GETTING STARTED — PHASE 0 DIAGNOSTICS
Would you ask a lawyer to defend you, or an accountant to do your financial projections without making certain they had all the facts? Could an architect design a thoughtful and enduring building without deeply understanding the context, issues and dreams for it? A good brand starts life the same way.
What we do in phase 0
We start with an introductory meeting, where we begin a brand audit and strength assessment (you can do this yourself with this worksheet). Our goal is to gain as intimate and comprehensive an understanding of the company and its offering, culture, situation, challenges, and opportunities as possible BEFORE making assumptions or any recommendations. That is why we call this Phase 0.
Phase 0 is our approach to the research necessary to completely understand the internal and external history and factors, including an assessment of the desired outcomes and development of solid brand strategy. We want to know what needs to be accomplished and what we have to work with before acting on a list of wants such as naming, logo and identity, a website and related marketing communications.
We conduct primary and secondary research, question staff, management and all stakeholders, audit existing brand(s), operations and an initial competitive assessment. From this, we are able to validate assumptions, identify obstacles and see patterns and insights we can use to establish project parameters and determine deliverables.