The three marketing rules - segment, segment, segment.

The core disciplines of strategic  marketing are the same whatever your product or industry or sector. However we recognise that there are important sectoral differences and our multidisciplinary approach and experienced teams know when and how to adapt to particular circumstances.

Our proven broad brush approach is three fold:

• to thoroughly understand our client's needs and expectations

• we then deploy our insightful teams to investigate and explore options wherever possible working with client stakeholders to ensure buy in

• we evaluate the options and then recommend the best fit and, if required, and drive through implementation

There are a multitude of processes that different people have developed and used, but after considerable experience we primarily use an outline developed by Professor Malcolm MacDonald as we find this is most readily understood by non-marketers as well as seasoned professionals.

This includes the following stages and where we take participants through the theory and practice of the strategic marketing planning process using other market as examples, but focusing heavily on the issues and objectives of the client organisation:

• Market orientation
• Competitive advantage
• Environment
• Competitors
• Market Segmentation
• Strengths & Weaknesses
• Product / Market Evolution
• Product / Market Portfolio
• Strategic Priorities
• Marketing professionalism

Before proceeding with this we introduce some considerations including:

• Strategic marketing is not an academic exercise - it requires common sense and experience can be helpful
• It should be a participative as everyone can contribute
• We provide practical tools for future use

• There is no one right way

• It requires a customer focus - looking in not out

• Research and data analysis are essential

• The 3 rules of marketing - Segment, segment then segment again

• The top down - bottom up approach to planning - identifying the strategic gap
• Identifying and evaluating key strategic options before developing strategies
• The tools of marketing and marketing communications

A Brand is more than a logo

And what about your Brand, its strength, its meaning.

To your customer, it is their perception that determines what your Brand is about. You can influence this with the messages you communicate and with your behaviour. So the need is to ensure everyone who helps deliver your Brand understands what it is all about.  Then it will be more likely to be delivered consistently - and your customers will see your brand the same way as you do.

With many years of working on famous brands, we can help you develop your Brand strategy, Brand message and Brand identity.  A Brand that:

• accurately reflects an image of the type of company you are
• stands for something and has its own proposition
• has an inherent promise of quality and reliability to customers
• projects your messages consistently and across all communication

We can help you research and determine what you want your Brand’s image, promise and message to be - to establish where you want your brand to be positioned in the marketplace and the expectations your customers should have for it.

And, we look at the implications if your Brand is to be international because logos and statements can mean very different things in different parts of the world.