We’ve recently been through a transformative time, nailing down on what makes Fuel great, and how our brand communicates (or doesn’t communicate) that.
We believe in walking the talk, so we engaged one of our key suppliers, Ange Wallace from What Lies Beneath to take on the task of uncovering the good, the bad, and the indifference of our agency—from the eyes of our customers.
This process is not for the faint hearted… Interviewing a selection of our customers (the old and new, the happy and indignant) was always going to reveal things that made our eyes twitch and our bodies convulse in our seats… but for the most part this filled us with pride. The little nugget of gold was that, even though post-interview nothing much has changed, we’re now armed with in-depth insights in to the what and the why people think and feel the way they do about us. And, we can do something about it.
They say that insights are the act of understanding the inner nature of things… the power of acute observation and deduction, penetration and perception. We’ve used these insights to better communicate who we are, what we do (best), how we do it, and most importantly why we do it.
You can be brave, too! Here’s a few reasons why:
The big, the bad, and the hairy truths
Insights are big, hairy truths about your business—it’s strengths as well as it’s weaknesses, and its culture. Insights aren’t meak and fluffy surface-level thoughts, and they certainly aren’t ‘management speak’.
Insights are profound realisations about your business; understandings that really cut to the heart of the matter.
The a-ha moments
You know them when you have them. Sometimes, they feel like an epiphany! Other times, the feeling is a small ‘a-ha’ moment. Either way, when you dig up an insight, there’s a gut feeling of knowing when what you’ve just learned is special.
Insights show you (warts and all) what needs to be fixed. They’re always real, but not always pretty. And for better or worse, if your business is to become an adored and advocated brand, you need them.
Show your true colours
Insights help you define was truly makes you and your business unique. When you use them to craft you brand, what you end up communicating back to your customers and staff is not just something that looks smart or sounds clever, but something that will resonate with them. It’s something they will instinctively perceive as being real.
This process is very much a ‘rip off the bandaid’ kind of deal. But we’re all in agreement this is often the best approach, right? It may be painful in parts, but much like an actual bandaid it’s very much a healing process. Be brave. It’s worth it.
