HOW IMPORTANT IS A STRONG BRAND IMAGE FOR A COMPANY?

Ève Laurier: Branding is a rallying cry. In the digital world we live in, we no longer address our internal audience (employees, board of directors) and external audiences (consumers, suppliers, governments) strictly, but a much larger world geographically. A professor who taught me in my MBA, Henry Mintzberg, talked about the importance of the artifact. For me, the brand is an artifact that all stakeholders can recognize, that sets the tone and brings everyone together. Not taking care of your brand image as a company is like building a house without a foundation.

WHEN IS IT NECESSARY TO BUILD YOUR BRAND IMAGE?

You have to think about it from day one. There is the name and the visual identity of the company that entrepreneurs work on as a priority, but thinking about the brand's purpose comes too late and is just as important. You have to ask yourself the right questions: What does the brand mean? What is its purpose? How do you define yourself? Where do you position yourself on the market? If you don't define these points and don't share them from the start, you give others the opportunity to do it for you. Once the brand image is created and it is coherent, you have to promote it, defend it. The key to ensuring that a brand does not disappoint is its reputation, credibility and reliability.

WHAT ARE THE LATEST TRENDS IN BRAND IMAGE?

There are several trends in the advertising and graphic fields that are studied meticulously: colors, shapes, fonts, etc. On the communications side, the trend is towards social commitment. Companies are positioning themselves more in relation to their values than in relation to their product or service. They want to be agents of change in society and highlight their social and environmental awareness. People are engaging in this path to humanize their brand.

ARE THERE ANY RECENT EXAMPLES THAT HAVE SITUATED YOU?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq2CvmgoO7I

Sometimes we are very far from the product or service. This is particularly the case with recent advertisements from Nike or Patagonia where we do not see the product, but the mission, the values, the ideals that the brand believes in and wants to defend, even if it means losing customers to gain others.

Another great example is the Danish brewer Carlsberg who chose to invest their marketing budget in research and development to find an alternative to plastic packaging rings on their six-packs. The company found an eco-friendly glue to reduce waste. They didn't advertise and released the product. It created a buzz on social media.

Another emerging trend: some brands exist entirely digitally. The company therefore no longer produces paper. I am thinking of TheRealReal or Wayfair as examples. Not so long ago, we didn't talk about the ecological footprint of our brand. Now we know it, we talk about it and we even put it forward in all our communications.

ARE YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS FOLLOWING THIS WAVE?

I actually see several start-ups whose initial idea is to solve a social problem. We also see that young talents, millennials, choose to work for a company based on their programs (for the community, to reduce their ecological footprint, to ensure fair wages between men and women, etc.) They want to be authentic in their workplace and have nothing to hide. We must remember that the people who are most capable of harming a brand image are the employees. They are the great forgotten in strategic development, but they are the ones who can validate that what the brand says is true.

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ADVICE FOR DEFINING A STRONG AND ATTRACTIVE BRAND IMAGE?

First, you need to determine who all the internal and external stakeholders of the brand are and ask yourself what kind of message will appeal to them, how to speak to them. Don't hesitate to co-create the brand with them. You can establish the guidelines and then go and test with your employees, your customers, your suppliers, the local chamber of commerce, etc. You need to involve them in the process to present the products or services to them and see if it makes sense for them. They will often become natural influencers and ambassadors for the brand. This way, you ensure that you have a stronger and more easily deployable brand. You don't want to impose a brand; you need to deserve attention.

Eve Laurier

DIRECTOR OF EDELMAN MONTREAL

Your sources of inspiration: "I need space, to walk, to disconnect. It's in moments in the middle of nature that I have the best ideas and clarity of mind."

Your role model/mentor: Oprah

Your leadership style: Inspiring, inclusive, happy

Your essential tool: Have the best team!

Edelman

Founded: Chicago, 1952

Headquarters: New York

Number of employees: 7000 (40 in Montreal)

Turnover: private

Service area: marketing communications