Three reasons why branding or rebranding projects get killed:
1. They are expensive
2. They are often viewed as passion projects
3. The perceived value is fuzzy
Too many teams are not moving on a messaging engagement in Q1 because they do not recognize the difference between brand messaging and profitable messaging.
Is this just a matter of semantics?
My 15 years of experience working with leadership teams, marketing teams, and sales teams tells me no—brand messaging and profitable messaging are not the same at all.
Brand messaging is about defining voice, personas, personality, mission, vision, values, and the marketing copy that gets used across marketing channels.
Profitable messaging is about defining the narrative, the ICPs, the value propositions, the prevailing perspective, the positioning and GTM strategy, and the messaging that all teams across the organization should be using to influence and increase revenue.
Too many early-stage leadership teams mistakenly believe messaging is a cost center for the business.
This is especially true when leaders perceive messaging as an activity connected solely to brand development.
When messaging is connected to GTM strategy, product development, fundraising, and sales enablement, it clearly becomes a profit center for the business.