CSAE

Positioning

What is the singular positioning statement that describes what you want your organization to be?

• This should be aspirational but still achievable
• It should be true and believable
• It’s your north star … your guiding principle
• It’s relatable, recognizable and simple
• It’s not a slogan yet, it’s a driving positioning statement
• All of your future activities should align with this, so consider it carefully

Pillars

Unpack the singular position into nuanced supporting themes. You have more than one thing to say and different themes will resonate with different stakeholders.

• Ensure the themes support the overarching position, if they don’t – don’t do it
• Think of it as different versions of the same story
• Who do you need to persuade?
• Why do you need to persuade them?
• What do they care about?
  • Emotional / aspirational
  • Tangible / practical

Purpose

What are the joyful / surprising / interesting / human characteristics of the story?

• Another word for ‘Passion’ could be ‘Purpose’
• Find the human stories
• Your brand should look, sound, feel like a person
• Your brand is a driver of human connections and behaviour change – so it should be human
• Looks at the emotional drivers for your key stakeholders, then find the stories that inspire them
• Think about your personas or who you need to persuade, and align the stories to them

Proof

The pragmatic, logical value propositions that you can point to that will allow people to rationalize their decisions e.g. Price, proximity, access to tools and resources etc.

How do you prove the claims you have made through your actions?

• Think about how you prove the claim BEFORE you make it
  • As much as decisions are mostly emotionally driven… people still fact check and want proof
  • This is usually a post-rationalization, but like everything… IT DEPENDS
  • NB – there are different archetypes, and some people want all the facts and proof…
• Think of the synergy between what your brand is SAYING (marcomm) and what it is DOING (client experience, staff experience)
  • This is the Brand Resonance Gap – you need to close it
• Are you currently doing things that conflict with the statements you’ve made above?
  • Name it and tame it. It’s okay to stop doing activities that are counter to your brand DNA. Sometimes complacency or inertia can be overcome by simply stopping doing something.

Promotion

Now that you have fully articulated the story, how will you promote it? e.g. Content marketing, social media marketing, email, speaking events, public advocacy, integration with GR programs.