We all know that an organization’s brand is important. But why is there a heightened focus on it now — and what can we do about it? A brand embodies the organization. It exists most authentically in actions, not just in words. Brands emanate from business strategy, and they are critical to creating sustainable business value.

In a recent Forrester survey of C-level executives, we found that brand was the top driver of technology purchase decisions, ahead of price, history of working with a vendor, and other factors. This means brand is of paramount importance to business success.

This reality presents both a gap and an opportunity for B2B marketing leaders, who have often over-pivoted to focusing campaigns and programs on demand creation and left investment in their brand and communication activities behind. Brand and communications functions also are often poorly integrated with the rest of the business. These factors can cause marketing leaders to struggle when it comes to ensuring the brand experience is consistent for all audiences.

What can marketing leaders do to ensure they are managing their organization’s brand in a structured and comprehensive way that will be relevant to their audience as well as providing a consistent brand experience that aligns to the business strategy?

At the upcoming B2B Summit North America, I will introduce a simple yet comprehensive model to help you manage your brand and ensure relevance for your audience. In my session “Accelerate Your Brand Impact: Introducing The Forrester Brand And Communications Dynamo,” I will share the process of brand management, the interlocks within the team and guidance for ensuring you are incorporating feedback to refine your brand further.  Hope to see you there!