The document provides an introduction from CJ Powell, a public relations adviser. It discusses Powell's background and experience in developing communications strategies and using PR to support brand strategies. Powell explains they are presenting to discuss the importance of brand development for businesses. The presentation will cover what a brand is, why brands should be important to companies, examples of strong and weak brands, and how to develop a brand to win new business.

1. BRAND
DEVELOPMENT
YOU’RE MORE
THAN JUST AN AUCTIONEER
January 6, 2012
CJ Powell / Public Relations Adviser

2. INTRODUCTION
GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER

3. INTRODUCTION
GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER
Who I am:
• CJ Powell
• Public Relations Adviser for Cohn Marketing (Denver-based).
Professionally, I:
• Develop communications strategies for companies in a variety of industries.
• Use public relations to support and improve overall brand strategies.
• Outwork the person sitting next to me. (I succeed because I feel I must.)
• Strongly value honesty and integrity in the workplace.
Personally, I:
• Was born in Colorado, went to school in Colorado, will likely die in Colorado. I love Colorado.
• Am an avid sports fan (Go Broncos) turned sports writer turned PR junkie.
• Love to travel to fun places but hate airports.
• Strongly value honesty and integrity in my personal life.

4. INTRODUCTION
GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER
Why Iʼm here:
• Because brand development is important for all businesses, including yours, whether
you believe me or not.
• Because I would like to actually help you win new business.
• Because I like to challenge myself, and I was promised a free dinner.
What Iʼll be discussing:
• What a brand is.
• Why your brand should be more important to you.
• Examples of brands that resonate and brands that fall flat.
• How you can develop your brand to win new business.

5. BRAND
DEVELOPMENT

6. BRAND DEVELOPMENT
What is a brand?
Yes, itʼs a name, logo and slogan, but itʼs so much more.
Consider Coca Cola vs. Sprite. What are the differences between the two products?
• Taste profile • One has caffeine
• Color profile • Nutritional information
• Ingredients • Target audience, arguably
What else makes Coca Cola and Sprite so dramatically different?

7. BRAND DEVELOPMENT
Always Coca Cola...

8. BRAND DEVELOPMENT
Obey your thirst...

9. BRAND DEVELOPMENT
Coca Cola and Sprite have dramatically different brands:
Coca Cola
• Classic
• Timeless
• Evokes nostalgia
• Makes you feel warm inside
Sprite
• New and fresh
• Urban
• Symbol of refreshment
• Makes you feel cool inside

10. BRAND DEVELOPMENT
What is a brand?
• It’s everything and anything about your company: your products, services, reputation,
values, customers, vendors, personality, history, unique selling propositions, relationships,
staff (and board of directors), company building, speaking voice, customer service,
philanthropy efforts, manners, community involvement, physical appearance, business
partners, logo, slogan, email signature, voicemail message, business card, awards and
achievements, what your parking lot looks like, your telephone hold music, the envelopes
you use, your website address, the airline you prefer to fly, the shoes you wear, the
restaurant or coffee shop where you meet new clients, the cologne or perfume you wear...
and even the toilet paper in your office bathroom is part of your brand.
How could the toilet paper in my office bathroom affect my brand?
• Simply put, because it can affect human perception.

11. BRAND DEVELOPMENT
Why is brand development important?
Cerebral answer: Because brand is everything.
Tactical answer: Because brand affects sales.
Consider the factors that influence a purchasing decision:
• Cost - especially nowadays with smaller budgets
• Quality - if you are going to spend extra, it better be high quality
• Existing relationships - “I know a guy...”
• Reputation in the industry - proven and trustworthy is a safe bet
• Value - will not find a deal like this anywhere else
• Location - convenience can be important
• Anything else?
Notice that most (certainly not all) purchasing factors are based on perception.

12. GOOD BRANDS...
... BAD BRANDS

13. WHAT MAKES A “GOOD BRAND?”
Easy to communicate and understand on the surface
• Think “Elevator Pitch” - a brand must be easy to communicate.
But also rich and complex
• If we just wanted coffee, we would make it at home. Starbucks gives us more than just
coffee with our coffee.
Relies on a mark of distinction
• Be different - in a good way.
Incorporates core values (bonus points for evoking emotion)
• Values give the brand depth, character, personality.
Stays true to itself
• Be consistent, and don’t try to be everything to everyone.

14. CASE STUDY
CHIPOTLE
Why is Chipotle a good brand?
Easy to communicate and understand:
• Chipotle makes burritos, tacos and salads
Rich and complex
• Very best ingredients, great nutrition, fresh, hormone-free meat,
organic and locally sourced produce
Marks of distinction
• First in this space
• First to mass market hormone-free meat at fast-casual level
Core values
• “Food with Integrity,” Healthy, Sustainable, High quality, Beauty in simplicity,
“Cultivate a Better World”
Stays true to itself
• When was the last time Chipotle introduced a new product?

15. CASE STUDY
CHIPOTLE

16. AMERICAN FURNITURE WAREHOUSE
v. IKEA
GREAT - BUT DIFFERENT - BRANDS
How can furniture companies that sell the same thing feel so different?
• The only similarity is in the product type: affordably priced furniture.
• In the market for inexpensive furniture? Each company’s brand will help you make your decision.
What defines each brand:
AFW
• Colorado small business owned and operated by local entrepreneur.
• AFW helps you furnish your home at an affordable, fair price.
• A purchase at AFW supports Colorado.
IKEA
• Swedish giant known for affordable, modern furniture.
• Efficient yet beautiful. Form meets function.
• Experiential floor plan with signature cafeteria.

