When we first read Larry Fink’s 2018 letter to CEOs, we were immediately inspired. Not only was Fink’s position aligned with our own personal beliefs about corporate responsibility, it was also supportive of work we were doing individually.
Catherine Hedden was about to launch “The Rise of the Social Enterprise,” an integrated marketing and communications campaign focused on encouraging organizations to measure success on not only profits but also the impact they have on their stakeholders and communities. Kevin Keohane was continuing work he started years before on the importance of culture and marketing alignment, with the added element of driving value for an extended ecosystem of stakeholders. And Derrick Daye was helping Fortune 500 clients transition their siloed corporate philanthropy groups into organization-wide, purpose-led, culture-influencing ways of operating.
Then, in August 2019, 181 of the most powerful CEOs in the world, representing corporate giants such as JP Morgan Chase, Amazon, and Apple, made an extraordinary commitment. They committed to lead their companies for the benefit of all stakeholders. No longer was the sole focus shareholder value. Shareholder value theory was out; stakeholder value theory was in.
We Knew We Had To Act
We knew for our clients to continue to create brand value and drive growth in this new era of stakeholder value in the 4th industrial revolution, an entirely new way of thinking about brand was needed. One that is rooted in providing value to all stakeholders, in a way that is meaningful to each and recognizes the importance of human needs: belonging, esteem, and self-fulfillment.
Existing frameworks ignored the incredibly important link between culture, the workforce, and clients. They didn’t account for extended ecosystems, now critically important to the success of any organization. And they didn’t offer a way to strategically curate personalized, human experiences.
We believe this convergence of social, economic, political, and environmental factors demands a new way to look at brand architecture and integrated marketing communications that activates a brand inside the organization, with its key stakeholders, and its broader ecosystem.
With this in mind, Kevin developed the Branding 4.0 model, which has the benefit of bringing simplicity to this complexity while allowing many of these variables to be accommodated and addressed. It’s as simple as a three-circle Venn diagram — yet has already been successfully used to rethink and redefine how an organization takes its mission into the world for its people, its audiences, and its communities.
Using this model we created a strategic workshop to help senior leadership teams from brands in all stages of growth meet the new requirements of competitive advantage. The workshop is designed to create leadership alignment in four key areas:
- Increasing performance in the marketplace by positioning purpose as a core differentiator for Industry 4.0. By applying an integrated marketing approach to brand and corporate social impact so there is greater alignment between messaging, stakeholder value, and go-to-market activities resulting in sharper brand focus and consistency.
- Fully activating the human experience with your workforce, customers, and strategic ecosystem so that through a lens of shared values and purpose, you will harness new opportunities for partnerships, innovation, and expanded capabilities.
- Infusing authenticity throughout the organization as a way to earn “trusted” brand status by telling stories and articulating impact.
- Leading and designing with empathy by putting humans at the heart of all decisions.
Purpose-driven companies witness higher market share gains and grow on average three times faster than their competitors, all the while achieving higher employee and customer satisfaction.
Who Should Participate?
Chief Executive Officers and their immediate teams have the perspective and strategic focus required to realize the most value from this workshop. On some occasions, it may be beneficial for other leaders and managers to participate in a workshop. We also offer a one-on-one coaching version of The Branding 4.0 Business 4.0 Workshop for leaders who want to use the insight for their own development and performance.
A New Approach For A New Normal
The Branding 4.0 Business 4.0 Strategy Workshop is a one day workshop that helps teams gain a clear view of what to prioritize, where to focus and what to say when to internal, marketplace, and ecosystem audiences. It exposes areas of overlap and drives decisions about priorities, which can have tremendous influence on strategy and budget.
- Pre-work. Week 1-2. Our team performs a due diligence and exploration exercise that covers your marketplace, your industry and ecosystem, and your own business. This includes desk research and short focus interviews with your team. Participants will also complete a short, anonymous and confidential questionnaire which will help them prepare for our time together as well as include those in the process who cannot participate.
- Workshop Design. Week 3. We design your workshop; it’s based on our core proprietary framework, but we populate the workshop with relevant, specific content based on the pre-work to shortcut discussions, reveal assumptions, and get shared and competing perspectives out in the open.
- The Workshop. Week 4. We deliver the workshop at the location of your choosing. The workshop includes presentation, education, interactive work, and discussion. Participants also play a business simulation game designed to prepare them for activating the strategy within the organization.
- Executive Summary. Week 5-6. We provide an executive summary of the decisions that were made in the workshop with recommended action items.
Why The Branding 4.0 Business 4.0 Strategy Workshop?
The Branding 4.0 Business 4.0 Strategy Workshop is the only fully integrated brand, marketing, communication, and cultural transformation framework on the market. Other options are either discipline focused or take far longer than the time and opportunity cost that business requires. It was developed in 2020 in response to – and anticipating – one of the biggest reputation management challenges organizations face today.
Purpose-oriented companies have higher productivity and growth rates along with a more satisfied workforce who stay longer with them.
The Right Answers Require The Right Questions
How will your organization respond to the new pressures of business in the 4th Industrial Revolution? What impact will you have on customers, employees, suppliers, communities, and shareholders? How will you link the value you provide to these stakeholders to the success of your company and your communities?
Our work together in The Branding 4.0 Business 4.0 Strategy Workshop will lead us to these answers and a bigger future for your brand.
Please email me, Derrick Daye, for more. I can also be reached directly at 813-842-2260 in Los Angeles, California.
Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Growth and Brand Education
