Why I Love Brand Strategy
Or How Music Prepared Me For My Career
Before I start, apologies for the radio silence! Things got *really* busy on my end the past few months (in a good way!), but I’m back in action!
When I started college, I really had no idea what I wanted to do.
I had recently got off the road playing my band Day Two. I had quit due to major life changes and wanted to be “normal” for a bit. So I did what any 20-year-old kid would do. You go to college.
I registered at Weber State University as a Journalism major, mostly because I enjoyed writing stories for my high school newspaper. It was the only thing I could latch onto that gave me direction. Or at least until another music opportunity came calling.
Two years later, I was back in school, this time at the University of Utah, and I became an English major. I liked reading! I liked writing! I had no idea what this degree would help me do in my career!
Well, my career ended up being as a copywriter. Throughout my nine years of copywriting, I had moments where I would get some experience in brand and content strategy. It’s been five years since my brand/content strategy work with MegaFood, Wrangler, and Reynolds, but I still think it’s some of the best work I’ve ever done, and it’s not because of the writing. It’s because I feel like I was able to solve real problems with the content I developed. I was able to find the soul of these brands and portray them in ways to build trust with their audiences. But I still found myself being pigeonholed, at least not until this year.
This year, I’ve found myself still writing a lot and have been a “copywriter” in some of my projects, but what I’ve been doing is far more than just writing. I’ve been developing the brand strategy of the brands I’ve been working with, like Galvan, Triiio, Skale, and Paris Tech (the last three are coming to my portfolio site soon!)
I’ve helped these brands discover how they change the lives of the people who connect with them and discover how they’re their customers’ guides, and it’s been the most fulfilling work I’ve ever done. The brands are smaller than, say, a Wrangler, but what they lack in the “Does your grandma know them” department, they make up in the “Is this brand fun and fulfilling to work with” department.
There are a few reasons I feel like I’m resonating with this work, but I think it goes back to my love for music and identifying with bands.
It’s not much of a stretch to think about bands/artists as brands. Let’s take a look at a handful with some brand positioning statements I made up for them:
Smashing Pumpkins: To disaffected youths with massive chips on their shoulder, their product is big, alternative rock music that provides solace and empathy because the world is messed up.
Nirvana: To generations of misfits, their product is pop-laden grunge, providing a place to find solace and release frustration in a world of bullies.
My Chemical Romance: To goth, drama, and emo kids alike, their product is bombastic, punk-tinged arena rock where they can find community and stories they can live inside.
Green Day: To kids who feel society has nothing to offer them, their product is pop/punk with classic rock bombast where they can feel understood and rally behind their anger and/or apathy.
The Cure: To kids who feel *everything*, their product is goth/pop music that runs the gauntlet of strong emotions like depression, romance, and sometimes joy(?!), where they can find a place to have feelings without repercussion or consequence.
Take those statements along with a logo, songs, music videos, photography, and cover album art, and you have a brand on your hands.
When you break down how these bands work along with their great songs, it’s no wonder they’ve transcended generations of listeners.
And it’s the same way with brands. Swap out songs with products, and it’s practically the same thing.
Sometimes, I’ll be listening to music in my car. If it’s a band I know well, I’ll try to create their brand positioning statements or attribute different colors to their “vibe” (I’ll get into this later, I’m currently developing this!) Sometimes I’ll stop in a parking lot, look at some lyrics and try to figure out new bands’ positioning statements too. I know, it’s a sickness.
Ultimately, it’s developing how a brand helps other people that gets me excited about what I do, but connecting the dots about how I got here all started with music and how it connects with me.
If you have a brand, ask yourself: Am I a one-hit wonder? Or will I be cherished for generations? If it’s the former, why is that? What can I do to deepen my connection with my audience?
If you need help answering that question, contact me. I’m more than happy to help you get started.
Well, that’s all from me today!
If you need help with your brand’s strategy/messaging, website, or any other marketing endeavor, I can help you in a few ways:
Curious about what I could do for your brand? Hit me up for a FREE consultation.
Brand messaging coaching to build your brand message using time-tested storytelling frameworks starting at $2,000. Book here!
I can help you create your brand from the ground up with messaging/strategy, identity, content strategy, website, and more alongside the best creatives and devs in the biz using storytelling frameworks. Let’s chat so we can figure out what’s right for you.
Wanna ask me a question or give me good music recommendations? Please email me at chapterscrtv[at]gmail.com or contact me through my website.
See you next time!