Everything is Marketing

The sooner business owners understand that everything they do is marketing, the sooner they will see their brand on the road to success.

We have the opportunity of working with many successful entrepreneurs at Francomedia. The ones that seem to stand out and grow faster, gain the lion's share of their market more so than the others in their field are the ones that really understand how important marketing is and that marketing is much more than just the logo.

Marketing is everything, including the kitchen sink (figure 1.1)

When I get a request for everything - from logo to cheques and from vehicles to office walls, I smile a great big grin. Not just because it means a lot of work for my team, but because it means that we have a customer that is serious about their branding and that our efforts will not only be noticed and felt, but appreciated. This is where the Francomedia team shines.

What does it mean, 'Everything is Marketing' though?

A lot of people believe their logo, business cards and a magazine ad is marketing. It's only a small portion of marketing, you see - everything is marketing; from how your phone is answered to how clean your company fleet is to the mundane forms that your staff fill out each day. Everything you do embodies the spirit and essence of the brand - this influences how your staff feel about your brand and how they reinforce the brand motto in what they do. This is reflected in how they deal with the customer and your brand shows through.

The best example of this type of integrated branding is best found at retail - typically where you find the biggest blunders of this type of execution as well.

As a consumer, you are often times made aware of a retail store by their flyer or their advertising - their logo and the design of these materials should be congruent and appealing - leaving you with an impression of what they are about - when you arrive at their store, what they have promised in their advertising should be visible in signage, store decor and staff demeanor - their service and policy should also reflect their brand proposition - and everything from register tape, bags, carts, and exterior signage all have to be in complete brand synchronicity. You should leave the store feeling as though you got exactly what you came for... and more, if they did it right.

Retailers have lived and breathed this type of integrated brand marketing for decades - so how come it takes other businesses so long to figure this out? It's not rocket surgery.

Many service company's are beginning to adopt this approach, and some are becoming household names. While other company's are struggling trying to get their advertising down pat, I suggest you look at your marketing (your everything) - this is where you can make some inroads and take the rug from under your competitors. So, the question becomes, how do I do this?

One way is to approach your everyday decisions on behalf of the brand - be the brand. For instance, if the brand was going to order pens for the office, what pens would the brand buy? Never mind what the price is - what's right for the brand? If the brand was going to lease a fleet of vehicles, which ones would reflect the brands personality best? If the brand was ordering a new floor mat for the front door... If the brand was ordering business cards... If the brand was ordering envelopes... you see, if you look at things from the brands perspective, you will likely choose things that reflect the brand, not what suits your individual taste or appetite to spend the least.

Here's an example: Just this week I was following behind a truck that was clearly marked as the leader in high quality automotive parts - great branding, right? It was... probably for the first 5 years this vehicle was on the road. Now it's dirty, out of date and what's worse is that it had rust stains pouring down the back door, right over the words "quality auto parts" - not quite the impression they were going for with their brand, I'm sure. For little investment, this could be easily fixed or cleaned up and the brand would be reinforced positively. But, I'm certain that this particular business owner believes their work is done, because the name's on the truck - what more is needed? This attitude is common and why there is such huge opportunities for entrepreneurs that are serious about growing their business.

I'm not saying you need to spend a lot of money. Making all your decisions so that they accurately reflect your brand is what is important - because your brand is everything. If you're selling a luxury brand or anything of quality, you can't be shopping for supplies in the dollar store - cheap begets cheap. Because your brand essence is so much more than just your logo, you need to look at all the ways that your customer experiences your brand and make sure they are in sync with your brand motto.

Your brand has to walk the walk and talk the talk. To do this, you have to understand that everything you do is marketing because marketing is everything.