reflection on brand strategy

Brand Strategy Analysis 1

Brand Strategy: Hot Design Express

Manuel Wilhite

Full Sail University

18 April 2023


Abstract

Hot Design Express is a hybrid digital marketing and design firm. They deal exclusively with the

hair and beauty industry. They have hired us, ABC Brand Analysis Company to give them an

assessment of their brand structure, strategy and alignment with the core foundations of their

brand inception. It is beyond the scope of this report to cover all existing consumer audience

contact points, but there will be an analysis of core brand aspects that represent fundamental and

foundational brand presence and perception. These areas will include the brand name, identity,

business card and archetype. Some other areas that will be covered are the tag line, mission

statement, target market, brand story and promotional plan. Finally we will review the actual

product and its differentiation it has from the competitors. Throughout this report we shall use

observations from a book called The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier a respected author in the

field of brand strategy. This will allow us to contrast best practice with how the brand is aligned

presently. Using this method we may gain a richer perspective while exploring deeply, all

avenues to progress the brand in the eyes of the consumer audience. The goal of this report is to

convey successful strategy based on the context of where the brand stands presently and how it

can progress through the implementation of contemporary best practice.


Introduction

Who is Hot Design Express? They are a modern consultancy that is a departure from the norm,

representing a newer more contemporary operational apparatus that is more aligned with present

day media convergence patterns. What do they do? They represent through contemporary

practice, the rich mixture of the present day media channel structure that enables Hot Design

Express to have a fluid response to needs of the market. Where the old agency or consultant

structure promoted a silo type solution to project management, Hot Design Express approaches

such tasks with a modern approach that exhibits efficiency and measurable results. Why is this

important to the consumer audience? This efficiency allows for a richer set of solutions and

holistic digital marketing experiences in the form of an end-to-end approach. To project a stature

for this brand requires the same multifaceted innovation the premise of the brand asserts, a new,

modern and representative approach of the future. The challenge here though is to temper this

brash innovative spirit with a core philosophy and mantra that conveys a genuine feeling born

from the legacy of Annie Malone. Annie Malone’s name is scarcely known but her impact in the

hair and beauty industry is great. Her product design, market innovations and philanthropic traits

are the legacy in which Hot Design Express wishes to exemplify today. Helping people is a form

of problem solving. Hot Design Express seeks not only to differentiate itself through innovative

market practice, but through the focused intent of helping people market better within the hair

and beauty industry. They will achieve this by solving common problems in the brand space of

the consumer audience they serve, the small and medium sized salon and product owners within

the hair and beauty industry.


Hot Design Express Brand Components

Brand Name

Hot Design Express was created as a simple and sturdy name. In much the same way as the hood

of a high performance vehicle hides the complexity of what lies underneath, so was the name of

Hot Design Express chosen to hide the complex representation of media convergence that is used

in a multi-channel campaign operation. Since 1995 a dramatic transformation has taken place in

the way humanity communicates. Initially the media changed, followed by the structure of many

business models and finally the patterns of how we as a society interacts socially. The name Hot

Design Express was chosen to put a potentially complex marketing solution into a flexible term

that means innovation and efficiency. On the surface the name may seem odd and generic. You

certainly don’t think of hair and beauty when it is mentioned. But just as a high performance

vehicle is judged by its speed and flexibility, so too is Hot Design Express defined by the amount

of complex multi-channel tasks that are handled with speed, efficiency and measurable outcome.

Hot Design Express gets the meaning from a passion. A passion for the service it wants to

provide. Hot represents innovation, meaning new and contemporary concepts brought to fruition

through thought leadership. Design refers to the many levels of creativity within the scope of the

Hot Design Express spectrum of skill sets. Express refers to the simplicity and efficient elegance

of service delivery, often taking complex tasks and streamlining them to provide small and

midsize hair and beauty operations with contemporary marketing flexibility. As we examine the

Hot Design Express name with Marty Neumeier‘s seven criterions for a good name, it can be

seen that 100% alignment is not achieved but great promise remains for the components that are

well aligned. Is it distinctive? Yes. Hot Design Express separates itself from typical design firms

by boldly claiming a promise of innovation and timely, efficient service. Does it have brevity?


No. Hot Design Express is not a snappy one-word phrase that fits neatly within quickly worded

pitches. Yet it does maintain a quickness when recited, making it not as troublesome as a phrase

with even more syllables. Is it an appropriate name? Yes. Hot Design Express is embodied by the

name, which is innovative design in a fast and efficient manner. Is the spelling and pronunciation

easy? Yes. Hot Design Express is very easy in spelling and pronunciation. Is the name likable?

