Jessica Fox [Live Link]
Published on 05, Jun 2023
Learn The Power of Disruptive Branding in Modern Marketing With Kimjera Whittington & How She Helps Her Clients Outmaneuver Their Competition
In today's fast-paced and competitive business world, it's not enough to simply have a good product or service. You need to be able to disrupt your industry to capture the attention of your audience. By leveraging disruptive branding to create a unique and memorable brand identity, you can differentiate yourself from your competitors and build a loyal customer base.
Kimjera Whittington is the founder and CEO of Evolve Global Marketing and she knows all about being a brand disruptor. She is a keynote speaker, world traveler, and brand strategist who is passionate about utilizing storytelling and radical differentiation to create one-of-a-kind marketing campaigns. With over 25 years of experience as an award-winning corporate executive, she has set the sales and marketing industry on fire by helping thousands of businesses grow and scale in extraordinary ways. Within 18 months of starting her firm, she quadrupled her business and achieved the 7 Figure Female Entrepreneur status.
What is disruptive branding?
“So what is disruptive branding?” Kimjera asks. “It means breaking the mold, challenging the status quo, taking risks - basically daring to be different.”
She says that this branding strategy aims to shake up an industry and challenge traditional norms by creating something new, fresh, and exciting. It's about pushing boundaries and taking risks to grab the attention of your target audience and put your business in a league of its own. Disruptive branding is not just about having a unique logo or a catchy tagline, it's about creating an entire brand experience that increases engagement and adds new clients.
“There are an overwhelming amount of “me too” brands these days,” Kimjera shares. “In a crowded marketplace filled with lookalikes, it’s more important than ever to differentiate yourself from the competition. Disruptive branding is a way to do just that. By creating a brand that is bold, innovative, and unexpected, you can capture the attention of your target audience and outmaneuver sameness.”
But disruptive branding is not without its risks. It requires a willingness to step outside of your comfort zone and try something new. It requires a deep understanding of your target audience and what will resonate with them. And it requires a commitment to consistency and authenticity in everything you do.
Done right, however, disruptive branding can be a powerful tool for modern marketing. It can help you establish a unique identity that sets you apart from the competition and creates a strong emotional connection with your audience. It can help you build brand loyalty and create a tribe of raving fans who are passionate about your brand. And it can help you drive business results by increasing brand awareness, generating leads, and ultimately driving sales.
What are the advantages?
Disruptive branding often challenges industry standards and maximizes a brand's reach, its customers buy-in, and overshadows competition. When you are in a league of your own, you don't have to compete. It changes the way consumers perceive a product or service, creating a memorable and lasting impact on their minds. Disruptive branding can create buzz and help you position your business as the only logical choice which can reach new audiences and create an expanded customer base.
One of the most significant advantages of disruptive branding is that it can be used by businesses of all sizes and in all industries. Whether you're a small start-up or a large corporation, disruptive branding can help you to differentiate yourself and create a lasting impression on consumers. In a world where consumers are bombarded with advertising messages every day, disruptive branding is a powerful tool for cutting through the noise and getting your message heard.
What does it look like in real life?
“In modern marketing, disruptive branding is still widely unknown,” Kimjera says. “The brands that have adopted this approach have seen significant success as a result. This approach takes someone who knows innovative design thinking, can strategize to develop one's unique positioning, and uses creative storytelling to bring it all together. This is why I pursue this method of branding and marketing with so many of my clients - because it works.”
She points to several real-world examples of brands that have disrupted their respective industries with their unique branding:
Dollar Shave Club: This company disrupted the razor industry by offering a subscription-based model that delivered high-quality razors to customers' doorsteps each month. The brand's irreverent advertising campaigns and humorous videos were a stark contrast to the traditional, serious tone of the industry.
Airbnb: This brand disrupted the hospitality industry by offering a platform for homeowners to rent out their spare rooms or entire homes to travelers. Airbnb's branding emphasizes the unique and authentic experiences that travelers can have when staying in a local's home, as opposed to a generic hotel room.
Tesla: This brand disrupted the automotive industry by offering sleek, high-performance electric cars that were both environmentally friendly and technologically advanced. Tesla's branding emphasizes innovation, sustainability, and luxury.
