The rise of the CBO
“I wish we had focused on it sooner.”
This is the most common answer I get when I ask CXOs about their brand strategies.
For roughly 70% of small and mid sized companies, a vague brand just happens through day-to-day operations. The reason - they lack a clear brand strategy.
This creates confusion in the minds of their audience. They fail to understand the basic purpose of the company and find it hard to relate.
Very few companies have a brand roadmap. A brand roadmap answers The 12 Golden Questions. It becomes the north star for everything the company says and does. Why? Because everything the company says and does has an impact on its brand.
So, who is responsible for the brand? Everyone! Especially the CXOs. But they are overloaded with day-to-day operations.
Enter the Chief Branding Officer (CBO)
The true role of a CBO is not to create a brand and push it down customers’ throats. Rather, to build a brand with values that resonate with its customers and develop meaningful relationships that last.
In order to successfully accomplish this, the CBO wears multiple hats:
Brand Custodian: The CBO works closely with the founders and CXOs to create a brand strategy that answers all the Golden Questions. Once the strategy is in place, the CBO spreads the spirit of the brand throughout the entire organization.
Customer Advocate: A beautifully crafted brand is of no consequence if customers don’t experience the brand in the same way. CBOs put themselves into the customer’s shoes to experience the brand from the outside. After all, a brand is not what the CBO or the founder says it is. It is what customers say it is.
A Philosopher: The CBO always asks ‘why’, to ensure that everything being done is connected to the essence of the brand.
A Visionary: The CBO works with the CEO while keeping a constant eye on our ever-changing world, and helps the company evolve while staying true to its core values.
A Team Player: The CBO works with every department. Customers want a unified and cohesive brand experience. From messaging to product or service to advertising and sales. Every one of the many brand touchpoints must resonate at the same frequency.
Now that we have established the role of the CBO, how is it different from the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)?
The CMO and team are fantastic at what they do, which is broadcasting the message far and wide. Combining the strengths of the CBOs brand narrative, and the dissemination power of the CMO ensures the right message reaches the right people at the right time and conveys the right emotion, always.
This is the secret sauce that most successful companies use to create a lasting brand.
So when CXOs tell me “I wish I had focused on brand strategy sooner”, I smile and say “let’s get started”.