"What's the beef?"

Corporate Identity: we’re in crisis too but we should be able to recover faster (Part 2)

Like clockwork, during times of financial difficulty, balance sheets are reviewed, snap-decisions made and marketing budgets frozen – the Corporate Branding and Identity profession has certainly felt the pinch. But as professionals, we have all preached, until we are blue in the face, about how cutting budgets, used to sustain brand positioning and market share, is but a knee-jerk reaction and, in the wider scheme of things, will provide nothing but a short-term solution – directly fuelling an even longer-term road to recovery. Predictably, our peers have also published commentary detailing how history has shown a recession to be a great time for maintaining and growing brands – providing many proven examples of some of the world’s most successful brand launches and marketing campaigns.

Since Q4 2008, a multitude of additional “thought-pieces” have since arrived in my inbox and written by recognised professionals, mentors and peers, each one intent on stating their case. However, I have found only a few to have been relevant and therefore, inspirational.

Recently, after having first commissioned research, Alan Siegel, founder of Siegel+Gale, wrote about the need for keeping things simple – subtly cross-referencing his own expertise on the matter, of course. In summary, Siegel blames much of our distrust in the brands we once endorsed to the use of unnecessarily complex language and vocabulary – jargon. His conclusion, for us all to unite, take-arms and ‘refuse to do business with any organisation that violates the need to know and understand’. Siegel demands clarity and transparency, forcing government, financial and commercial sectors to articulate and communicate better by using clear, concise and uncomplicated messaging – literally ‘cutting the fluff’ to restore trust.

Whether you agree with Siegel’s thoughts or not, for me, what made his piece all the more insightful, all the more compelling, was the use of appropriate and relevant research. Choosing to open dialogue with the client’s customer and to not simply rely on self-opinionated ego or, even worse, the dated and published insight of others.

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