“These brands have all successfully disrupted their industries by taking a fresh approach to branding and marketing,” says Kimjera. “They serve as reminders of what is possible. By breaking away from the traditional norms of their respective industries, they captured the attention of consumers and established themselves as leaders in their fields.”
How do I become a disruptive brand?
“One of the most common questions I get at Evolve Global Marketing is how to get started,” says Kimjera. “For a client who has never used this approach, there can be challenges involved; but that’s where my team comes in. We are well-versed in this method of marketing and we have several key steps that help guide our clients to achieve a disruptive branding strategy.”
Develop a deep understanding of your target audience: To create a disruptive brand, you need to know your target audience inside out. Conduct market research to identify your target audience's needs, desires, and pain points.
Identify industry norms: Identify the industry norms that your brand can challenge. What do your competitors do that you can do differently? What are the common characteristics of your competitors' branding that you can avoid?
Be authentic: Disruptive branding is all about authenticity. Don't try to force a brand personality that doesn't reflect your company's values. Authenticity is key to building brand loyalty.
Be bold: Disruptive branding requires boldness. Don't be afraid to take risks and try something new. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to be willing to do things differently.
Create a strong visual identity: Disruptive branding often involves creating a strong visual identity that sets your brand apart. Invest in high-quality design and make sure your branding consistent across all channels.
Be consistent: Consistency is key to building brand recognition and loyalty. Make sure your brand messaging, visuals, and tone of voice are consistent across all channels.
How can I make social media work for my brand?
Social media and digital marketing are essential to amplify your disruptive branding message. This is because they offer a vast range of opportunities to reach a large audience at little to no cost. Social media platforms are built for disruption. Social channel algorithms are built to reward pattern disruption, meaning, information shared that is unlike anything else that exists will perform the best. This outlet of marketing lends itself to disruptive branding and thinking outside the box. Another great use of social media is to create a community around your brand, where customers can share their experiences and engage with your brand in a meaningful way.
There are other types of digital marketing that can be leveraged to amplify your disruptive branding message. You can use email marketing to send personalized messages to your customers and keep them updated on your latest products or services. You can also use search engine optimization (SEO) to improve your website's visibility and drive more traffic to your website. Additionally, you can use pay-per-click (PPC) advertising through search engines, social media, and re-targeting to drive more awareness of your brand.
However, it's important to remember that simply using social media and digital marketing is not enough. Your message must be genuine and authentic, and you must provide value to your customers through your branding efforts. Disruptive branding is all about standing out in a saturated market, but you also need to have a clear message and a strong brand identity to back it up. Consumers have more options than ever and are often making purchase decisions based on the values of a brand. By using social media and digital marketing in a strategic way, you can amplify your message and your companies values to a wider audience, while also building a strong brand community that customers want to engage and be a part of.
The future of disruptive branding
“This methodology is here to stay,” Kimjera affirms. “It’s not just a trend, though it has been more popular in recent years. The traditional marketing playbook is no longer effective, and brands that want to stand out need to take bold risks and push boundaries to be noticed.”
She says that the key will continue to be creating authentic and meaningful connections with customers. “Brands are more personal now,” she says. “They are focusing on building long-lasting relationships with their customers by delivering exceptional experiences, developing products that cater to their needs, and engaging with them through various channels.”
Kimjera adds that with the rise of social media and other digital platforms, brands have more opportunities than ever to connect with their customers in real time. Brands that can leverage these platforms to create genuine engagement and build trust with their customers will undoubtedly succeed.
“At my agency, we’ve found the brands that can anticipate customer needs and offer products or services that solve their customer's problems stand out more,” Kimjera says. “I really think data is the way of the future.” By leveraging data-driven insights, brands can develop products and services that cater to the unique needs of each customer profile, thus creating more meaningful and long-lasting relationships.
Overall, the future of disruptive branding in marketing is bright. Brands that can break the mold and embrace new ways of thinking will undoubtedly succeed in an ever-evolving marketplace.
Learn more: https://www.evolveglobalmarketing.com
