusing on long-term goals and adapting to new opportunities, we help our clients build resilient brands that thrive in any environment.
In an industry where trends often overshadow substance, we want to stand out as true strategists. Our ‘CoreFour’ process is a testament to our commitment to delivering real, impactful strategies that go beyond the latest fads. Whether you’re a global brand or a local business, our approach ensures that your brand’s voice is heard, your message is clear, and your strategy is built to last.
Ready to take your brand beyond trends?
Let’s craft a strategy that not only captures attention but also drives lasting success. Contact us today to start your journey with Big+Bold.