Building A Brand – Defining The Customer, Episode 2

Introduction and Purpose of the Session

In this section, the purpose of the session is explained, which is to develop the brand and create a new look for Hamilton family brewery.

Developing the Brand with Blind

• The session aims to work with Blind, a brand strategy design consultancy based in Santa Monica, California.

• The goal is to rebrand Hamilton family brewery to expand their business beyond the tasting room into restaurants, bars, and other retail locations.

Introduction to Blind

This section provides an introduction to Blind and their expertise in using design to help clients reach their customers and stand out in the marketplace.

About Blind

• Blind is a brand strategy design consultancy based in Santa Monica, California.

• They have been using design since 1995 to assist diverse clients in reaching their customers and standing out in the marketplace.

Recap of Previous Episode

This section recaps the previous episode where Josh and Kristen Hamilton engaged Blind's services to rebrand their business for expansion.

Rebranding Hamilton Family Brewery

• Josh and Kristen Hamilton are the owners of Hamilton family brewery.

• They have engaged Blind's services to rebrand their business with the aim of expanding beyond their tasting room into more restaurants, bars, and other retail locations.

Discovery Session with Ben and Matthew

This section explains what a discovery session is and its importance in understanding goals, challenges, users/customers, and brand attributes.

What is a Discovery Session?

• A discovery session is a facilitated meeting between clients/stakeholders (Josh and Kristen) and Ben & Matthew from Blind.

• The purpose of this meeting is to define goals, identify challenges, understand users/customers and their pain points, and discuss brand attributes.

Defining Goals and Identifying Challenges

This section highlights the importance of defining goals and identifying challenges during the discovery session.

Key Steps in a Discovery Session

• In a discovery session, the facilitators (Ben and Matthew) help define the client's goals.

• They also identify the challenges that are hindering the client's progress.

Extracting Meaningful Insights

This section explains how meaningful insights are surfaced during a discovery session through questioning and challenging assumptions.

Extracting Insights in a Discovery Session

• Facilitators ask questions and challenge assumptions to surface meaningful insights.

• These insights are then used to develop a strategy moving forward.

Role of the Facilitator in Discovery Sessions

This section discusses the role of the facilitator (in this case, Ben) in conducting a successful discovery session.

The Facilitator's Role

• The facilitator plays a crucial role in guiding the discovery session.

• Although there may be some nervousness, experience helps build confidence.

• Fresh eyes can bring curiosity and extract valuable information from clients.

Meeting with Josh and Kristen Hamilton

This section introduces Josh and Kristen Hamilton as they sit down with Ben for their discovery session.

Getting to Know Josh and Kristen Hamilton

• Josh and Kristen Hamilton are partners who own Hamilton family brewery.

• The meeting aims to learn about their business, current challenges, and future plans for growth beyond their tasting room.

Challenges and Goals for Hamilton Family Brewery

This section highlights the challenges faced by Hamilton family brewery in communicating their brand outside of the tasting room and their goals for rebranding.

Challenges Faced by Hamilton Family Brewery

• One of the current challenges is effectively communicating their brand through packaging to customers outside of the tasting room.

• As they expand and distribute their product, they need to find a way to connect with customers who encounter their beer on shelves.

Lifting the Fog in Entrepreneurship

This section emphasizes Blind's role in helping clients navigate the uncertainties of entrepreneurship and business through strategy and design.

Helping Clients Navigate Uncertainty

• Blind aims to help lift the fog for clients like Josh, who have a vision but need guidance.

• The discovery session helps define business goals, understand customers, and develop strategies that align with the client's vision.

Impacting the Journey Through Design

This section explains how design can impact a client's journey towards achieving their goals.

The Role of Design in Impacting Business Journey

• Design plays a crucial role in helping clients achieve their goals.

• It involves creating impactful visual elements that support the client's brand and resonate with their target audience.

Defining Success for Hamilton Family Brewery

This section explores Josh's perspective on defining success for Hamilton family brewery during this engagement with Blind.

Defining Success for Hamilton Family Brewery

• Josh wants to capture a sense of heritage and history in their branding.

