Where does a Strategy & Brand company focus their brand?  The short answer is “The same place you should”.

How do you know where that is?  You should focus:

• On the leading edge, where motivated business people are forging new frontiers
• On smart market segments that are looking to do good business while doing good
• Where there are growth minded business leaders who care about their business ecology
• Where there is a measurable level of continuous growth over business cycles

Name one?  Women in Business!

The Center for Women’s Business Research  facilitated a recent study demonstrating that women own 20% of the businesses with revenues exceeding $1 million. Of these, 1 in 5 have revenues between $5 million and $1 billion.  This research, underwritten by American Express OPEN and The Jana Matthews Group, unearthed traits and characteristics common to high revenue women business owners. Including:

• Working “on” their business, rather than “in”
• Solution orientation
• Creating their own rules
• Focusing on business culture
• Pro-active risk managers

With this information in hand, one should not make the endemic branding mistake of marketing to women in business based on their gender.  This shallow approach belies the growing body of evidence that women business leaders are a force in their own right.  Founded in past prejudices and practices, branding based solely on “a woman being a woman”, i.e. life is “happy”, or obvious gender-biased design concepts is a direct path to irrelevance on the part of the brander. 

We have engaged business environments that we have never experienced before.  Some challenging (the economy) and some are full of potential.  Go for the potential.  Following tired methods of branding will only beget lack luster results.

Full disclosure – BlackDog Strategy is a Woman Owned Business and we work for Woman Owned Businesses.