In our ongoing quest to unlock the full potential of the Brand Maturity Scan, we interviewed Iris Lampe, the Marketing Manager of Intelligence Group, in a comprehensive exploration of our tool. Intelligence Group, under Iris's guidance, has emerged as a progressing brand.
A brand maturity scan gives an insight into the overall performance and potential of a brand. The spectrum has 6 positions: from a latent to an iconic brand, reflecting the different stages of brand maturity.
A Progressing brand means that a strategic direction guides some of the brand's actions, and its visual brand identity is increasingly cohesive, supported by comprehensive voice guidelines and an increased number of brand assets. Messaging consistency is on an upward trajectory, and the data optimization tools are utilized to a moderate extent.
Yet, recognizing the nuanced nature of brand evaluation, we suggested to have a follow-up call with Iris to delve deeper into the results and provide her with new insights.
Wild Digital: Were you surprised by the results?
Iris: I approached the scan with an open mind, refraining from forming any preconceived notions. Consequently, the outcome resonated with our current brand state.
The assessment rated the strategy at 50%, an accurate reflection, considering a recent change in Intelligent Group’s long-term strategy development team. Crafting a long-term plan on how to appeal to the target audience will be resumed once the position in the strategy team is filled.
In a rapidly evolving business landscape, personnel changes are part of the norm, a facet of the business intricately linked to Intelligent Group’s expertise in analyzing talent intelligence across diverse market segments. For more information take a look at the Giant dashboard on the Intelligence Group website.
Visual Brand Identity received a commendable 75%, aligning with the impactful role played by Wild Digital in shaping an authentic visual identity for the brand.
What Intelligence Group could consider adding to their visual brand identity package is a dynamic logo and some fresh motion and animation. These elements are typical to the more advanced brands and can enhance the brand experience across various digital touchpoints. This could be, of course, easily implemented with the next brand update.
Brand Assets, rated at 50%. Before delving deeper into the score, let’s clarify what we mean with this category. In the dynamic realm of branding, the term 'brand assets' encompasses a diverse array of elements that collectively breathe life into a brand’s messaging.
In the arsenal of brand assets, you'll find things like the images and videos from authentic brand shoots (as opposed to the stock images), professionally designed social media and business templates, as well as copy written by an experienced copywriter.
Intelligence Group’s score reveals reliance on stock images for the website launch, a smart approach that has proved effective for the launch of their developing brand back in 2021. Yet, looking ahead, the inclusion of more authentic images into the brand’s imagery direction has the potential to elevate brand perception.
Consistency emerged with a score of 60%. This branding concept can be complex to grasp. However, the essence of consistency extends to the uniformity of brand presence across diverse online and offline channels.
The consistency in messaging for IG is steadily improving; an excellent way to enhance their efforts could be creating clear guidelines for using the visual brand identity.
It's imperative to underscore that while consistency is somewhat subjective, it remains a pivotal aspect and carries double weight in the computation of Brand Maturity Scan results.
Elevating to an Established Brand
Intelligence Group, like most progressing or maturing brands already has a visual brand identity and an increased number of brand assets in place. To level up to an established brand, which is the next position on the brand maturity spectrum, Intelligence Group should start refining the strategic brand direction. By using data, client feedback and market insights, Intelligence Group can develop their unique value proposition and better define who their target audience is. This will allow for a clearer vision which guides brand’s actions that resonate with their target audience.
To ascend to an established brand, Intelligence Group is advised to consider the following pivotal steps:
Strategy: a redefined long-term direction that incorporates client feedback and data. A good next step could be to map out the customer journey, including some of their real-life customers in the process.
Brand Assets: an enhanced brand perception can be achieved by refining the brand’s imagery direction and including more authentic photography, slowly moving away from the use of stock images, especially on the social media platforms.
Brand Identity Guidelines: developing comprehensive brand guidelines is essential for brand’s consistency, especially considering the size of the company (10-49 employees).
In Conclusion
In our view Intelligence Group needs to set their sight on becoming a leading brand. Given Intelligence Group's claim to leadership in Talent Intelligence, this claim could be well substantiated through a robust brand maturity that aligns with their leadership narrative. While the brand is unquestionably progressing in the right direction and has the potential to transition into a leading brand, it is currently at the brink of that transformation.
