The starting point for marketing a brand is to uncover what it truly represents. If a branding agency has done its job properly and the market research is done and dusted what a business actually represents is very often not what it aspires to be.
Why is this?
One reason is a phenomenon I’m dubbing ‘soggy middle’.
Soggy middle occurs when time catches up with a brand. It affects fast-growing SME’s and large consumer brands in equal measure.
The most damaging aspect of soggy middle is that it affects growth and profits.
The key thing to know is that it occurs through no fault of the management team. It’s actually a sign that a business is ready for the next stage of growth.
Basically, it’s where a business has grown up from being an infant and is now looking like a sulky teenager. It needs some grooming and maturity to become a young adult.
This awkward middle phase is something that it has to go through – and it will be all the wiser and all the more profitable as a result.
Typical symptoms of ‘soggy middle’ affecting marketers and brand managers include:
- Being unsure of the future strategic direction of the brand
- Feeling like competitors are being braver in their brand creative
- Discontent with existing creative execution of the brand
- No sense of vision and value in the business
- Outdated marketing collateral
We’re working together to uncover true values, vision and beliefs held by some of our clients. Re-examining core values is the starting point. During this process we’ll agree a fresh direction to future-proof the brand and the business. Before you start work on any PR campaign – its essential that you have the foundations of a brand that you truly love in place first.
After all, if you don’t love your brand as it is – who will?
