4 ways your brand can smash it in 2020
Survival is for the fittest, and in 2020, brands that will prevail in this new era and beyond will need to be emotive, lean, agile, driven and relevant in order to stay ahead of the game. Here are four ways you can keep your head above water and pip everyone to the post in 2020:
1. Elimination
“Time to eliminate things that no longer evolve me.” - Erykah Badu
Cleaving is the art of naturally being split or sever from something.
Sometimes letting go of that which does not serve your brand, improve it or enhance it, is the best way forward for a brand in a new business year. Cleaning the slate is about evolving. It shows great insight and discernment when you can walk away from situations, offers, partners or even deals that are not in your brand’s favour.
An emotive brand is one that keenly discerns when time is up and is able to walk away from situations that do not help it grow. The same goes for brand leaders - in order for your brand to grow you too must be committed to pruning the things in your life that are not bearing fruit and not growing you mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.
No matter the kind of brand you espouse, change and cleaving is necessary for growth. It may mean walking away from people, situations, jobs and a purpose you held so dear but was not bearing any fruit. It’s painful to walk away. But it’s also necessary for us to evolve.
If you’ve made a mistake or misjudgement, don’t be hard on yourself. Mistakes help you grow. Learn from them and evolve, stepping you away from your comfort zone and into new purpose.
2. Diversification
Having a fantastic idea for a brand or enjoying the fruits of a successful brand is admirable. However, success will only be viable in the long term if you consider diversifying into various products and offering i.e. offering more ‘canvases’ for the your customers to access and relate to the brand.
Think of brands like Polo Ralph Lauren which offer more than just fashion and clothes; they have diversified to include lifestyle products, sporting goods, luxury watches, perfume, etc in their portfolio.
Finding ways to offer your brand in more ways than just one is key to brand survival in 2020 and beyond. That way your brand can be immortalised in many more ways than one - widening your offering and growing your sales.
3. Digitization
Digitization is the way forward. Online shopping is growing in leaps and bounds and if you don’t invest in the constant optimisation of your online offering, you will die a slow death as a brand. This means having a powerful website and content generator that serves your customers with relevant and concise information
It also means a well designed website, that loads quickly and has clear product organisation for a seamless shopping experience.
Product search needs to be included for buyers to easily find products. Also including helpful product suggestions is highly recommended to reflect your brand’s expertise and curated inventory.
Featuring reviews is also key to speeding along the decision-making process to purchase, as amongst all of the product choice, consumers like to compare and read peer trusted reviews.
This is especially true online, as consumers can’t interact with displays as they might in-store, and therefore know less about whether they’ll like the product on offer once it’s been purchased.
You will also need to establish a personalized omni-channel experience to meet your audience’s needs in every step of their buyer journey. This means offering the same high quality brand experience (imagery, look and feel, customer service, after care, etc) across all your platforms - from social media, to your website and instore.
In 2020, brands with a strong online offering are likely to come out on top, as price-based competition increases and squeezes companies out that aren't adapting or innovating.
4. Contextualisation
Understanding the contexts within which your brand will be most beneficial to your target audience, is central to being a successful brand in 2020 and beyond.
The fact is all messaging and content on your website and on social media should be judiciously curated to appeal to your ultimate consumer, someone who other shoppers not only relate to, but aspire to be. Importantly, this lifestyle content extends well beyond product tie-ins. Not every post from your brand should be out to sell you something.
Contextualisation involves identifying the occasions when people think of and buy your brand products. offering and services.
This is so you can match your videos, ads, messaging, website and campaign content to moments when people are most likely looking for what you have to offer.
Contextual content also acts as a reminder to consumers of the versatility of your brand, as limited toy buying occasions impede greater consumption by core buyers. By expanding your communications to include as many of your consumer led moments and occasions as possible, your brand could inspire consumers to increase consumption of the brand. Key contextual moments include:
Personal/Cultural Moments
Celebrations - Birthdays, parties, weddings, engagements, baptisms, etc
Gifting - corporate and personal
Annual cultural and national holidays
Special sales days like Black Friday,
Christmas, New Year, etc
Seasons
Spring and Summer, hot days
Autumn, Winter, cold days, rainy days
Humid, dry and/or wet
Product Content (matched to consumer search behavior)
When seeking features to consider, current trends, new toys varieties.
When seeking feature comparisons, price comparisons, ingredient comparisons, ratings, brand comparisons.
When seeking quality / interaction / service, detailed features, amazing images, how to videos, etc.
When seeking an upgrade or new stock
When seeking offers, promotions and deals.
When seeking answers to ‘how, what, where, when’
Seasonality (time of year) and occasions (audience moments where buying your product or offering is top of mind) will be very powerful in layering your messages, offers and advertising and differentiating you from the chaff in 2020.
These 4 factors are interwoven with each other and should be deeply considered as you plan the success of your brand in a new era.
Times they are a’changing and you should never be caught out, unprepared for what 2020 has to offer.
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