This document outlines a brand strategy approach consisting of four steps: 1) Pronounce the brand through discovery of its personality, benefits, and relevance; 2) Project the brand through touchpoints and interactions; 3) Prove the brand's value; and 4) Protect the brand. It emphasizes identifying emotional benefits, building community through social media and relationships, rewarding loyalty, and empowering brand advocates in order to influence perception beyond the product itself. The goal is to graduate students not just as customers but as engaged advocates for the brand.

1. Does your brand penetrate
past the logo on the sweatshirt?
COLLEGE
#NACCAP2012
Brands That Go Deeper Than Fabric

2. #NACCAP2012
SEMINAR OBECTIVES
How to create a practical Brand Strategy
Identify Touchpoints with the Audience
New Ways to Influence Brand Perception
Initiatives to Leverage Brand Advocacy
Brands That Go Deeper Than Fabric

3. #NACCAP2012
Don’t Just Graduate Students . . .
Graduate Advocates
A brand advocate is a loyal customer who is willingly engaged into
active promotion of a brand, a product or a company. The brand
advocate is not paid for its service. Brand advocates are usually
able to communicate on behalf of the company and promote its
products or services. They do so because of their POSITIVE
EXPERIENCE with the brand.
Brands That Go Deeper Than Fabric

4. #NACCAP2012
BRAND STRATEGY
the apPROach
1. 2. 3. 4.
PRONOUNCE PROJECT PROVE PROTECT
Brands That Go Deeper Than Fabric

5. 1. PRONOUNCE
Brand Discovery
1. What is your brand?
100% Perception - INFLUENCE
■ Think of your brand as a person with a distinct personality.
Describe him or her, then convey these traits in everything
you do and create.
■ Write positioning statements and a story about your brand;
use them throughout your company materials.
■ Choose colors, fonts and other visual elements that match
your personality.
■ Determine how your employees will interact with prospects
and customers to convey the personality and make sure your
brand “lives” within your company.
the apPROach PRACTICAL BRAND STRATEGY

6. 1. PRONOUNCE
Brand Discovery
2. Do Representatives understand and
represent the brand ?
Create Brand Standards
3. Is the Brand used Consistently?
Integrated Brand Strategy
the apPROach PRACTICAL BRAND STRATEGY

7. 1. PRONOUNCE
Brand Discovery
4. Does your Brand connect on an
emotional level?
■ List the features and benefits of your product / service.
■ Determine which benefits are most important to each of your
customer segments.
■ Identify which benefits are emotional – the most powerful
brand strategies tap into emotions.
■ Look at the emotional benefits and boil them down to one
thing that your customers should think of when they think of
you. That’s what your brand should represent.
the apPROach PRACTICAL BRAND STRATEGY

8. 1. PRONOUNCE
Brand Discovery
5. Is your Brand relevant and flexible?
■ Cultural Relevance
■ Digital Age Savvy - Are you keeping up?
6. Is your Brand persona aligned with
your Audience?
7. Is the marketing budget aligned to
maximize opportunities?
■ Avoid Status Quo Marketing
the apPROach PRACTICAL BRAND STRATEGY

9. 1. PRONOUNCE
Brand Discovery
8. Are you creating community around
the Brand?
■ Social Media Strategy
■ Relationship Building/Personalization
9. Are you rewarding Brand Loyalty?
10. Do you Empower Brand Advocacy?
the apPROach PRACTICAL BRAND STRATEGY

10. TOUCHPOINTS
ANY INTERACTION THAT
OCCURS WITH THE
BRAND
(PLANNED & UNPLANNED)
the apPROach PRACTICAL BRAND STRATEGY

11. TOUCHPOINTS
A Sensory Experience
the apPROach PRACTICAL BRAND STRATEGY

12. my
university
TOUCHPOINT
INTERACTION
DIAGRAM
PRACTICE
the apPROach PRACTICAL BRAND STRATEGY

13. my
university
the apPROach PRACTICAL BRAND STRATEGY

14. 2. PROJECT
3. PROVE
4. PROTECT
the apPROach PRACTICAL BRAND STRATEGY

15. + INITIATIVES
= BRAND STRATEGY
THAT INFLUENCES PERCEPTION
& CREATES BRAND ADVOCACY
the apPROach PRACTICAL BRAND STRATEGY

16. THANK YOU
twitter: @reusserdesign
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the apPROach PRACTICAL BRAND STRATEGY