ISI Tools

Brand Marketing Launch

There are seven critical phases to launching a brand successfully (whether it’s a product or service). Each of ISI’s phases are essential to ensuring your brand experience is received by the target audience with the maximum impact and establishes a lasting brand recognition for years to follow. Attaining measurable-results from your campaign with a maximum ROI – Return on Investment is paramount in today’s new economy.

Phase 1

Marketing Strategies

A Marketing Strategy combines Promotion, Placement (Distribution), Product, and Price to enhance and increase sales towards a selected target audience. It focuses on company goals and objectives to ensure proper positioning, marketing mix, and the allocation of resources when selecting a target market segment. The Marketing Strategy of ISI is presented as a critical component of the overall Marketing Plan. Product (offering) and Price (setting) factors are generally set by the marketing director of the client, subsequent to extensive research into competition, supply and demand, and financial managements.

Promotion

How a product or service is promoted.
Examples include: Advertising and Marketing (Traditional, Online, Guerrilla), Personal Selling, Brand Recognition, Sales Promotion, etc.

Place (Distribution Channel)

How a product or service reaches the target market using various distribution channels.
Examples include: Traditional, Online, Guerrilla, Retail, Personal Selling, etc.

Product

The physical product or services and how it meets client needs and wants.
Examples include: product warranty, appearance, packaging, service, etc.

Price

The process of how the cost of the product or service is to be determined.
Examples include: discounts and items exchanged for the product or service (i.e., Time).

Phase 2

Marketing Research

Marketing Research is a method of collecting and analyzing data about a particular target market, competition and/ or environment. Research incorporates either Secondary Research (i.e., Encyclopedias, Internet, Research Papers, etc.) or Primary Research (Surveys, Focus Groups, etc.). Marketing Research enables companies to develop a better understanding of their target market and to determine how a product or service can be improved to stay ahead of the competition. It also advises the company of the ideal time to launch, and whether there is a demand for the product or service.

Industry Experience
Target Market Segmentation
Strategic Business Units
Core Service Areas
Media Consumption

Phase 3

Brand Creation - The Experience

Branding is an exciting experience that influences some or all of the five senses that an individual, group, or organization shares with another individual, group or organization. The Brand Creation is more than just a name or a symbol; it is a step-by-step process that leads to the ultimate brand experience.

The following is a Five-Step Process involved with the creation of a brand experience

Brand Experience

Branding is an experience that a person, group or company feels towards another entity be it a person, a group or a company. The brand is an emotional experience expressed through some or all of our five senses: touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste. It is the singular most discriminating imprint your company makes with distinction, i.e., setting one business apart from all others.

Brand Roadmap

Core Values
Primary Brand Message
Secondary Brand Messages
Brand Personality
Sound Signature
Brand Icons

Brand Name

Company Name that integrates the Brand Roadmap

Brand Message

Creative Direction
5 Key Drivers / Pillars of Success
Mission + Vision Statements
Copywriting + Editing from Various Mediums
Target Market Segmentation (Clients, Employees, Stakeholders, etc.)

Brand Design

Art Direction
Design for New Media
Brand Design for Business-to-Business, Business-to-Employee, and Business-to-Consumer applications
Photography & Illustrations
Target Market Segmentation (Clients, Employees, Stakeholders, etc.)

Phase 4

Communications Strategies and Tactics

Communication Tactics refers to the communication channels deployed to indicate the manner in which the message is communicated to the target audience. Simply put, it is the transfer of information from one party to another. The channels of communication are constantly changing with Online Guerilla Marketing rising and Print Media declining. To become successful in the new economy, companies need to research their target audience thoroughly to determine their medium of choice.

Reach

The number of target audiences the medium will reach

Frequency

The number of times the target audiences will be exposed to the same ad within a specified time period

Gross Rating Points (GRP)

The Impact of the media plan

Cost

The estimated cost to reach each target market audience (segmentation)

Continuity

The schedule used for the ad campaign

Impressions

The number of exposures to each target audience

On-line

Website Branding

Phase 5

Brand Delivery and Communications Channels

The Brand Delivery is a process of steps starting with the Brand Creation. It is a means of delivering a consistent message to the target audience through multiple touch points. A successful Brand Delivery needs to communicate with the same message throughout all forms of interaction.

Public Relations
Advertising
Online
Sales Promotion
Direct Marketing

Phase 6

Media Selection

Once the communication tactics have been set, companies then need to consider which media will best suit the advertising campaign while still reaching the target audience. Media Selection can be variable depending on the advertising objectives of the companies.

Online

Website Branding
Podcasts and Blogs
Email Marketing
Social Networking
WebZines (White Papers)
Search Engine Strategies
Viral video, Web 2.0

Association Websites Sales Promotions

Business Development
Tradeshows
Value-Added / Free Offers, Bundles

Buzz / Guerilla Marketing / Events Advertising

Trade Publications
Media (Radio, TV, Internet)
Banner Ads

Business News Public Relations

Trade Publications / Business News
Press Releases, Seminars
Websites

Networking, Joint Ventures, Venture Capital Direct Marketing

Targeted mail-out
Telemarketing
Online - Demonstrations
Sample Product Give-aways

Phase 7

Evaluation

Even the most carefully developed Marketing Plan cannot be guaranteed to achieve the maximum ROI for a company. Markets are constantly changing; therefore, it is important to evaluate the marketing plan to ensure it is achieving its overall objectives. An effective marketing plan will state measurable results for a specified period of time and will be evaluated regularly to stay current with the changing markets.

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