It’s all too common for businesses to get bogged down in the details of what they’re offering, who they’re targeting, and how they can dominate their market.
Our clients are clearly passionate about what they do. They live and breathe their business. They are excited to be out of bed and making calls!
Yet, they rarely show up with a clear understanding of the motivation behind running their business. They can say a lot about what they offer their market, but they usually have a much harder time giving an answer to “why?”.
This is because they are rarely asked that question. It often feels to be of secondary importance. After we eliminate “to make money,” we are often left sitting in silence.
It should be easier than that.
Simon Sinek, a leading business and culture analyst, summarizes: “People don’t buy what you do, people buy why you do it.”
Here’s a quick scenario:
Jim is an entrepreneur. He has built a small business from the ground up and it is succeeding. Jim is ready to start growing his business. Yay Jim! Jim realizes it might be time to start doing some marketing, and with his entrepreneurial spirit, Jim decides he will handle it himself (because that is what entrepreneurs do). He begins the process of cobbling together some sort of brand package.
He calls on his niece for a logo because she is artistic.
He gets some photos taken by a family friend.He hires a web builder to make him a site.
Unfortunately, throughout this process, Jim has given little thought to his own brand position and how design communicates very powerful things (both good and bad) to his market. Sad. In the end, Jim ends up with what we call a Frankenstein brand- a strip mall version of his marketing presence. It’s not a good look, Jim!
This story happens every day. We see it again and again, and we want to change that story for our partners. We feel inspired when we see clients firing on all cylinders.
We believe that companies that provide a quality good or service deserve a chance to be known, understood, and heard. We love helping brands send clear messages out into the marketplace, and that message is fueled by a clear understanding of WHY.
To solidify your drive, your juice, your motivation day-in and day-out, you have to dig deep and repeatedly ask:
– What is our reason for existence?
– What is the essential need in the market that we are fulfilling?
Or, if it’s easier to articulate, what is it that keeps you up at night in the best way? What gets your thoughts humming with excited energy?
We help our clients put that feeling into words. It’s why we are here.
Fidelis exists to help our clients through this process of defining and communicating so they can look right, sound great, and drive revenue.
Creative Pulse
What we’ve seen in the world
Pretty in Pink: For Barbie’s 65th anniversary, Mattel and Heinz UK collaborated to launch a pink “Barbiecue Sauce.” Initially available in the UK and Spain, the sauce is part of an innovative celebration marketing the iconic partnership, featuring a playful, Barbie-themed design.
Can AI Really Do It All: Josh Lieber’s LinkedIn post evaluates different attempts to create an engaging ad headline for Caitlin Clark, who recently broke a NCAA basketball scoring record, in a #WhoWroteItBetter challenge between a talented writer and ChatGPT. Lieber uses ChatGPT to try and mimic what the writer, who understands the Nike ethos, wrote for the ad. However, even with prompts and directions, ChatGPT falls short of the human connection of emotional writing.
The Father of Advertising: David Ogilvy, the “Father of Advertising,” transformed the industry with strategies that remain relevant in today’s digital world. His work, from iconic campaigns like the Rolls Royce ads to Dove’s “Real Beauty,” showcases timeless lessons in headline mastery, emotional resonance, and aspirational marketing. His principles of understanding consumer behavior and creating engaging content continue to influence modern digital marketing strategies.
Dredged Up
Inspirational muses for the right brain
CDK – Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye
License the Most Cinematic Footage from Around the Globe.
Pokémon Gogh: The Collaboration We’ve All Been Waiting For
Papyrus 2: Classic or Overkill
Cheers for making it this far. Our hope is that you’d make it outta here with something new- in your sights, in your thoughts, or maybe in your search history. It’s a big world out there.
If you figure this 5 minute scroll was worth your time, your friends might enjoy it too. Don’t be afraid to forward it to your uncle, your cubicle mate, or your future spouse. What’s the worst that could happen?
Thanks, and see you next month!
