It was lovely to be back in Vilnius, the capital of the very “Likeable” Lithuania, to deliver two BrandLab Masterclasses for Enterprise Lithuania. A broad range of companies was invited to attend the two day Strategic Brand Planning Masterclasses.
Companies from interior design, construction, laser design, food, fashion, textiles, soft drinks, information technology, materials distribution, cosmetics, glassware and even a ball bearing manufacturer participated. Both an eclectic and interesting mix.
Based on the earlier recruitment process it was clear Lithuanian companies faced a number of branding challenges which are not uncommon in other countries. The Masterclasses aimed to address these challenges so delegates focused on:
- Intangibles not tangibles as meaningful sources of differentiation
- Benefits not features
- Brand propositions not product category brands
- A customer / jobs to be donenot product focus
- Humans’ feelings not just rational, logical or linear thought processes
Justinas Kanopa, Executive Director at market leading food producer UAB Daivida outlines:
“I wanted to participate because I think that we as an organisation did not perform well enough on marketing and I also wanted to refresh our understanding of marketing. I must admit that Masterclass impressed and surprised me with its quality and depth of the subjects analysed. Also, group “Thinking cap” excercises were really productive and a great learning experience. Even compared to the marketing lectures I attended in the University of Cambridge, I think it would be my favourite and score the best feedback marks. Furthermore, the knowledge wil be definitely applied in our business and it is already converting into a marketing plan, which I hope will be improved during the individual consultations.
Arvydas Badonas, Chief Operating Officer from Venta Windows who attended one of the Masterclasses notes:
“First of all, it is a really interesting project, in Lithuania the marketing traditions are not so deep rooted and there are not many branding specialists so we had no hesitation whether we should go or not. We viewed this as a perfect opportunity to learn more about the importance of brand and the value of it. Our expectations were fully met, within a few days I have learned more about brand and branding benefits than I did within years of studies in university and my career.
For our company it was a very important step, because we were in the middle setting our strategy and after the seminar we have a much clearer view what we must prepare and what to communicate. We have basically stopped all our projects related to brand development and strategic plans before we will finish the BrandLab project. Once we finalize our brand plan we will set all our company resources to support this plan to direct and strenghten our brand communications.”
Laurynas Ukanis, Advertising Projects Manager at specialist laser EKSPLA company outines:
“Darren’s BrandLab Masterclass showed us exactly what we were looking for quite a long time. This was a systematic approach to brand building. We enjoyed the consistency with which all aspects of branding were covered from customer profiling, values defintion to brand metrics. Instead of concentrating on visual design issues, which is very common in such a type of courses available from other lecturers, we focused on understanding building brand foundations. This is an essential part of the company image. Very few lecturers are delivering that kind of knowledge. After the event we were eager to apply the acquired knowledge. We are looking forward to seeing our brand plan in action.”
Laimonas Sipavičius, CEO of House Projects who create and sell high end architectural plans for homes notes:
“Attending the BrandLab Masterclass was one of the best things I have ever done. I had a fantastic time and it far exceeded my expectations. Darren’s positive attitude was contagious. Everyone including myself felt motivated to improve our companies’ brand strategy. While the technical instruction was excellent, the whole workshop was a lot of fun. I learned so much that I have already begun to rebuild my all company from scratch.”
Lina Pliuraite, who runs the wonderfully elegant LeMuse fashion brand with Sofija Karnilaviciene noted:
“We were happy to attend to the BrandLab workshop. The workshop was very interesting. I got so much knowledge about Branding, how to built a brand and how to develop it. We are now working on all of our brands at LeMuse. I have been in branding workshops before, but this workshop was the most interesting and useful for me. All material was very strong but simple. I got lot of inspiration and ideas how to develop LeMuse.”
Ilona Aladaitytė, Director from Decoflux who design and sell fabulous fabrics outlines:
“During the2 day BrandLab Masterclass we acquired a lot of advanced brand knowledge that has helped us work more effectively in both B2C and B2B contexts. After the Masterclass we have incorporated this newly acquired knowledge into our exhibition spaces at trade fairs to create a more attractive and engaging brand experience. It has also helped our designers create furniture with color and details that help support our brand. We can do this because we described our brand values, essence, promise and positioning very clearly to our designers which has facilitated greater consistency of brand delivery. The BrandLab Masterclass has helped us to develop a deeper and more consistent approach to our brand than we had before.”
Donatas Aksomitas, Managing Director of hi-tech software firm AGA Cad notes:
“I thought had an understanding about branding and it’s importance for business before I attended BrandLab. But after the BrandLab Masterclass I have developed a deeper understanding of brand.I look forward to using this to help my business grow.”
Jurate Nöthen, Managing Director of Jurate who make and manufature high quality linen in Vilnius’ Old Town outlines
I have never thought that it is possible to learn so much new within two days! The Strategic Brand Plan Canvas is always in front of us: when we are discussing about new products, packaging, marketing and even changes of the interior of our weaving manufactory. It’s an important management tool.
Darren Coleman, who ran the session on Wavelength’s behalf noted:
“This is the first time we’ve run a Masterclass in Lithuania. Both sessions were an absolute pleasure to deliver. I was particularly pleased with the groups’ understanding of brand essence and brand experiences. They were quick to grasp how a clear and concise brand essence could help move their organisations from a restrictive product category to a brand focus, which has the potential to span a range of categories. This is how brands really grow. You only need to look at Armani and how it has taken a brand essence of ‘timeless Italian elegance’ into a range of markets well beyond clothing.
The groups also started to appreciate the important role brand experiences played in differentiation. For the companies who made ‘goods’ this was a challenge but they soon realised there are only so many ways you can differentiate based on physical features whereas experiences provide a broad range of opportunities. This was a large step most organisations were able to take. It was very rewarding to observe the change.”
A few select shots from both days are included in the short clip. We hope you like them.
Why not learn more about Wavelength’s involvement with BrandLab by reading this article? Enjoy.