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Tel: +27 11 268 5211 / 21 880 1489 Fax: +27 11 268 5211E-mail: info@ywood.co.za
| PRINCIPLES FOR APPROPRIATE STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT
(Reflecting the proven experience of Yellowwood Brand Architects® since 1997) |
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COMMERCIAL RELEVANCE
We state that what we do is "make brands work for business". It is therefore immediately apparent that we place the discipline of branding firmly in the business arena. Brands are business tools, and accordingly must find their appropriate place in the planning hierarchy. If a direct and unbroken line of logic cannot be traced from the business plan through the marketing plan to the brand and communication plans, the brand is out of kilter with the overall vision, and the value of the existing brand strategy in supporting the company's commercial objectives should be questioned.
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BRANDING IS THE LAST THING WE DO
Brand positioning strategies cannot be developed without the marketing fundamentals being in place first. Market segmentation models must be in place to define the category landscape, and a portfolio strategy is essential to match each brand to potential sources of business. Only then can a specific brand positioning strategy be developed in order to realise that commercial potential.
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SIMPLICITY IS GOOD
Consultants have an unenviable (but usually deserved) reputation for complicating even the most straightforward of issues. Happily, we at Yellowwood are simple souls, and instinctively gravitate towards processes that elevate comprehension over complexity. So we put much of our effort into exploring three main areas: insights into consumer behaviour (what drives brand choice?), the perceived competitive high ground (from a consumer perspective), and - most importantly - the unvarnished truth of our own brand. In this way, we are able to answer the important but deceptively simple question - what is it that our market wants, which our competitors are not seen to deliver, and which we could?
That may sound like marketing 101 speak, but ask yourself in all honesty how easily you could answer that question on behalf of your own brands? If you can, we would argue that you're already well on your way to a robust and competitive brand positioning strategy.
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LOOK BOTH WAYS
We chose to call ourselves "brand architects" partly because we think and work in a similar manner to the architectural profession. True architects have to understand the rational and logical principles of construction, but the best architects also differentiate their work with appropriate creativity. They are literal and lateral thinkers. So it is with building brands. The ability to find, manipulate and interpret market data is an essential basis for any brand strategy, but real distinctiveness only comes when imagination is overlaid on this rational foundation. We are research literate creative strategists. We trade in unconventional wisdom®.
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THERE'S A PLACE FOR ACRONYMPHOMANIACS
Where would a consultancy be without an acronym or two? We are no exception, although our acronyms are primarily for internal use, to ensure that are strategies are as bullet-proof as possible before we table them for debate. A five point check list - RADAR - keeps us on track. Is our proposed strategy Relevant (addressing sustained consumer needs), Appropriate (leveraging our strengths and our competitors' weaknesses), Distinctive (no me-too brands allowed), Achievable (in line with our vision and ambition), and Realistic (resources, regrettably, are usually finite). Similarly, you'll hear the word "FAB" quite a lot at Yellowwood, used not for self-congratulation, but to remind us always to push the analysis from Features, through Attributes, to Benefits.
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IF YOU CAN'T MEASURE IT, DON'T DO IT
Accountability is important. Tracking studies and all such research that builds feedback loops into the planning process are heartily endorsed at Yellowwood. Strategies must be implementable (there's no point in being good just on paper) and measurable. And where it is feasible, we welcome this measurability being extended to our own remuneration structures.
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DON'T TALK TO ME, TALK TO MY CLIENTS
We prefer to be judged by what we do rather than what we say. So we would welcome being checked out with any of our clients. These include companies and organisations such as Cadbury, Coca-Cola, the dti, Distell, Discovery, SANBS, Engen, Sasol, Exclusive Books, Ernst & Young, HTH, Nedbank, Sanlam, SABC, Ster-Kinekor, and Wimpy, amongst many others.
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LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
That may be true for the property game, but counts for little in our profession. We are primarily Johannesburg-based, with a second office in Cape Town. However, we have worked successfully with clients in Durban and other parts of South Africa, not to mention projects that we have completed successfully throughout Africa, in the USA, Mauritius, and even in the Czech Republic.
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PUT SOME FACES TO THE NAMES
Competence is one thing. Chemistry is another. The best work comes only when you have both. So we'd like to meet you, present our credentials face to face, and perhaps kick start a little chemistry in the process. Suggest a couple of dates, and we'll be there. Send us a mail to info@ywood.co.za
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 | Services: | Marketing Strategy, Planning, Segmentation, Brand Services, Facilitation, Research, Design | | Clients: | Cadbury, Coca-Cola, Distell, Discovery, SANBS, Engen, Pep, Ackermans, Sasol, Exclusive Books, Ernst & Young, Nedbank, Sanlam, SABC, Ster-Kinekor, Wimpy etc. | | City: | Johannesburg | | Location: | Gauteng | | Employees: | 15 | | Contact: | Andy Rice or Kay Nash | | Telephone: | +27 11 268 5211 / 21 880 1489 | | Mobile: | +27 82 900 3214 / 082 550 7476 | | Fax: | +27 11 268 5211 | | Physical address: | Broll House, 27 Fricker Road, Illovo and Unit 10, Cottillion Place, Technopark, Stellenbosch | | Postal address: | P O Box 3234
Dainfern
2055 | | Web address: | www.ywood.co.za |
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