17. WHEN GOOD BRANDS GO BAD
NETFLIX
Before this year, Netflix was:
• A strong, iconic brand.
• A smart concept that made us rethink movie rentals.
• Cutting edge in streaming video - poised to lead this industry effort.
• Unbelievably affordable, especially compared to cable.
What changed:
• Major price increase dramatically challenged brand identity of “affordable” entertainment option.
• Netflix openly cut its brand in half - creating a dual offering called Qwikster.
–This also made consumers question how “smart” Netflix really was, another brand tenant.
• Consumers didn’t recognize or trust the Netflix brand anymore.
• Millions migrated to other streaming or video rental services.
• Stock price drops from 293.73 on July 13, 2011 to 80.45 on January 4, 2012.

18. WHAT IS YOUR
BRAND?

19. WHAT IS YOUR BRAND?
Before we begin this exercise
• Brand development is rooted in key ideas, statements and concepts - but it also is
about the creative expression.
• I’ll walk you through the discovery process, but I can’t help you build a logo.
Finding your brand is easier than it sounds
Look within first:
• Easiest place to begin is in existing internal materials.
• Look for keywords, concepts, values that stand out.
• Where do you shine?
Now look around:
• What is your reputation in the market? Does it align with who you think you are? Or is
there a disconnect?
• What are others doing that you aren’t? What are you doing that others aren’t?
• Where do others fall short?
Most importantly: What makes you stand out?

20. WHAT IS YOUR BRAND?
The process, simplified:
• After taking the time to conduct an internal and external brand audit, you should be
able to create 3-5 Unique Selling Propositions (USPs). These are statements of
distinction that make you stand out in a crowd.
• Within these USPs will be a handful of reoccurring themes and keywords. These
keywords will be the foundation of your brand.
• Relying on your USPs and keywords, you can begin to frame your brand story. The
brand story is a one or two paragraph summary of your brand. It explains who you are
and what you do.
• Finally, the brand promise is born. This is your promise to your target audience. It’s
often an “only” statement that only this brand can say.
This process takes time and requires thought
• But once you have these tools clearly defined, your brand can begin to take shape.

21. WHAT IS YOUR BRAND?
CJ, Inc. — a Denver-based public relations company
Pretend that I am a company - using provided information from before.
What we know based on my introduction:
• Develop communications strategies for companies in a variety of industries.
• Use public relations to support and improve overall brand strategies.
• Outwork the person sitting next to me. (I succeed because I feel I must.)
• Strongly value honesty and integrity in the workplace.
• Was born in Colorado, went to school in Colorado, will likely die in Colorado. I love Colorado.
• Am an avid sports fan (Go Broncos) turned sports writer turned PR junkie.
• Love to travel to fun places but hate airports.
• Strongly value honesty and integrity in my personal life.

22. WHAT IS YOUR BRAND?
Our USPs
#1: Honesty and Integrity
• Honesty and professional integrity are an essential part of who we are at CJ, Inc. We
will never take short cuts at your expense because we believe that producing the
best product starts with being the best partner for you.
#2: Dedication
• Nobody works harder than the employees of CJ, Inc., and that’s been the case since
our inception in 1986.
#3: Strategic approach to public relations
• Leveraging our expertise and experience in brand development, we look at public
relations through a larger perspective than the average PR shop. We keep your big
picture and bottom line at the forefront of every conversation.
#4: Deep roots in Colorado
• We are committed to Colorado because this is our home. We only hire locally and
work with local vendors. Our employees even volunteer at local non-profit
organizations regularly because we care about making Colorado a better place to live.

23. WHAT IS YOUR BRAND?
Keywords
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Dedication
• Strategic
• Committed
Brand Story
With more than 25 years of dedicated experience in Colorado, CJ, Inc. is a public
relations partner you can trust and rely on to achieve your goals. Bringing a strategic
approach to public relations—one that works to influence and improve your overall brand
strategy—CJ, Inc. is committed to your company’s success and will prove it to you
through results.
Brand Promise
Only CJ, Inc. can provide the public relations expertise and dedication to achieve
success for your overall brand strategy.

24. WHAT IS YOUR BRAND?
This is the foundation for your brand
• Keep these tools at the forefront of every company decision you make.
• Ask yourself, “Does this decision support my brand?”
– (“Does this toilet paper support my brand?)
• Find opportunities to strengthen brand with new programs and initiatives. (More proof!)
• Go through brand exercise every few years to make sure you haven’t lost track of brand.
Final note: Leave the creative expression to a professional
• When creating a logo, business cards, a website, etc., it’s worth enlisting help from a
creative professional.
• Even if your brand is well thought out and executed, the design components can
sometimes make or break your brand.
• Once developed, stay consistent!

25. QUESTIONS?

26. Cohn
2881 N Speer Blvd / Denver, CO 80211
Contact
CJ Powell
THANK YOU!
303 839 1415 x41
cj@cohnmarketing.com
cohnmarketing.com