“Brand perception is formed through shared experience, and is ALWAYS owned by the customer and not the brand owner.”
Phase 1
WHAT ARE THE SIMPLE INGREDIENTS?
At the initial stages, we’ll work to define the character, ethics, authenticity, integrity and passion of Simple. Its’ INGREDIENTS. Through a series of key interviews, and by implementing social listening, we’ll be able to analyze and archive the company’s:
Genesis
History
Passion & Vision
Mission & Path
Future
Philanthropic Goals
Community Plans
Additionally, we will undertake “brand comparison” sessions, from which will emerge the “feeling” or “scent” of the brand. Think about your visceral emotion when you compare these brands one versus the other:
“Every brand is a creative brand.
Why?
Branding is storytelling, and storytelling is a creative work.”
Phase 2
TONE OF VOICE
Beginning with the end in mind, let’s continue on our path to drill deeper and create the legacy or “25-year brand story”. By looking at the end goal, we can work backwards to implement the crucial steps including “top down” MARCOM language and tone of voice / hymn sheets for everyone and everything representing the brand from top to bottom:
Board, Management & Investors
Ambassadors (Boulud, Mina, Andres et.al.)
Public appearances and speaking engagements
Website prose tone and style
Video storylines
Press releases
Newsletters
Social media posts and hashtags
Advertising
It’s important to put emphasis on getting the tone of voice just right, and applying it consistently to all of your content and communications. Consumers (aka fans) know that when the brand’s tone of voice is consistent, they perceive the same person “speaking” whenever and however they touch the brand. That consistent voice shows your customers that the Simple brand is an even, reliable company to deal with, and that every part of their experience with you will be equally good across all your touch points, online platform and departments. Similarly, they know when they are just being “sold to” and not brought into the parlor and made to feel welcome. It’s the difference between a sales pitch / overkill aggressive tone, and a more passive sharing of the essence of your brand and its end goal. And it’s our job to bring that to the surface.
Typical detailed steps we undertake:
1. Discuss Name of Company and what SIMPLE signifies in your industry
2. Company Tagline “Opportunity Served” - its genesis, efficacy and applications
3. Description: A one-sentence description of what the company does
4. The Promise: what does the description (above) “promise to do?
5. Develop Key Messages
6. Proof of Key Messages (why, what, when, how many?)
7. Audience/s Identification / Bifurcation considerations
8. Audience Messaging
9. Media Vehicles (Web, mobile, outdoor, print, banners/digital, social, video)
10. Tone of Voice (technological, inclusive, green, hopeful, futuristic, mindful, culinary)
11. Key Items to say/show in all communication
12. Develop example copy to fit Tone of Voice
13. Review current web, mobile and social presence
“They’re not what I’d call fans...they’re customers really.”
Phase 3
ALL YOU NEED IS FANS
Learning from the antithesis of John Lennon’s analogy, our goal as a communications agency is to convert Simple’s customers and suppliers from customers to fans. We do this by creating community, making everyone feel heard, connected, important and integral to the success story of Simple.
Every fan’s a customer but is every customer a fan?
Keeping in mind the entertainment industry fan club practices of answering fan mail and remembering fans’ birthdays to create a sense of community, PLUS the long tail of goodwill and camaraderie on social media following the recent 10,000 Bites event, we repeatedly see the importance of inclusion from end to end, no matter what decade or demographic. Humans are a social species and want to “belong” to an in-crowd.
#Team10000 ~ from students to superstars
With 10,000 Bites, Chef David Skinner put dishwashers and line cooks on the same level playing field, and in the same prep kitchen, together with Michelin starred Chefs and culinary superstars. Learning from the emotional groundswell created by this experiment, and having seen it come alive at Beatlefest Conventions for 25 years, it is our goal to place Simple at the center of the culinary community, and make you the “gathering post” for all things good in food.
The SIMPLE Universe
We firmly believe that the creation of community with purpose is a crucial part of your brand’s legacy. Thus, once the tone of voice is set, we’ll continue work on identifying charitable partner opportunities and strategic integrations with organizations such as:
James Beard Foundation
No Kid Hungry
World Kitchen
Chefs Without Borders
Food Recovery Network
Feeding America
Bread for the World
The Hunger Project
Jamie Oliver Food Foundation and more.
In turn, this will place Simple in the minds of the viewer as a compassionate, anti food waste, inclusive leader in the food space.
MENTORSHIPS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
We will also work with you to place Simple in a mentorship role through scholarships and sponsorships with organizations such as the former Campus Kitchens Project (now part of the Food Recovery Network Chapters), the CIA and other culinary educational institutions.
USER GENERATED CONTENT
We will help you set up a moderated YouTube or Vimeo portal to gather UGC from chefs, owners, reps and the community as a whole to tell their “SIMPLE STORY”
“This week Simple saved us $XYX and I was able to tip my staff out”
“This month Simple saved me 6.5 hours and I took my kid kayaking”
“This year Simple gave me more time in my fields to plant new varieties”
PIECE OF CAKE.
EASY AS PIE.
Phase 4
IN SUMMARY
Working together with your management and marketing team, we’ll ask, assess, analyze and deliver deliver the strategy and tone of voice for Simple to communicate with Suppliers, Owners, Operational Managers and Purchasers to drive home that “time is not only money”, and that although savings are paramount, that being a part of the Simple evolution of the supply-chain and inventory management ecosystem can also lead to better ingredients, more variety and supporting local businesses, thus increasing quality, nutrition and value for their diners. Not unlike the WWII “Victory Gardens” campaign, we’ll help you express that what Simple is providing to the industry is a way to lead their communities in the “slow food movement” ~ whilst all the time using “faster operations” and serving the nation as whole, in health and better eating habits.
Dig For Victory!
CONSULTING RATES
Rates range from $125 / $200 per hour in 20 minute increments and vary depending on the team member, the length of the engagement and number of hours per month chosen for the tasks at hand. In this case, more is actually less!
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