Brand and Marketing Best Practices Framework for Global Health Sector, Study notes of Marketing

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Brand and Marketing

Best Practices Framework

MANN GLOBAL HEALTH

Brand and Marketing Best Practices Framework

The “Brand and Marketing Best Practices Framework” defines five brand and marketing best practices, as depicted in the figure below. It was originally developed to give our project team a consistent approach to evaluate public and private sector brand and marketing programs and develop them as case studies. We believe these best practices can be useful for the global health and development sector in two ways:

• Common language and shared understanding of definitions and standards of excellence enables more productive dialogue – between donor and implementer, among implementing teams, and between implementers and creative agency partners.
• The best practices can be used by donors and implementers to guide program design and implementation, diagnose brand and marketing issues, and evaluate overall brand and marketing performance. We developed and refined the tool over the course of the BAM360 project and based it on several inputs, including: private sector marketing best practices, identified through practitioner interviews, the team’s professional experience, and marketing and business literature; social marketing resources; social and behavior change communication (SBCC) standards; and guidelines for assessing brand strength, such as the Interbrand brand valuation methodology^1. We also consulted the STAR Model, by Jay R. Galbraith^2 — a framework used to define and evaluate effective organizational structure – to shape our thinking on governance as a critical enabler of effective brand and marketing programs. We noted a high degree of overlap in the resources we consulted in the primary content areas (e.g., use of consumer research and insights, message design or communication strategy), but we also found differences in terminology, organizing structure, content, and degree of specificity. In developing this tool, we sought to create a simple organizing structure that reflects the strategic process of developing brand and marketing programs (start with the audience, etc.), making it easy to remember and apply to the development as well as the evaluation of brand and marketing initiatives. Audience Focus Brand Strategy Campaign Strategy Measurement Governance

Results

(^1) Rocha, Mike, Financial Applications for Brand Valuation, Interbrand, 2014 (^2) Galbraith, Jay, STAR Model

EXCELLENT

The implementing team is focused on deeply understanding the audience it serves. Their understanding of the audience goes beyond demographics to include not only attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs, but also the unspoken. The implementers notice things about the audience that the audience itself does not articulate or might not even be aware of.

GOOD

The implementers understand behaviors and attitudes of the audience and can distinguish the target audience from other potential groups. However, the audience understanding is not deep enough to include the unspoken as well as the spoken.

AVERAGE/POOR

Audience understanding is largely demographic with some high level, very general behavioral understanding. Audience Focus Brand Strategy Strategy Measurement Governance Describe the audience in terms of their behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs (in addition to demographics). Seek to understand things about the audience that they themselves might not be aware of.

2. Understand the Audience Audience Focus

EXCELLENT

The insight meets all four criteria for a strong insight:

1. It has tension.
2. It is true, but not obvious.
3. It strikes an emotional chord in the intended audience.
4. It inspires the audience to think or feel differently. Ideally, the insight relates to something that the organization or brand is uniquely positioned to deliver.

GOOD

The insight meets some of the criteria.

AVERAGE/POOR

The insight is a very general, a commonly understood attitude or behavior. Audience Focus Brand Strategy Strategy Measurement Governance Ground the brand and/or campaign in an insight that has tension, is true but not obvious, strikes an emotional chord, and inspires the audience to think or feel differently.

3. Articulate an Insight Audience Focus

EXCELLENT

An excellent Brand Identity meets all four of the following criteria:

1. It reflects the brand vision.
2. It is distinctive from similar brands or messages that compete for the audience’s attention.
3. It conveys a clear and specific brand personality.
4. It is executed consistently.

GOOD

A good identity meets at least two of the criteria.

AVERAGE/POOR

The brand is a logo. Audience Focus Brand Strategy Campaign Brand Strategy Strategy Measurement Governance Develop the overall brand identity (look and feel) such that it reflects the brand vision, is distinctive from other brands, and has a personality. Execute the brand identity consistently across all touch points.

5. Develop the Brand Identity

Audience Focus Brand Strategy Campaign Strategy^ Strategy Measurement Governance

EXCELLENT

There is a clear benefit. It is believable to the audience and resonates with the audience.

GOOD

You can think of ways that the benefit could be more clearly articulated, but overall it’s probably well understood and believable. It is relevant, but it lacks emotional resonance.

AVERAGE/POOR

There is not a clear benefit, or it may lack relevance or believability. Communicate a benefit that is clear, believable, and resonates with the audience.

6. Communicate a Benefit

EXCELLENT

The marketing vehicles are right for both the audience and the message. They present the message to the audience in a unique way that stands out. The visual cues and messages have been repeated over a long enough period of time that they are able to be remembered and are part of the culture – and ultimately influence behavior.

GOOD

The marketing vehicles are right for both the audience and the message, but they don’t bring the idea to life in a unique way. The visual cues and messages have been repeated, but the project is too new to determine if they have been able to be remembered or part of the culture. They may seem to be on track to do so.