• He aims to communicate that Hamilton family brewery is an established, people-centric brewery.

• Success will be measured by effectively distinguishing themselves as such through communication with customers and team members.

Customer-Centric Approach

This section highlights Josh's goal of creating a customer-centric brewery based on his negative experience at another brewery.

Creating a Customer-Centric Brewery

• Josh's biggest goal is to establish Hamilton family brewery as a people-centric brewery.

• He wants to provide excellent customer service and create a welcoming environment for customers, unlike his negative experience at another brewery.

Importance of Positive Customer Experience

This section emphasizes the significance of positive customer experiences in building a successful brewery.

Impact of Negative Customer Experience

• Josh shares his negative experience at a previous brewery where he encountered poor customer service.

• Despite good beer, the negative experience overshadowed the quality and left him feeling dissatisfied.

• He aims to create an inclusive and child-friendly environment that enhances the overall customer experience.

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Understanding the Importance of Customer Service in Business

The speaker discusses how customer service plays a crucial role in the success or failure of a business. They emphasize the need to differentiate themselves from other trendy and snobbish businesses by focusing on connecting with customers and families. Identifying customer behaviors that drive sales is essential.

Importance of Customer Service

• Customer service is a make or break factor for many people when choosing a business.

• Differentiating from trendy snobbery in the beer industry is crucial.

• Connecting with customers and families around common interests is important.

Identifying Customer Base

• Three types of tasting room customers: beer fanatics, beer snobs, and brewery enthusiasts.

• Beer fanatics contribute to around 70% of revenue from the tasting room.

• Beer fanatics are passionate about craft beer and often introduce their friends to new flavors.

• Craft beer lovers may avoid big breweries that have been sold out or acquired by larger companies.

Profiling Typical Customers for Engagement Strategies

The speaker discusses the importance of profiling typical customers to understand their preferences, behaviors, and where to find them. By identifying ideal customers, they can tailor their marketing strategies accordingly.

Types of Tasting Room Customers

• Three main types: beer fanatic, beer snob, and brewery enthusiast.

• Brewery enthusiasts prioritize drinking at breweries without being overly concerned about specific brands or trends.

• Beer snobs are more discerning and knowledgeable about craft beers but may be critical of certain brands or ownership changes.

Ideal Customer Profile - Jessica

• Female brewery enthusiast named Jessica, aged 32.

• Likely a stay-at-home mom with two kids.

• She represents an ideal customer who aligns with current customer demographics.

• Jessica's household income is estimated at $75k per year.

Using User Personas as Filters and References

The speaker explains the importance of user personas in the design process. These personas serve as filters and references to ensure that design decisions align with the preferences and needs of target customers.

Benefits of User Personas

• User personas help filter design decisions throughout the entire process.

• They provide a reference point for appealing to specific user types.

• User profiles also assist in managing feedback effectively.

Designing for Jessica, the Ideal Customer

• Design choices should consider whether they would appeal to Jessica, the ideal customer.

• User personas guide designers in creating content that resonates with target users.

• Regularly checking back on user personas helps maintain alignment during the design process.

Creating Comprehensive User Profiles

The speaker continues discussing user profiles and their significance in understanding customers' preferences, behaviors, and shopping habits. They emphasize how these profiles help bridge gaps between different customer segments.

Understanding Jessica's Background

• Jessica is likely someone who had a starting job after college but now has a side hustle while taking care of her kids.

• She represents both professional-driven and family-oriented environments.

• Jessica shops at Sprouts, Trader Joe's, and Target for groceries.

Importance of User Personas Throughout the Process

• User personas act as filters and references throughout the entire design process.

• They ensure that all design choices are aligned with target users' preferences.

• By using user profiles as a guide, designers can create content that appeals to specific customer segments.

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Getting to Know Curt

In this section, the conversation focuses on getting to know Curt, one of the individuals being discussed.

Curt's Personal Life

• Curt is around 35 years old and is not married.

• He doesn't have much luck with relationships and has a drinking problem.

• He has a girlfriend but is unsure if he's been catfished.