Yes. Hot Design Express projects value by nature of the premise it claims which is innovative

design with speed and efficiency. This is a desirable trait and therefor deemed likable. Is it

extendible? Yes. Hot Design Express by nature is multi-faceted being that it is representative of

new age media convergences both in design and marketing. This agility in meaning is carried

over to the name and aptly describes many things with one phrase. Is it a viable option for

trademark? Can it be used in web space? Yes. Hot Design Express is a registered domain and

business entity. This being stated, Hot Design Express does not really convey the core

philosophy through the name. The focus seems to be more on service and performance rather

than a name that shows the level of caring put forth in their philosophy. Though a challenge, it

may be wise to find ways to skillfully align the name more with the caring persona they wish to

evoke.

Brand Identity


figure 1

The Hot Design Express logo may be the ultimate compliment to the brand name. Where the

brand name signifies logic, function and performance, the logo exhibits caring and grace. The

elegance of a lady looking downward with eyes closed as if in inner contemplation gives the

impression of beauty. The hairstyle she dons metaphorically represents the heat of innovation

fused with a deliverance of beauty. The strong lines hug soft curves but give way to sharp edges

representing variety yet simplicity while forming the complete image. The logo is left black and

white intentionally as a means to keep it neutral. This gives it a chameleon like quality and

makes it adaptable to many formats and mediums. The curvature and line format along with the

facial composition could be reminiscent a well-known artist from the art deco era. This logo is

effective at bringing balance to the brand name and skillfully conveys a feeling of care and

compassion. It could be said that it has aesthetics, because it’s the language of feeling.

J. Morse states what logos should posses in his article on the subject, “There are four principles

that make for a great logo. It must follow solid basic design principles, be functional, represent

the company and be unique.” Morse, J. (2014) Hot Design Express has devised a logo that embodies

these traits. It’s function is represented in the manner it effectively conveys grace and beauty. The lines

and forms follow timeless design principles making it appealing and recognizable. The style in which the


composition is rendered makes it unique and all of these facets together combine to represent the

company quite fully. The Hot Design Express logo is meant to communicate a nurturing aura that shields

them from the harsh reality of tech dense activities multi-channel campaigns can involve. Though the Hot

Design Express logo has much strength, the fact it has no color may be a hindrance to achieving an

instant connection. Color triggers emotions that should be aligned with brand persona. Finding a way to

have a standard color scheme would aid in the holistic projection of brand charisma.

Business Card

figure 2


The business card for Hot Design Express is much like the logo and name in that it is simple and

elegant, yet functional and with meaning. The logo is shown prominently at the top of the

portrait-oriented layout. The font is Minion and expresses a sense of timelessness and effective

communication with its clarity. In an article by mashable.com outlining best practices on

business card layout, they put forth some points to be noted when preparing your own, “Don’t

over populate, don’t make it bland and don’t list a fax number.” These simple yet applicable

rules have been implemented for the most part except for the bland part. It is a fine line between

simplicity and bland. It is our opinion that there should be avenues sought out to make the

business card stand out more. The tag line is an attempt to let the cardholder know the intentions

of the company. The words, “guiding the possibilities in hair & beauty marketing” are an

optimistic symbol of hope. It is meant to convey a sense of confidence in the future of the

opportunities that await us. This tagline as well as the other elements of this business card is

aligned with the brand, aside from the blandness and lack of color vibrancy.

Archetype

The archetype for Hot Design Express is the Caregiver. This stems from the intent of helping

people to market better within the hair and beauty industry. In embracing the philosophy and

philanthropic traits of Annie Malone, Hot Design Express aims to solve problems by proving

thought leadership openly and geared to empower small and medium sized businesses in hair and

beauty. Annie Malone once oversaw a hair and beauty empire over 100 years ago. She was the

first female self-made millionaire and she used her wealth to open schools and orphanages.


A more recognizable public figure that shares the same archetype as Annie Malone is the actor

Cicely Tyson. She is known for playing powerful roles as mothers and strong compassionate

women. As the mother that bore Kunta Kinte in the movie Roots, she showed the care and

compassion only a mother could exhibit. These traits embody the Caregiver archetype. The

Caregiver archetype is comprised of emotions such as making people a priority.

This archetype is compassionate and generous; frequently helping others is how they find their

meaning. They provide exceptional customer service and are consistent and trustworthy.

