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3 Proven Brand Strategies that Global Brands Employ How to Stay in the Game “Leads are seeds not harvest; cultivate them gradually” – Bernard Kelvin Clive In the new age of marketing, advertising, branding, and sales promotion, the ancient landmarks of success cannot be overridden with fanciful marketing schemes and sleazy sales tactics. Although these strategies can help up to some degree, overly using advertising to grow a brand won’t cut it, you will need a more robust approach, proven and tested. While certain brands may thrive for a season, others transcend generations. The difference between these two parties most often is not that much. Research and study of brands over the years have revealed some truth about successful and unsuccessful brands. Here are three pivotal differentiators that serve as the pillars of successful branding strategies of great brands. 1. Growth Strategies “Companies that invest more in digital transformation actually outperform their peers over time. These companies are more prepared for disruption, better able to monetize new digital channels, and better able to build a bigger user base. What’s more, this phenomenon exists regardless of industry.” — Geoff Cubitt, CEO, Isobar US Brands that succeed over a long time are deliberate about their growth and development. Their success never happens by chance but by choice. They are determined to grow and expand into new products, services, and markets. They believe that any brand that does not grow dies. Seams and times do change, and that which worked yesterday may not work today. So brands must consistently learn new ways of operating to keep the wheels of fortune turning in their favor. They become intentional about employing the use of technology to their advantage; by focusing on the tools that will help them deliver better and quality results. Every growing brand rides on the winds of technology and innovation, from Brands such as Apple to Tesla and the basic WhatsApp messenger on your phone. These successful brands employ innovative measures to ensure that their products and services meet the ever-changing needs of the market. In moving forward, key areas brands must put more into for research and development to grow are data science and artificial intelligence. As rightly put by Vitaly Gordon, Vice President, Data Science and Engineering, Einstein, Salesforce  “You don’t need to know how the technology of a microwave works to use it — it is simply a tool. We’re now entering the same phase with AI, thanks to the huge influx of no-code, point‑and-click tools. AI will become a widely used utility by everyone, regardless of technical background. As a result, most of the AI applications in the coming years will be built by people with little or no AI training.” 2. Customer Care – People centered “We’ve been talking about the importance of ‘customer-centricity’ for some time. But until now retailers have lacked both the technology and the mandate to connect marketing, sales, service, and commerce systems to enable a 360-degree view of the customer. Now that relevant and personalised engagement has emerged as a key differentiator, retailers will finally make the investments to deliver on the promise of putting the customer at the center of everything they do.” — Rob Garf, Vice President, Industry Strategy a Insights, Salesforce In competitive marketplace brands that genuinely care about their clients will outlive and outsell their competitions. Brands that succeed purposefully care about their customers. They are not in business just to make money, they are driven by the needs and wants of their market. Consistently feeding the market. Great brands understand that their competitors are just a click away and that loyalty only exists to the point that the satisfaction of the customer is met. If the need of a customer is consistently and deliberately overlooked brands fall is imminent. 3. Value-Driven “Money is one of the rewards you get for adding value to the lives of others.” — Paul McKenna Brands that have stood the test of time and still stay top of mind deliberately work on the value of products and services they offer. In doing business today, most especially in the digital landscape the two most important success factors have been the ability to drive traffic and secondly the ability to determine the right audience for your brand. Although one may employ many triggers just to get the needed traffic and attention of the market, a brand will fail if it leaves the most important thing – that is Value. If you get the attention you seek and you are not able to deliver the quality desired, you destroy your brand. In conclusion, remain creative, be consistent and deliver on your brand’s promise. Recommended books: CEO Branding Simple Branding Guide for Small Business Owners