Seminar 2 Building a successful Brand in the U.S.

For the second part of our business seminar series, Making it in America, we held a panel discussion about how to build a successful brand in the US and the differences between branding in Sweden and in the US. The speakers on the panel were; Kim H. Swartz, Enterntainment Attorney at MS&K; Annika Hellstrand, Account Manager at Mobiento that specializes in mobile marketing; Fredrik Malmberg, CEO & President at Paradox Entertainment; and Lotta Alsén, President of SACC-GLA and Founder & CEO of Quickenings, was moderator. Branding was discussed from several perspective, such as legal, mobile marketing as well as working with cross-media including film production and gaming.
Below you will find some key notes about the 5 most important things to think about when building a strong brand in the US from the seminar (e.g. what you have to think about when setting up and expanding a business, from a branding perspective):
Annika Hellstrand
1. Brand proposition/identity: A clear identity will set the right level of expectations. Define your brand’s secret sauce. What makes you special? What are you offering your customers?
2. Consistency: Be consistent.Your brand has a unique look and all your marketing efforts needs to support the core brand proposition. Your customers need to recognize you.
3. Accessibility: Make sure it’s easy to find your brands products and services. Where can they be found? Are they easily accessible to your target group?
4. Perception and brand experience: Brand perception is how the public views the brand. Ask yourself – How does your customers experience your brand? How do you market the brand?  How is your customer met by customer service, your sales team and other employees. Is the brand experience similar in every outlet or does it differ?
5. Customer relationship: You need to understand the needs and wants of your customers and prospects. Integrate your brand strategies through your company at very point of contact with your customers. To have a strong brand you need strong customer relationships. Over a period of time and through positive interactions with the brand – the relationship will grow and make your brand stronger.
Fredrik Malmberg

1. Clarity! The US is  a vast market and whether you’re in a consumer-based business or b-t-b, the competition is so fierce your message better be clear.
2. Be unique! What makes you different from everyone else?
3. Focus! Don’t try to do everything. Establish your reputation in one area before venturing into the next.
4. Deliver! A lot of people can make flashy presentations but not everyone will be able to perform. Deliver on time, on budget and with quality and your customer base will come back for more.
5. Act! This is a cut-throat, constantly changing market and if you sit around waiting, opportunities will pass you by.
We thank our speakers for their valuable expertise and advice and we thank all of you who attended the seminar and hope you enjoyed it! If you did not make it to the seminar, we hope to see you at our next seminar.