Reading recently about the movie Odysseus I noted a statement suggesting written history doesn’t away capture what went on millennia ago; not the way artifacts do. As a college anthropology student, I found my share of artifacts. Even as a twenty-something volunteer I licked my share of dirty finds. So, I know a bit about artifacts. Coincidentally, I search for artifacts in my brand strategy business. Today I call them proof. Proof is the artifact upon which one builds a defensible brand strategy. Aka evidence. AKA scientific findings.
In my early years of developing brand strategy, I did my due diligence then wrote a brand brief — a story about a brand claim. That story always ended with a claim and three proof planks.
But as a consultant who sometimes is asked to halve my fee I created a shortcut. In brand strategy lite I do my research but rather than write a brief I look for artifacts. With artifacts exposed I placed them into three homogenous proof planks. Only then, do I noodle over the 3 planks to uncover the brand claim.
Both approaches get me to claim and proof, but the latter approach is often quicker.
Try it some time.
Peace.
