Recap
First-time sponsor Prophet hosted the FCS for a “Cocktails with Content” event at its NYC headquarters on Tuesday, September 17. The topic for a very insightful panel discussion was “Building A Brand At Scale.”
Then panelists included:
- Kaydee Marcinek, Chief Marketing Officer at FM
- Zara Mirza, Chief Brand Officer at TIAA
- Davis Ward, Chief Marketing Officer at Zinnia
- Kerrie Cohen, Global Head of Communications and Marketing at Warburg Pincus
Moderating the panel was Marisa Mulvihill, Partner and Global Head of Brand Building practice at Prophet.
If you missed this event, you missed out on a great conversation. Here are some key takeaways, as reported by the team at Prophet:
Communicating and Measuring Your Brand’s Role in Growth
Tailor conversations to your audience and highlight brand’s role in driving business growth, securing price premiums, and supporting new market extensions.
- “Brand equity isn’t something you will find on a balance sheet but there is value to it. What is the opportunity cost to not doing it? If we don’t invest in brand equity, you have to be okay with saying you are a commodity.” – Kaydee
- “Brand may not close the deal, but it will open the door.” – Zara
- “You must market what you are doing before they come to you.” – Kerrie
Buy-In as a Critical Capability for Building Brand
Find internal champions who will support and advocate for the brand within the organization, and translate the brand into measurable impacts, relying on both formal (i.e., NPS, QBR) and informal metrics (i.e., employee, customer or partner feedback). Ensure employees embody and operate in ways that authentically underscore the brand.
- “You can say this is my brand, our tagline, this ad, but if your employees aren’t operating in a way that underscores the brand, it isn’t going to work. Having that authenticity is incredibly important. Do your clients see what you are selling?” – Kerrie
- “This is about building trust, which you do over time by being consistent in your brand expression and your values, not just in times of crisis.” – Zara
Scaling Brand Expansion Across Categories and Markets
Identify and maintain brand fundamentals while addressing local nuances. Leverage product or market adjacencies as an initial expansion strategy.
- “What is the luggage to take forward (to new markets) and the baggage you may want to drop as you expand and reinvigorate the brand?” – Zara
- “You must have the foundational description of what your brand is about but depending on the market you’ll dial something up and down.” – Kaydee
- “That’s also where transcreation comes in, right? So we’re not just translating something in terms of language, but we’re thinking about the different features that are going to resonate in different countries.” – Kaydee
Managing Brand Strategy and Architecture During M&A
Balance acquired brand elements with broader ambitions of acquiring an entity to maximize asset value and respect brand heritage while ensuring broader impact. Establish brand governance and clear processes post-M&A to ensure upfront alignment and ease of integration.
- “Ultimately, we’re trying to balance the past and the future. These brands are assets, and you are trying to ensure you do right by them and maximize the value of the asset.” – Davis
Prioritizing Brand Building in Budget-Constrained Environments
Emphasize brand’s role in weathering negative periods. Focus on core product and customer experience and use test and learn for incremental improvements.
- “When there is a negative impact on your company, but you have a strong brand, you can weather it a heck of a lot better.” – Kerrie
- “It doesn’t have to be expensive. It is about having clear destination with people who are motivated to march there.” – Davis
Triggers, Timing, and Process for Brand Refresh
There is no single indicator for when a rebranding is required. Consider how your expression aligns with your behaviors in-market, and whether this is the reputation you want. As your business expands or evolves, likely so must your brand.
- “The brand should be the best execution of your business strategy.” – Zara
Navigating Branding in the Wake of AI
Be clear about the core fundamentals and bring creativity to differentiate. With AI, it is much easier to get up to parity on brand look and feel –differentiating with purpose and broader experience are critical.
- “With AI, everyone will get up to parity in terms of brand look and feel pretty quickly and effectively. How do you use brand to differentiate in the market to your advantage?” – Zara
- “There is so much being generated by AI… it puts more emphasis on the core fundamentals that we all start with, the core blocking and tackling and creativity.” – Davis
FCS New York thanks Prophet CMO Mat Zucker and his team for their partnership in creating this program.
FCS New York is excited to partner with first-time sponsor Prophet in presenting a Cocktails with Content event on “Building a Brand at Scale.” Join us on Tuesday, September 17 (4:30pm-6:30pm) at Prophet New York where a panel of leading marketers will explore the critical aspects of building and maintaining a strong brand in today’s competitive landscape.
Our panelists include:
- Kaydee Marcinek, Chief Marketing Officer at FM
- Zara Mirza, Chief Brand Officer at TIAA
- Davis Ward, Chief Marketing Officer at Zinnia
- Kerrie Cohen, Global Head of Communications and Marketing at Warburg Pincus
The panel will be moderated by Marisa Mulvihill, Partner and Global Head of the Brand Building practice at Prophet.
The panel discussion will address key questions such as:
- How do you shape your organization’s view of the role of brand in driving growth?
- What are the essential factors required to ensure a successful refresh of your brand?
- How do you measure the success of a brand refresh?
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, connect, and share your experiences with peers who are also navigating the complexities of brand building at scale.
Refreshments, plus beer/wine, will be served. Seating is limited. This event will sell out, so reserve your ticket today.
Our thanks to Prophet CMO Mat Zucker for his partnership in staging this event.