AVERAGE/POOR

The marketing vehicles may not be right for the audience or the message. The campaign has not been supported long enough to have an impact, or the approach (visual cues and messages) has changed. Audience Focus Brand Strategy Campaign Strategy^ Strategy Measurement Governance Select marketing vehicles that are right for the audience and right for the message. Ensure the visual cues and messages are repeated over time, such that they reinforce memory structures and are likely to be remembered.

8. Select the Right Marketing Vehicles and Ensure Message Continuity

EXCELLENT

The implementer thinks about how it can delight the audience it serves. The implementer applies its audience understanding to go beyond its original offering, identifying and launching new features, programs, communications, etc., that delight the audience.

GOOD

The implementer meets the audience’s needs with its offerings – and this is arguably a delight; however, the implementer does not go beyond the program to think about how it can truly serve its audience, or how it can help bring joy to the audience.

AVERAGE/POOR

The implementer is pushing its message on the audience. There is no delight in the offering; it is not something that the audience necessarily wants, nor is it presented in a way that delights the audience. Audience Focus Brand Strategy Campaign Strategy^ Strategy Measurement Governance Find ways to delight the audience you serve.

9. Delight the Audience

Audience Focus Brand Strategy Measurement^ Strategy Measurement Governance

EXCELLENT

The message was tested for effectiveness prior to launching mass market communications; the team used the learning to improve the messaging.

GOOD

The message was developed and refined through audience research, but the final marketing communications (message, visuals, etc.) were not tested.

AVERAGE/POOR

The message was not tested for effectiveness prior to launching mass market communications or the message was tested but the learning was not used to improve the messaging. Test the message prior to launch to ensure the message is clear, believable, and resonates with the audience. Make adjustments, retest, etc.

11. Test Message Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

The intended results were achieved and demonstrated through a statistically validated evaluation.

GOOD

The intended results were achieved, and it is likely that the program delivered the results; however, due to program or evaluation design, it is not possible to definitely conclude that the program was responsible for delivering the results.

AVERAGE/POOR

Intended results were not delivered or the program was not evaluated, so it is not known if the results were delivered. Audience Focus Brand Strategy Measurement^ Strategy^ Measurement Governance Ensure the program delivered the intended results.

12. Evaluate Program Results

EXCELLENT

The implementer has a robust analysis enabling understanding of which vehicles were the most effective.

GOOD

There is qualitative or anecdotal evidence suggesting which vehicles were the most effective.

AVERAGE/POOR

There was no analysis of marketing vehicle effectiveness. Audience Focus Brand Strategy Measurement^ Strategy^ Measurement Governance Understand which vehicles were most effective.

14. Evaluate Marketing Vehicle Effectiveness

Audience Focus Brand Strategy Governance^ Strategy Measurement Governance

EXCELLENT

There are specialized, resourced and staffed teams with responsibility and accountability in place to design and deliver on brand strategy; there is internal alignment to the brand at the highest levels of the organization with both internal and external (donor, government) stakeholders.

GOOD

Structure supports teams and works but one or more elements may be impeding performance (e.g., unclear responsibility and/ or accountability, under- resourced teams in place, teams working on branding have multiple and sometimes competing priorities). External stakeholders may engage in ways that are not aligned to strategy or marketing discipline.

AVERAGE/POOR

Organizational structure not in place to support brand (may be outsourced by department that has other responsibilities). External stakeholders are not informed of brand strategy and intervene in inconsistent ways. Ensure the structure of the implementing organization(s) enables effective marketing and brand activities. Donors, stakeholders and influencers support the design and execution in line with the strategy.

15. Organizational Structure

EXCELLENT

The team responsible for brand and marketing (includes implementing organization and relevant partners, including agencies) has relevant experience. External stakeholders also bring capacity to participate in and oversee marketing activities. Employees are highly engaged and passionate about the brand vision.

GOOD

There is relevant experience within the implementing organization, as well as the ability to influence decision-making, but this is limited to the implementing organization or a small subset of individuals. Those who are responsible for brand and marketing decision-making or marketing execution (agency personnel) lack the required expertise. Engagement is limited to a subset of employees or team members.

AVERAGE/POOR

Neither the implementer nor the decision-maker have relevant brand and marketing experience. Employees do their job, but are not motivated/ passionate about the overall brand vision. Audience Focus Brand Strategy Governance^ Strategy Measurement^ Governance Ensure implementers and decision-makers have experience and skills required for brand and marketing best practices. Enroll all “employees” (everyone who represents the brand to the audience) to the brand vision; inspire them to go above and beyond to bring it to life.

17. People and Capacity

EXCELLENT

There are clear metrics linked to a theory of change (including linkages to behavior), and clear linkages between attainment of objectives and organization, department, and individual rewards (not necessarily monetary).

GOOD

Metrics may exist but may shift, are not well known, and not measured consistently.

AVERAGE/ POOR

Metrics not aligned to a log frame/theory of change, lack of alignment on whether/ how stakeholders are rewarded and incentivized. Audience Focus Brand Strategy Governance^ Strategy Measurement^ Governance Put incentives in place to reward outcomes aligned with project objectives. Ensure stakeholders share the same rewards and incentives.

18. Rewards and Incentives