Branding goes beyond who or what individuals and organisations are. It communicates their values, objectives and beliefs. This is why for every branding strategy to succeed; it has to first take an individual-focused approach in communicating its message to stakeholders and the general public as a whole.
It is a New Year and a good time to relook at how things are done, especially coming on the back of a year that saw major disruptions in brand strategy due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The previous year saw social distancing and disconnections becoming the norm as a result of imposed restrictions put in place to curb the pandemic. Most brands are still finding new ways of engaging properly with their clients with focus mostly on digital platforms. Generally speaking, in order to do this effectively there is a gap that has to be filled by understanding the needs of the consumer to be able to connect and communicate messages properly with them.
In 2021, it is imperative to be seen and listened to as a brand in order to stay relevant; whether you are now finding your niche or have a status where you need to grow and retain your positioning. These are the focus pointers that should drive communication and Public Relations (PR) trends this year:
1. Creating and Conveying Messages that speak to the individuals Need for Connection
The essence of branding strategies is to communicate effectively the kind of perception an individual or organisation wants its audience to have of them, which also translates into a selling point. Using your brand as a Unique Selling Proposition (USP), is a measure of vote of confidence from the consumer’s point of view. This is the main reason why it is necessary to consider taking an individualistic or group of interest approach when creating interactive messages you want to convey. With brand communication being highly digitized especially in times like these, it is very possible to win the consumer engagement drive by conveying genuine messages that speak to the individual need for connection. This is why it is foreseeable that most brands will adopt this strategy consistently in 2021 to remain customer-centric and relevant.
2.Using Micro-targeting to communicate authentically to a personalised audience
A Stanford University Project Report stated that “effective communications involves awareness and modulation of our micro communication pattern on an ongoing basis.”
Simply put in Communication and PR, a brand strategy must seek to reduce big messaging to different moving parts to effectively cover a wider range of the target audience. Effective communication is when you are able to convey a message and it is assimilated by the other party exactly as you intend it to be. A lot has changed in how consumers perceive brands. They will now measure them to standards such as their use of sustainable practices in business and environment, health and safety, philanthropy, and the show of humanity in engaging with their stakeholders. It is because of this pattern that brands will communicate through different relevant and realistic channels both internally and externally in order to create a positive impact.
3. The Power of Personal Branding - Leaving the need to be “cool” at all costs - moving towards value driven personal brands
Creating a personal brand is not always straightforward as it appears. Without understanding the audience properly, it is possible to face a lot of trial and error situations before an individual can confidently cement what it can call a “Personal Brand.” It is an ongoing process that answers the question “what are you known for?
Mark Roberge, a Senior Lecturer in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at the Harvard Business School is apt in his description by saying that “Personal branding is all about building rapport at scale and rapport is one of the most fundamental sales techniques. Whether you call it personal branding or charisma, it is a very powerful tool that veteran sales people naturally employ to close more deals with less effort.”
Businesses exist amongst other things to be successful and profitable; which is why they have to be strategic in communicating the message of their brand consistently. Leave the visceral need to be cool behind and shift the focus towards the actual value that can be brought into an industry with a personal brand. To differentiate themselves from competitors this year, people will use the power of personal branding to boost their reputation, enhance customer engagement, and to sell more. Tactics expected to be used include showcasing Social Responsibility projects, well-being activities and generally pushing the message of health, safety and care to attract more following.
4. The CEO Effect
A growing trend of communication strategy which is expected to soar in popularity is using the voice of an organization’s leader to drive the overall agenda of the brand. This is because personalities, especially effective leaders can be used to enhance personal branding and open up revenue channels, as naturally people tend to trust on a person-to-person platform as compared to establishments. The connection levels are different. When a leader can oversee team success and define role models within an organisation, this will equate to living out their brand; which turns out to be effective in brand building.
Sir Richard Branson of the Virgin brand is a success story of using personal branding and the CEO effect in offsetting the negative effects of a business. To directly quote him, “Branding demands commitment; commitment to continual reinvention, striking chords with people to stir their emotions and commitment to imagination. It is easy to be cynical about such things, much harder to be successful.”
5. Thought Leadership as a tool to communicate brands
Using thought leadership as a tool to communicate brands will remain strong this year. It is an effective strategy that projects the leader or brand as an expert in a particular field or the go-to-person for advice on certain topics. Using tools such as blogging, Social Media and effective PR practices can do the magic. However, there is a huge need for specialized voices with well researched opinions to take charge of the drive rather than ones that are known to be full of emotions when communicating.
6. The Growing Use of Digital Innovation taking over Traditional Modes
One of the widely used PR tools is the Press Release, and it is expected to be innovated from what we traditionally know. The instrument of Press Release will become the porta-voice for employers to brand spotlight with the idea in mind that many will do business, buy products and services from people-oriented brands. The digital innovation factor will come in with an extensive use of portals such as Virtual Reality Press Releases and Press Conferences. This is because remote working will increase around the world and many more people would prefer to go digital in every aspect of their approach to branding and engagement without losing the human factor.
7. The need for Factual, Balanced and Unbiased Reporting
Establishing integrity is a basic requirement for communicating a brand. COVID-19 and the repercussions of its restrictions has placed demands on brands to be known for producing factual, balanced and unbiased reporting, especially in the news reporting field. Anything short of that will lead to gradual mistrust and damaged reputation which no brand can afford to contend with in these times and in this year. Therefore, people are expected to ‘up their game’ and preserve their integrity in an effort to project their brand.
This year, gaining victory in the communication battle when conveying a brand strategy to the consumer is what will consistently keep businesses relevant and afloat to keep winning.