Brand is Everything| Panelists Provide a Powerful 360 POV

Once again, Gennari-Aronson hosted a lively event in a new venue to explore the power of brand with some new twists.  Using their deep connections to the investment community, the panel included two marketing professionals (as would be expected) and two, very different, financial pros to give a new spin to the impact of branding – how it carries you into being funded.    The panel included     Tom Copeman,    Managing Director/Co-founder, Nomadic Capital Management; Julie Hall, Managing Partner, Communitas,  Anne-Marie Kline    CMO, Living Proof (Unilever),    Jeff Schiamberg,   Managing Director, Macquarie Capital.

Jeff kicked off with a strong POV on the direct connection between Branding and Capital in the world of mergers and acquisitions. Julie captured the essence of brand by making it the company’s “promise” to the consumer or user.  All agreed that in today’s world, even the best brands can be challenged by disrupters and that in the ever-accessible social media world, personal recommendations and endorsements are speaking more loudly than ever.  Clever brand stakeholders find ways to use their customers as a “channel” by identifying the ones with the most authentic voice who are willing to amplify their opinions. Share on X

Metrics naturally, have become more readily available and a big part of the equation.  Tracking key indicators by tracking subscriptions, memberships, NetPromoter, scores, story placement, and more.  The good news is that consumers today are more open to trying new products/brands, the bad news is that if they don’t like what they see, the company can usually tell much more quickly and should be prepared to pivot.  Financial types look for the Total Addressable Market – (TAM) in their valuations of new brands.   Growth is a key factor and weighs even more than revenues and bottom line.

Crisis management is a key success factor for brands in this ever-transparent marketing ecosystem.  An upfront apology and acknowledgement of serious issues was deemed the best way to start the healing of a misstep.   Julie introduced the idea of corporate conscious believing that staying true to the company’s “soul” was critical to gain back trust.