4 Ways to Push Your Boundaries While Staying on Brand
It can be easy to stick with the familiar. You’ve found what works for your brand, so why deviate?
The truth is that a good shake-up can be transformative for your brand, leading to more opportunities, new partnerships, and more engaged audiences.
Learning how to push your boundaries while still staying true to your brand can seem daunting, but putting in the effort to get out of your comfort zone can yield remarkable results. Here are a few ways you can push boundaries while still staying authentic to what you’ve already built:
Figure out what your brand stands for
You’ll have no idea what your brand’s boundaries are if you don’t already know what your brand stands for. This goes beyond just mission, vision, and values – what is of importance to you and your audience? What ideas or topics are you willing to go to bat for? What perspective does your brand have that makes it unique or interesting? Find your brand’s edge; define what would be “too far” and what would be “not far enough.”
Once you understand your brand’s edge and the aspects of it that can be leveraged for new experiences, you can move on to…
2. Venture from your comfort zone
“This is the way it’s always been done…” is not a good reason to resist change. But we know it can be scary to go too hard too fast; instead, try to identify areas where you can try new things, no matter how small. Find an unexpected partner to work with, utilize creative marketing strategies, and add moments of delight or whimsy to your campaigns, events, online communities, or project materials.
If your brand has never done anything like this before, taking baby steps can be helpful in preparing you for the main event…
3. Create a spectacle
Spectacle campaigns are the ones people remember. Spectacle campaigns can be any kind of brand activation that leave a lasting impression, such as splashy online launches, physical installations, or innovation conferences. Use creative elements in your design, aim for a “wow” moment, and work to create unexpected additions that audience members can use as a talking point. In this way, your campaign will live on long after the activation ends.
Ensure that every aspect of your spectacle reinforces your brand’s messaging without going past that edge you defined earlier. Afterward, you’ll be able to …
4. Use data to identify where to go next
The point of pushing boundaries isn’t to just do it once. There will be pain points and areas that need improvement. Gather data and feedback and work to implement that into future plans. Telling the story of your work here requires effective measurements, so make sure you’re keeping track of those in a way that makes sense for your brand. Being able to show proof to others within your organization that pushing boundaries can provide actual ROI is critical to moving forward.
Take what you’ve learned so far and decide where to go next. Perhaps you want to push the boundaries even further. Maybe you need to pull it back. Whatever data you collect can inform your next moves.
Learning to push your boundaries and stretch your brand can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to happen overnight. You don’t have to make every event a wild extravaganza, but adding marketing or production strategies that are outside your brand’s usual comfort zones to your day-to-day work can create lasting success.
Try new things, find your brand’s edge, and watch as transformation happens.
Want to learn more about creating spectacle? Watch our webinar on how to push your brand away from wallflower marketing HERE.
Need even more assistance? NEWaukee can help you with outside-the-box brand thinking, outstanding marketing, and exciting community engagements. Contact us here.