7 Must-read Tips (for anyone demanding an Unstoppable Brand)

What if I had 7 easy-to-follow steps to dramatically improve your brand?

That would be very useful. If you agree, then read on.

A few months ago, I started working with the legendary Midwest coffee brand, Dunn Brothers.

It was very gratifying to work with a brand with a rich and authentic history.

Then, the co-owners decided to shake things up and build a new branch to this brand, one that would open up new channels.

As stated by co-CEO (Caffeinated Executive Officer) Chris Eilers, “Up until now, our coffee and tea offerings have been limited (outside of your favorite Dunn Brothers Coffee house). So we decided to tap into our nearly 3 decades of coffee and service experience to offer higher quality of coffee and tea beverages previously unavailable to restaurants and other hospitality venues that wanted to offer their guests a more memorable beverage experience. The new package design provided a tremendous billboard for promoting our Dunn Good initiative in which we donate 20% of our profits to non-profits doing good.”

Brands don’t just happen. They’re built.

So when we started, I sat down with Chris and the team to discuss our parameters.

They’re actually simple parameters.

They’re just not widely used. They’re talked about, just not used.

They total 7 basic parameters as shown here:

1. Decide you can win. (Without this, you won’t have the conviction necessary when things don’t go as planned.)
2. Stand for something. Something you believe in and are passionate about.
3. Be different in the way you present it, with the materials you choose, the style you incorporate, the message you send.
4. Use design to further separate your brand from the pack. (Cliche approaches in design and message are a sure way to lose.)
5. Stay the course. (Don’t waver and react to every little zig and zag. Like a world-class athlete, you recognize any barrier or obstacle, but don’t stop because of it. You plow on through to the finish line.)
6. Collect good intel. (Data leads to insight. Insight leads to action.)
7. Avoid committees. (Committees are a model based on debating, not innovating your way to the top.)

Sounds great. But how do you use them? Follow the numbers.

Well, to start, we decided this was a market we could win in. #1 done.

To do that we had have a name that would stick. Names for the products as well as a name for the “giving back” initiative. In short, that led to something quite organic: DUNN GOOD.

The name was a home run all the way. That clearly established what we stood for along with the 20% return to the community and the excellent quality products. #2 done.

We approached the brand in a way that was different from the norm, embracing some historical design themes and color choices balancing intricacy with a sense of simplicity. #3 done.

Then we approached the brand using a different style, aesthetic and feel than we’d seen. #4 done.

Once we started, we didn’t stop and enter into second-guessing ourselves. We had decided and believed in our conviction. #5 done.

We routinely collected information and additional insights as we did the development work for the brand. #6 done.

We kept a tightly formed group not entering into committee meetings and analysis-paralysis. Using the information collected in #6 above, we stuck with that information and were fluid enough to add and tweak as we went. #7 done.

Want to see the outcome?

Here are the initial elements that were designed and created.

That formed the basic brand vocabulary.

Then it was a matter of differentiation. Let’s design shipping boxes that were classy and tasteful.

The Tea Tins were one of the other components to export the brand to the world as shown here:

Then there was the Proudly Serving aspect of the coffees when being served in restaurants, hotels and resorts:

Lastly, we added a few more components that helped bring the brand to life.

That’s how you do it.

Use these 7 points to create your own unstoppable brand. Here’s the recap:

1. Decide you can win. (Without this, you won’t have the conviction necessary when things don’t go as planned.)
2. Stand for something. Something you believe in and are passionate about.
3. Be different in the way you present it, with the materials you choose, the style you incorporate, the message you send.
4. Use design to further separate your brand from the pack. (Cliche approaches in design and message are a sure way to lose.)
5. Stay the course. (Don’t waver and react to every little zig and zag. Like a world-class athlete, you recognize any barrier or obstacle, but don’t stop because of it. You plow on through to the finish line.)
6. Collect good intel. (Data leads to insight. Insight leads to action.)
7. Avoid committees. (Committees are a model based on debating, not innovating your way to the top.)