Caregivers have been known to put themselves last though, so it is important to maintain a

balance so that objectives are not totally emotionally based. There are other negative sides to the

Caregiver archetype besides over sacrifice such as the tendency of needing to be important and at

the center of attention. That being said, Hot Design Express exemplifies this archetype through

the help and thought leadership it provides on their site. Many people find it hard to wade

through the mountains of information it takes to understand complex marketing strategy. Product

design can be an equally harrowing task to assess and implement a brand-aligned solution. When

the two are mixed together it may be near impossible to ascertain a brand solution without

consulting several entities and getting unpredictable budget outcomes. Some information found

elsewhere may not be specific to the area of hair. Through a section on the site called Hot

Design Social, product and salon owners can view articles and videos, share stories and ask

questions to help themselves. Hot Design Express calls this the Marketing Community and

invites participants to share their marketing journey. By encouraging small and midsize business

owners to collaborate and share their experiences they learn through context. Besides that Hot

Design Express has an area on the site called Ask A Question. In this area they take more in

depth questions from the consumer audience and make content from it. This method plays a dual


role because as well as informing the consumer audience it provides the site with relevant

content, potentially answering other questions before they are asked. This community is open

and free, showing that Hot Design Express cares for the hair and beauty ecosystem of small

business. Through these demonstrations the values of Hot Design Express are aligned with the

character traits of the Caregiver archetype.

Mission Statement

“Providing innovative, timely digital marketing and design while caring for the hair and beauty

ecosystem.”

Hot Design Express has chosen a mission statement that does its best to reflect the values and

intentions of the brand. By drawing from the qualities of the company philosophy and brand

name, the mission statement provides a glimpse into the vision it takes to fulfill the promise.

Previously we discussed how the word Hot in the brand name described innovation, the mission

statement puts this value front and center. The word Express in the brand name is represented by

the word timely in the mission statement, again aligning itself with the core values of it. Digital

marketing and design specify the core services of Hot Design Express and are indeed how the

brand brings value to the consumer audience. The part that says, “while caring for the hair and

beauty ecosystem” is also in alignment with the brand philosophy and archetype characteristics.


When all of these elements are placed together to form the whole statement a clear objective

unfolds. Looking at an article by Inc. Magazine, they give us insight into good components a

mission statement should possess, “…you should be able to convey the value of your company

or why your brand exists, inspire and encourage your employees.” Lublin, N., & Lublin, N. (2009)

Furthermore they state that you should focus on what your company really does and convey the value that

demonstrates. We feel this mission statement accurately reflects and aligns with the brands goals and

objectives.

Brand Story

We would like to stress to Hot Design Express to use their brand story to demonstrate a

genuine empathy for the customer to gain a deeper connection on their level. Quicksprout.com

made a statement that supports such a view,

“Contrary to popular belief, brand storytelling is not about your company. It’s about your

customers and the value that they get when engaging with your product or service.”

Inc.com, (2015)

This story displays these values. Trina was fresh out of cosmetology school, so she should be

finished with the hectic schedule right? Wrong. After graduating school and feeling like she was

supposed to know more, all she was left with was the word how. How do I promote my salon

services? How can I promote my hair product? What about packaging? How about sales,

distribution, websites, and all of the 1000 other details to go over? With a three year old girl, a

car note and a student loan looming, Trina had no time to surmount a learning campaign to fill in

the missing pieces of getting more clients and sales. Then Trina found Hot Design Express

through a banner on her favorite hair blog. There she discovered the marketing community, a

place where people like her were trying to do things like her, namely starting businesses or


making established businesses prosper. Even before joining the marketing community she

submitted a question to the Ask A Question area of the site. To her surprise she got a reply

within 24 hours. Her question was even good enough to be made into an article, which was put

up a week later. When her article was posted she was informed and thanked by Hot Design

