How to Get Back to the Strong Brand You Had in the Early Days

(First Wednesday morning 1:1 btw the new CMO and founder CEO)

*we join as they discuss the CMO's first week, and the topic of a weakening brand identity becomes the focus*

CEO: So how has your first week been?

CMO: Great. I've spent a bunch of it reviewing the outputs from the brand identity and brand strategy work you had that agency do

CEO: What'd you think?

CMO: Before that, tell me why you engaged an agency to do this brand strategy work in the first place

CEO: Sure. We've been a solid business. Our revenue last year was...

CMO: interrupts I thought you told the team we wouldn't talk in terms of revenue anymore?

CEO: Ah yes, old habits die hard...We generated $50M contribution dollars last year, up 15% over the prior year, down from 25% growth the year before

CMO: Great

CEO: Lately, I've been feeling two things. First, as I'm trying to accelerate growth, I've been thinking we might need updated branding, positioning and identity as we 'grow up', so I engaged the agency

CMO: Gotcha

CEO: And second, more recently, I've been feeling like we've lost touch with that initial spark, that special vibe and clarity of identity we had in the early days.

CMO: And did you tell that to the agency?

CEO: Yes, in our initial phone call, but then I got busy and skipped the follow up mtgs.

CMO: Not surprised you're not pumped on the results

CEO: Yea, that's on me. The output just felt so soulless. What do we do now?

CMO: Exactly what you should have done with the agency.

CEO: Here's my biggest fear: If we get back to the soul - that initial spark - I worry we'll turn customers away and lose money. We're big now. We have investors. We have lots of employees. There's so much more to lose.

CMO: Makes sense.

CEO: In the early days, we were small, so we just did what came naturally. Looking back, we just focused on why we started the company in the first place, and how we actually aimed to make the world and our customers lives better. We were on a mission. We didn't have money, so we found the most creative ways to get those ideas out there as broadly and as memorably as possible to stand out.

CMO: And you knew people resonated with that message, right?

CEO: Totally.

CMO: And you didn't worry if someone didn't like that message, right?

CEO: Nope. We were so focused on the mission and creating the best product for our customers.

CMO: So why can't that work today?

CEO: We're big now.

CMO: First, you're not that big.

CEO: Burn.

CMO: In the same way you were obsessed with the mission and your customers then, that's all we have to do now. "Potential customers" were turned off by what you were doing then, but you didn't care. Today, we're happy if a customer doesn't like us because that means we have a clear enough story to react to. Apathy is 10x worse. As long as we have the certainty that this is a big world with infinite opportunity, which is is, the fundamental approach that worked then will work now.

CEO: I'm amped