• It is unclear if he has any children or has been previously married.

• He is likely college-educated, possibly attending a local college outside of Rancho.

Curt's Profession and Income

• Curt works in the tech industry, possibly as an engineer.

• His income is estimated to be around $100k per year.

• He most likely resides in a bigger city like Los Angeles (LA).

Curt's Preferences and Unique Edge

• Curt seeks uniqueness in his beer choices, looking for something different from what others are doing.

• The focus is on creating mango beers that stand out by using real mangoes instead of artificial flavoring.

• The goal is to balance the mango characteristics while maintaining the integrity of a double IPA.

Discovering Brand Aspects

This section discusses how the discovery session helps in creating a new brand identity by exploring various aspects of the brand.

Importance of Discovery Session

• The discovery session allows designers or agencies to understand all aspects of the brand that will contribute to creating its new identity.

• It helps clearly communicate who they are as a brand.

Capturing Similar Voice and Look

• One question asked during the session is which brands capture a similar voice or look to what they want for their own brand.

Defining Look and Feel

This section focuses on defining the desired look and feel for the new brand being created.

Desired Look and Feel

• The brand should have a weathered, quality, and reliable appearance.

• It should convey a sense of being older than it actually is, emphasizing the heritage of a family brewery.

• While not following every trend in the beer industry, it should still stay ahead of the curve and be modern.

Visual Vocabulary for Brand

This section delves into how the new brand will visually appear.

Visual Appearance

• The visual appearance of the brand is discussed, similar to how Apple has a modern and clean look.

• The focus is on creating a unique visual identity that reflects the desired qualities of the brand.

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New Section

In this section, the participants discuss their initial struggles in coming up with a brand concept and how they decided to explore existing style escapes for inspiration.

Exploring Existing Style Escapes

• The participants were initially struggling to come up with a brand concept.

• Ben suggested exploring existing style escapes that they had created for other clients.

• They discussed the different elements of the style escapes, such as clean typography and weathered stamp-like designs.

• This exercise helped them gain more clarity and confidence in defining the look and feel of the brand.

New Section

In this section, one of the participants shares their nervousness during a particular moment and how they came up with an idea spontaneously.

Spontaneous Idea

• One participant was nervous during a specific moment but didn't express it.

• The other participant thought that they had planned for this moment beforehand.

• However, it was actually an idea that popped into their head spontaneously.

• This exercise helped them have something visual to react to instead of trying to develop words out of thin air.

New Section

In this section, the participants discuss next steps after concluding the session and reflect on the progress made so far.

Next Steps and Reflection

• The participants summarize what they have accomplished so far in terms of discovery and refining insights.

• They mention that they will continue evolving aspects like look and feel, voice and tone, and behavior over the next few weeks.

• They plan to refine exercises related to understanding users further.

• The participants emphasize that there is still some rawness in their current progress but are confident about communicating their passion and heart through their product.

New Section

In this section, the participants discuss the impact of creating ideal customer profiles and express their excitement about their product.

Impact of Ideal Customer Profiles

• The participants mention that creating names for ideal customers (Jessica and Courage) has changed their perspective.

• They anticipate looking at people differently in terms of whether they fit the profiles they have created.

• This exercise helps them identify and connect with their target audience more effectively.

New Section

In this section, the participants express their belief in having a good product and the importance of better representation.

Belief in Product and Representation

• The participants express confidence in having a good product with passion and heart.

• They believe that once customers understand this, they will be excited about it.

• They emphasize the need for better representation to fulfill what is currently missing.

New Section

In this section, the next steps are discussed, including assembling a design team and delivering a creative brief.

Next Steps: Assembling Design Team

• The next step involves assembling a team of designers to deliver a creative brief.

• The creative brief will provide information about Hamilton Family Brewery's identity, target customers, and rebranding goals.

• Style scapes will be built based on this information to define the look and feel of the brand.

Conclusion

The transcript covers various discussions during a branding session. It includes exploring existing style escapes for inspiration, spontaneous ideas, next steps after concluding the session, creating ideal customer profiles, belief in the product's potential, and planning for assembling a design team.