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It did, however, bring the certainty that companies will not have an easy year ahead. The first half of January has confirmed this. The forecast is for a still negative GDP, rising inflation, an unfavorable exchange rate and increasingly restricted access to credit. The direct consequence is insecurity in making new investments, a reduction in purchasing power and also in the population's consumption.
Moments like this give us the necessary opportunity to reflect on the direction of our business and the strategies we adopted in the past, which in the current scenario are no longer generating as many results. And that's scary! If you think about it, your business has probably evolved and is very different from 10 years ago. But what about your brand? Has it evolved along with it?
In uncertain times, where the competition is fighting for ever lower prices and the quality of a product or service has become a commodity, having a clear brand positioning becomes fundamental for business prosperity and market differentiation. This also brings to light some questions that are simple to ask but complex to answer. After all, what is the challenge facing your business and how has your brand helped to achieve it? What is your purpose and what makes your brand unique? Who is your audience and why do they believe in you?
Knowing exactly who you are and how you express it enables your consumers to understand why your brand is truly relevant and why, among so many other options, it deserves to be chosen. This process of building value is known as branding and has been a bet by companies in various sectors to minimize the effects of the crisis and strengthen relationships with their publics.
It justifies, for example, why Apple broke world sales records with the iPhone 6S or why we prefer to buy Coca-Cola. It's the same case with Omo soap, which continues to make white whiter, and the more recent case of the Jeep Renegade, which leads its consumers to make history. The brand touches our emotions and enters our emotional memory.
We live in a context in which companies have a lot of exposure and, as a result, building brand value has become an ongoing challenge for everyone. This is why the topic has been widely discussed at all levels of corporate leadership around the world. Much more than just having an attractive logo or an emotive advertising campaign, branding is about being real, from practice to communication. And this turns out to be a powerful tool for minimizing the effects of the crisis or even taking advantage of it to grow.
If you've never reflected on the role of your brand in your business, today might be the best time to do so. In 2016, the game may be different.
Ciro Rocha, Enredo's Executive Director
*article originally published in The Newsroom
From ego to empathy
As a young designer you may have heard this phrase a lot. But what does it mean? As someone who is pretty empathetic and self-critical, I never felt like it applied to me. But in retrospect, I think that's because most people use "ego" to describe inflated self-importance, when it's really just a word that describes how we understand our personal identity.
The distinction is important because letting go of your ego can be a nuanced practice in empathy. It's not just advice for arrogant jerks, it's essential for anyone working professionally. As a designer, my thoughts, tastes and keystrokes obviously are part of the equation, but it took some time to figure out that I could not create work in a silo as a reflection of my "aesthetic."
To some of you this might sound like a bummer, but when you take on a client's challenges and their point of view, you will have to think differently. You will find new approaches and you will grow. But more on that later.
"As a young designer you may have heard this phrase a lot. But what does it mean? As someone who is pretty empathetic and self-critical, I never felt like it applied to me."
Ernst Neufert in "The art of architectural design".
OK, but what does this have to do with my brand?
As a young designer you may have heard this phrase a lot. But what does it mean? As someone who is pretty empathetic and self-critical, I never felt like it applied to me. But in retrospect, I think that's because most people use "ego" to describe inflated self-importance, when it's really just a word that describes how we understand our personal identity.
As a young designer you may have heard this phrase a lot. But what does it mean? As someone who is pretty empathetic and self-critical, I never felt like it applied to me. But in retrospect, I think that's because most people use "ego" to describe inflated self-importance, when it's really just a word that describes how we understand our personal identity.
From ego to empathy
As a young designer you may have heard this phrase a lot. But what does it mean? As someone who is pretty empathetic and self-critical, I never felt like it applied to me. But in retrospect, I think that's because most people use "ego" to describe inflated self-importance, when it's really just a word that describes how we understand our personal identity.
The distinction is important because letting go of your ego can be a nuanced practice in empathy. It's not just advice for arrogant jerks, it's essential for anyone working professionally. As a designer, my thoughts, tastes and keystrokes obviously are part of the equation, but it took some time to figure out that I could not create work in a silo as a reflection of my "aesthetic."
Famous last words
As a young designer you may have heard this phrase a lot. But what does it mean? As someone who is pretty empathetic and self-critical, I never felt like it applied to me. But in retrospect, I think that's because most people use "ego" to describe inflated self-importance, when it's really just a word that describes how we understand our personal identity.
Hope this answers some of your questions, Dmitro.
- Author's name