We First Social Branding Blueprint

Management

MODULE 8 Questions:

I) Leadership:

“Marketing is a balanced combination of art and science.

A good approach blends human creativity and logical
thinking based on the data insights technology offers.”
Le Quang Thuc Quynh, Marketing Director, Saigon Co-op
Key thought:
The evolution “Sustainability will continue to rise higher up the agenda
of revolution is over the coming years, so it is key that brands work to
contribution. ensure they can respond to consumer demand. Being a
sustainable company is not about box ticking, it’s about
future-proofing your business and building trust and
brand loyalty that will last for years to come.”

Justin King, Chief Executive, J Sainsbury

1. Identify the current stage of your brand in terms of working towards becoming a brand nation.

Unsustainable corporate self-interest (pure self-interest, little engagement)

Self-directed engagement (using social media with self-serving focus)

C-suite reflection (commitment to definition and practice of purpose)

Consumer facing self-interest (purposeful but without full alignment)

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Self-directed reform (authentic company-wide commitment to purpose)

Brandhood (authenticity, transparency, accountability by brand)

Brand nation consciousness (seamless engagement and commitment to change)

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2. Identify 3 leadership strategies that enable your brand to build towards becoming a brand nation.

Make a clear leadership commitment to corporate social responsibility

Stop basing business strategy on the economy and focus on your brand vision

Embed purpose into your core business strategies

Refocus on a sustainable business rather than short-term profits

Earn profits but also build prosperity

Collaborate with competitors and employees for faster/smarter social solutions

Enlist your customers as partners and co-creators of change

Reward employees and customers with sharable social capital

Inspire customers to “elect” your brand over competitors every day

Celebrate your customers’ contributions and participation on your brand platform

3. Identify 3 management strategies that enable your brand to build towards becoming a brand nation.

Focus the Board on purpose, values and mission in strategy and planning decisions

Reorganize and retrain your employees to create a customer-centric culture

Weave social media into all departments including marketing, customer care, ecommerce,
search, HR, and internal operations

Create a communication culture where employees have permission to be human and fallible

Engage and inspire purposeful employee participation through leadership communication,

volunteer programs and social media training

From marketing to sales to customer service, create meaningful customer experiences

Architect exceptional shared experiences across all customer touchpoints

Co-create products/services/social change with customer community

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Inspire and maintain dynamic conversations and deep engagement using a constant and varied
content mix

Create an agile leadership and marketing team adaptive to new social technology

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4. List three immediate benefits of using these strategies to take an industry leadership position?

5. List three dangers to your brand if it does not assume a leadership position within the social
business marketplace?

6. Describe where you see your brand in five years as a result of this leadership role.
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II) Vision:

“We have to get scientific about the customer experience.”

Key thought:
The best hope for
business is the
business of hope.
Nick Barton, Vice President Sales & Marketing, Greater China,
InterContinental Hotel Group
“The old model of ever greater consumption, with growth
at any price, is broken. Companies that succeed in the
future will be those that reduce their environmental impact
whilst increasing their social and economic impacts.”

Amanda Sourry, Chairman, Unilever UK & Ireland

1. Describe your hope for the future of your brand and the positive social impact it can have as an
expression of its core values.

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2. Describe the benefits to your brand of embracing the following:

a. Brand/customer partnership

b. Contributory Consumption

c. Competitor Collaboration

3. Identify the 3 social business trends most critical to the future success of your brand.

Unified, seamless brand voice/experience across varied media, devices and content

Convergence of real world/social media customer experiences

Collaborative solutions to business/marketing/social issues

Innovation at the speed of technology

Social business as measurable/mainstream

Shift to localization of marketing

Real-time customer engagement/retention

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Personalization of news/content/marketing

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4. Identify the 3 social technology trends most critical to the future success of your brand.

Gamification of the mobile/social/retail experience

Social media shift from online to mobile

Big Data providing Business Intelligence

Micro-economy/financing platforms

Branded virtual goods/giving

Social Business Listening Centers

Social sharing of e-commerce

Cloud storage and mobility

Sophisticated social CRM platforms

Social TV

5. Describe what the fulfillment of your brand’s vision would mean to you personally (emotionally,
financially, professionally).

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6. Without censoring yourself, write the story of your brand that will inform your leadership,
employees, and marketing in the future.
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