Branding is tricky at the best of times. But when you have to apply the process to yourself or your own business it becomes almost impossible.
When I established my first company – Practical Marketing Consultancy Ltd – way back in 1994 the world was a very different place. Almost from the start my work with a fantastic assortment of large and small legal, accountancy and property companies defied easy description. The only thing of which my clients and I were sure was that it wasn’t properly described as “practical marketing”!
So. Finally addressing the cobbler’s children problem on my own doorstep I took the bull by the horns (that’s a lot of clichés and metaphors) and, with more than a little help from my friends (thank you!), did some thinking. The result is a new company – RedStarKim Ltd – and a new visual identity. What do you think?
People have always asked about the meaning of the red star. Red stars are important to me – from my Native American ancestors and family connections, to a rather fine mosaic on my kitchen wall, to some of the earliest models I developed in the area of business development and the list goes on.
Five pointed stars are a common ideogram throughout the world – early man saw them as mythical and magical, some religions use them to signify God, Pythagoras saw each point representing one of the five elements that make up man (fire, water, air, earth, and psyche) and later on they depicted the five “civilised” Native American tribes (Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw and Seminole).
In modern times they are used on the badges of the police and emergency services (think sheriff!). One of my favourite mottos is “Per Ardua Ad Astra” which means “through adversity to the stars” and was adopted by the Royal Air Force on its creation in 1918. Stars are also, of course, associated with principal performers, celebrity and stardom. And all of my clients are absolute stars!
It will take me a little while to roll it out to all the various print and online platforms. In the meantime, you might be interested to know that the key areas where clients are currently seeking help are to:
• Re-align strategy with market and client developments
• Implement new strategies
• Identify and develop profitable niches
• Create campaigns that generate the right sort of leads
• Coach partners and seniors to build profitable work streams
• Enhance sales and relationship management skills
• Lead key client programmes
• Deploy social media in an effective way
• Motivate staff to embrace change
• Improve pitch performance
• Ghost write blogs and manage on-line communities
• Drive cross-firm projects
• Innovate new business models and approaches
Please give me a call if you’d like to talk about any of the above – 07831 687882 or email kim@kimtasso.com. Coffee is always welcome!
