Welcome to “Brand Champions,” where we dive deep into the art and science of building unforgettable brands. Join us on Advertising Champions TV as branding gurus share their secrets to creating brand loyalty and driving impact. Discover the strategies behind iconic brand stories and learn how to stand out in a competitive marketplace. Today our hosts, Howard Walpoff and Janine Hogan spoke with Jim Nichols.
Jim Nichols
Chief Stratecutioner at Exclamation Marketing
Website Address: exclamationusa.com
Short company description:
Strategic “Forests” are Nothing Without Smart, Tactical “Trees”
High-growth brands need a clear message brought to life with growth programs to fill pipelines quickly. Exclamation Marketing is a marketing stratecution company that drives better results by delivering smart go-to-market messages and programs faster and better than your competition.
How do you help a brand maintain consistency across multiple channels and platforms?
I try to define brands in terms of experience rather than graphics or taglines. I like those, and use them, but for me, creating thematically tied experiences is the essence of a cohesive brand.
Can you share a rebranding project that taught you valuable lessons about brand identity?
As a marketer I rebranded a company now called Partnerize. We were a large player outside the US, but needed to up our awareness and differentiation in the US. Our ICP was marketers looking for new ways to connect with consumers. Our software product enabled anyone to form a performance partnership with anyone, but our old name did not communicate this telegraphically. We rebranded to Partnerize — the URL was available because its not actually an English word, but everyone knew immediately how to spell it. And we focused on partner-based marketing experiences to launch the brand. Delivering peanut butter and jelly — the world’s best partnership — to prospects. Sending a bottle of champagne and one glass to the prospect, and the other glass to their boss so they could work with us to partner for growth. We generated 54 clients in year one.
What strategies do you use to build and maintain brand loyalty in a competitive market?
I am a huge believer that brand experience is critical. I grew up in a marketing era where memorability was about repetition of a message. Please don’t squeeze the Charmin. You deserve a break today for McDonald’s. But I remember seeing the Pepsi Challenge events, and thinking, that direct experience has to be worth billions in TV ads.
What’s your approach to navigating a brand crisis and rebuilding trust with audiences?
Honesty and transparency. People don’t expect you to be perfect. They expect you to level with them.
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