Boost online presence and drive results with search advertising

Drive awareness and conversions through social media advertising

Paid Social

Leverage advanced targeting capabilities across smart devices

Increase your brand visibility across top retailers

Retail Media

Maximize visibility and audience engagement through organic search

Target audiences with precision and efficiency across display networks

Programmatic Display

Media

Define and elevate your brand identity, voice and design

Brand Strategy

Futureproof your brand by resonating with diverse audiences

Multicultural Marketing

Marketing strategies based on your audience's behavior to maximize return

Integrated Marketing Planning

Strategy

Derive insights into channels driving the most significant impact

Media Mix Modeling

Understand customers' brand perception and purchasing decisions

Brand Awareness & Preference

Understand customer needs, preferences and behaviors to meet demands

Market Research

Collect, process and store data to inform impactful business decisions

Data Management

Business Intelligence

Bring big ideas to life through strategy, imagination and ingenuity

Creative Concepting

Inspiring design work to help your brand grow

Design

Video content that rivets audiences and compels them to act

Video Production

Creative

Influence, engage and build relationships to influence perception

Public Relations

Partner with personalities who have visibility and trust in your space

Influencer Marketing

Share relevant and valuable content for real time audience engagement 

Social Media Marketing

Create engaging and memorable event experiences

Event Marketing

Communications

Create meaningful and valuable content geared toward target audiences

Content Strategy

Build a reliable flow of content that is relevant for your audience

Content Production

Content Marketing

Maximize your marketing automation platform capabilities

CRM Management

Drive engagement and nurture sales leads through email marketing

Email Marketing

CRM Marketing Automation

Find the technology and database solutions that meet your needs

Web & Mobile Development

Make your site useful, usable, and appealing to your audience

User Experience Design

Bring products to life in ways you never thought possible

Augmented Reality Development

Web UX & Development

What We Do

Marketing Intelligence

Building & Renovation

Solutions

About Us

Our Work

Perspectives

Careers

Active Nav

Discover expert tips and creative inspiration to build a standout brand identity that captivates your audience.

Discover expert tips and creative inspiration to build a standout brand identity that captivates your audience. Explore insights from our experts to develop a unique voice and establish emotional connections that resonate in the marketplace.

Branding Content and Perspectives | Brunner

branding

Discover valuable perspectives from Patrick Culhane, Director of Business Strategy and Development, with 21 years of agency experience.

Perspectives from Patrick Culhane | Brunner

Vice President, Brand Strategy

Patrick  Culhane

Explore key strategy insights from our team.

Discover valuable insights from our strategy experts as we explore essential marketing principles. From defining your brand position to understanding your audience, our insights will help you create effective strategies that drive results and growth for your business.

Our Perspectives on Strategy: Industry Trends and POVs | Brunner

strategy

ContentHolder

BlogArticle

Let’s start with, what is a challenger&nbsp;brand?&nbsp;It is a brand&nbsp;with&nbsp;big dreams, wanting&nbsp;to do bold things to overcome disadvantages such as restrictive budgets, low awareness,&nbsp;or declining brand energy.&nbsp;&nbsp;Being&nbsp;a&nbsp;challenger brand has benefits. It creates a brand strength that minimizes wasted time. You look for messaging that delivers emotional intensity and makes media budgets achieve more. Disruption becomes a part of your DNA so you can achieve the previously unthinkable when delivering measurable value.&nbsp;The question is, how do you know if you are the challenger brand you want to be and if it is enough?Our&nbsp;Challenger Focus Assessment&nbsp;helps.&nbsp;Here’s&nbsp;how it works.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Step one:</h2>Rate where you want your brand to be on the Challenger Spectrum, where 1 is we are happy to follow what others do&nbsp;as long as&nbsp;we do it well and customers are satisfied, and&nbsp;100&nbsp;is we want to be a brand that defines the category and has passionate fans.&nbsp;<h2>Step two:</h2>Answer all the questions below, based on the guidance&nbsp;provided, and give your brand a score between 1 – 10.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Challenger focus questions:</h3>

Uncover what it means to be a challenger brand and take control of your industry. Take our quiz to see how your brand stacks up against the competition.

How Much of a Challenger Brand are you? 

Get the best advice. With years of experience across sectors - there's a lot to learn from Jeff Maggs, Managing Partner at Brunner.

Perspectives from Jeff Maggs | Brunner

Managing Partner, Atlanta

Jeff Maggs

Throughout history, there have always been big dogs and underdogs, champions and challengers. For every Goliath, there has been a David (or a Dana). For every established mega-brand, there has been a startup.With a global pandemic like none the world has seen since 1918, traditional designations for brands and businesses are set aside. In fact, these definitions have been blown to shreds, at least for now. COVID-19 has changed everything for marketers.&nbsp;We are all challengers to this new Goliath.&nbsp;According to a recent study by SUZY, consumers are being forced to try new brands regardless of past loyalties. For example, 61% have done so because supply chain disruptions have created massive out-of-stock issues. And 57% of those who tried a new brand report they are planning to stay with the new contender.In addition to a more fluid brand loyalty, there is also a game-changing move from traditional purchase channels to online shopping, with some categories seeing 30%+ lifts on ecommerce platforms. These seismic shifts, born out of necessity, have affected certain categories more than others&nbsp;—&nbsp;but, rest assured, none will be unscathed.And many organizations were caught behind the curve on digital transformation strategies. Digital transformation is more than tools and technologies, and it is not merely the responsibility of the IT/technology team. It’s multidimensional and a team sport, driven through and across successful organizations.It’s no longer a time for simply talking digital transformation. It is time for action. Your investors, employees, vendor partners — and, most importantly, your consumers — not only will expect it, they will demand it. Or they will go elsewhere.Every brand needs to think differently, not just those classically defined as challenger brands. No one is secure in a position of “untouchable” market positioning. It’s not about size, but rather mindset, an appetite for data-informed risk-taking, and a willingness to push past status quo.Brands that will suffer most, either becoming irrelevant or possibly disappearing altogether, are those that lose their edge. Instead, innovation must become a part of their DNA rather than an episodic interest that ebbs and flows. The goal will be to maximize their ability to adapt as markets and tastes change, sometimes in the relative blink of an eye (like now).Whether you are a leadership brand, a challenger brand, or a niche brand doesn’t matter. Every brand is facing a challenge like never before. Is your brand up for the challenge?Are you surrounded by people who are street-smart, agile and willing to take a risk? Do you have an actionable and scalable digital transformation plan in place? Is innovation a systemic part of your organizational DNA, or not?If the answer to any one of these questions in no, Goliath will never be slain.&nbsp;Let’s not let the bastard win!Note: This article was originally published in <a href="https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/352149/every-brand-has-become-a-challenger-are-you-up.html?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=headline&amp;utm_campaign=118626&amp;hashid=7FbnIrfKlNrjx7KEw8zSJhyS6LQ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MediaPost</a>. Republishing with permission.

Throughout history, there have always been champions and challengers. Explore how every brand can adopt a challenger mindset to stay competitive in today’s market.

Every Brand Has Become A Challenger — Are You Up For The Challenge?

Branding Content

Good people doing great work for our clients.