For most brands, successfully creating a meaningful impact requires a huge amount of investment in brand strategy, execution and management. But, what does this mean when the founder is the brand? Rowenna Prest, Chief Strategy Officer at Joint, writes.
As a junior strategist, it always amazed me that consumers had such strong and consistent responses when asked in focus groups, “If brand X was a person, who would it be?”. On reflection, it’s a powerful demonstration of a brand's ability to appeal to people on a deep, emotional level. For those brands, a face, a personality and an approach is immediately understood. This isn’t personification, it’s an actual person.
Brand strategy is often the same process, but probably easier to get to because it’s literally staring you in the face! Perhaps more questions get asked when it comes to communications. It’s less about crafting a new creative idea, and more about distilling and bottling the secret sauce of that individual.
In a digital-first world where more and more “founder brands” are emerging in the form of influencers, there are four things to consider when bottling a brand and communicating it.
1. What is the brand essence of the person?
For successful brands, there quickly comes a point where the founder can no longer do everything. So, while it might feel awkward, it’s crucial to capture the essence of said brand so others can credibly deliver everything from real-time responses on social media, to developing an NPD pipeline.
Ideally, the essence will be the intersection of what the brand uniquely offers and what really matters to an audience. It tends to lean into the founder’s professional expertise, personal passion or guiding belief / lifestyle. Some brands do this really well. For example, Joe Wicks’ Body Coach brand is all about democratising fitness; Sarah Jessica Parker’s SJP shoes give shoe-lovers the colour and sparkle they love.
2. How does the person behave?
As important as brand essence, is how a brand shows up. This is increasingly vital given brand building on social platforms means a lot of traditional, “top-down” brand cues and messages have to be given up to feel native to the platform.
Key questions here include: What are its energy levels? Is it a championing brand vs. a supportive brand? How does it respond to negative comments? Is it on a level with its audience or leading it?
Perhaps the ultimate example of this is Virgin which is imbued with Richard Branson’s plucky underdog approach to business, questioning the status quo to deliver customers and employees a better experience. A good example of this is Virgin Atlantic staff being able to wear whatever uniform they desired, irrespective of gender. In championing its staff it went against the industry grain, recognising that treating employees more inclusively would ultimately deliver a better customer experience.
3. What’s your naming strategy?
When it comes to naming, there are several approaches. Fashion brands are often eponymous, like Tom Ford or Victoria Beckham. The designer is integrally entwined with the brand look so it makes sense, it’s an immediate shortcut to what customers are buying into. Also, there’s a well-established tradition of succession which means the person doesn’t have to be at the helm for the look to continue.
Others detach from the founder; think tech start-ups or celebrity-founded brands like Goop. Then the brand can, after time, stand alone from the founder more easily. It also helps protect the brand from any founder faux pas. For example, when Gwyneth Paltrow suggested all she ate for lunch was bone broth, a fundamentally unhealthy approach to food, the backlash was largely focused on her rather than Goop.
4. What role should the person play in comms?
Most advertising works by taking a product or service and crafting a new idea, which should be a more compelling proposition than the naked product. There are exceptions – advertising films or TV programmes don’t need an extra layer since the content is the idea. Or, there are certain must-have products that almost sell themselves – it’s why Apple can largely rely on ads that are really just product demos, albeit beautifully crafted ones.
The same is often true for founder brands; it’s less about a new creative idea, and more about extracting the individuality of the founder. That’s why SKIMS' first TV ad features multiple glam Kim Kardashians and her distinctive shape, testing the product in an out-of-this-world SKIMS Lab. And why The Body Coach’s first TV ad put Joe Wicks front and centre explaining why his “by your side” empathy-led approach will make the difference.
With the rise of digital-first brands, founder brands are only set to increase. Being clear on what that brand is about, away from the person, gives clarity on when to best deploy them – throughout the gamut of branded interactions from the name to the advertising.