Express, then other community members also commented on the article over the time it was

posted. Trina was feeling less anxious now and even energized, knowing that even though she

couldn’t afford full service consulting, Hot Design Express provided enough information to

make her informed. She started to frequent the site more often to engage in other people that

owned salons and products, developing contacts and even picking up a client or two. As time

passed by, she used the advice to do simple steps, like posting regularly on her social media

touch points and how to measure their effectiveness. She even averted disaster by not signing up

for a web site she knew wasn’t of value. Since her friend recommended it to her she usually

would have gone with it. But this time she attended a webinar outlining best practices on

choosing a web designer and why, there she found key questions to ask and what to expect. Her

friend lamented to her months later about the broken promises of more traffic and the steep

monthly payments she was making. Trina now felt very proud, only months ago she felt

powerless to navigate her business or what a brand was. Now not only did she have a community

to turn to and gain insights into common problems, but she now had a broader offline network as

well. Trina and other community members would get together for glamour meet ups and even

have outings for the kids. But aside from these qualities she enjoyed by joining the community,

she liked the energy and the buzz every time she and the other community members were

together. Sure there was a lot of reading and ever more question asking, but doing it in a

community she learned more from context and that made it seem natural. It really seems as if


they were there every step of the way, I now feel more confident about the future of my business

and being able to care for my family.

This story represents an experience of a typical community member. It shows how Hot

Design Express fosters a community and tends to needs that small and medium sized business

owners have. By sharing the philosophy of helping others, the feeling perpetuates throughout the

community leading to broader learning, engagement and increased opportunity. This scenario is

in line with the Caregiver archetype as it demonstrates compassion for the welfare of people and

their businesses in the hair community. There was sense of emotion conveyed by the relief Trina

felt after feeling less helpless promoting her services, even though she couldn’t afford full

service. Emotion was also displayed in the friendships she generated through the community that

led to offline meet ups. Trina was also glad she had averted buying a bum web site by using

information from the webinar she attended. All of these instances together can be traced back to

the environment that nurtured Trina’s search for answers. This environment embodies the

archetype Hot Design Express professes.

Target Market

The target market Hot Design Express seeks to engage is mostly female and African

American, and owns their own product, salon or both. Probeauty.org, in their annual report on

the state of the hair care industry, presented some astounding facts. Probeauty.org (2015) They

find that the salon industry is vibrant and growing with close to one million establishments that

have an annual income of over $40 billion. Of this total amount of salons in the U.S., 20% have

African American owners, compared to just 7% of business in the private sector. Also from this


total amount they find that 60% of all salons are owned by women compared with just 20% of

overall business in the private sector. Salon owners frequently launch their own products even if

just sold in their own salons. Of this population of salon and product owners, 25% are 18 to 24,

11% are 25 to 34, and 37% are 35 to 44. The median age is 40 and the average household income

for 50% of this demographic is $50,000, with 38% making over $75,000 and just 20% making

over $100,000. Over 44% of this demographic has attended college and 88% have attended some

college in their lifetime. 70% of this demographic is employed full time while 58% of this total

demographic is married and 38% have children. Finally 58% of this demographic is married.

A report by Neilson on Afro American shopping habits point out great insights into the likes and

dislikes of this demographic segment. Nnpa.org,. (2015)

“Blacks commit 18% of their annual retail dollars to store brands and continue to

show resiliency in specific non-edible categories such as Ethnic Hair and Beauty

Aids, where they are more likely to spend nine times more than other groups.”

Also in their findings they report that Blacks watch 37% TV than that of the overall

population, another insight into frequented activities. They also have found in their study

that Afro American women are the fastest growing entrepreneurial segment of the

population. As a target market, Hot Design Express has aligned the brand with a good

understanding of who their base clientele is and why they engage on certain levels.

Promotional Plan


The Hot design express promotional plan is built with the target market in mind. By

knowing their likes and dislikes, we can more accurately engage the specific

demographic we need to. Social media is a must when speaking of engagement with this

particular demographic segment. There is also content, a very targeted way to draw this

demographic. Hot Design Express makes content from the needs of the marketing

community they administer as well as keyword research from word spaces that

compliment the brand. From these keywords they gather insight on trends within groups

that frequent those keywords. This content when posted draws targeted traffic that can

be directed to various funnels on the site with different objectives. Hot Design Express

also employs an influencer campaign it dove tails with press releases and retargeting

campaigns. Reaching out to hair bloggers, high profile stylists, successful product

owners and hair and beauty journalists, Hot Design Express invites them to take a poll or

participate in a content partnership. This is done around the same time of a press release

to maximize impact and make measurable results. With the bump in traffic retargeted

ads are employed to stretch the exposure of the campaign as the consumer audience

travels the net. Finally Hot Design Express re-purposes content and deploys it over other

channel to maximize reach and engagement. The social media touch points are the

essential six, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Pintrist, Instagram and Google+. Each social

touch point has its own attributes and content is formatted specifically for that channel

while making sure that it isn’t the same as another channel. Throughout the touch points

the brand message should be consistent and the messages relevant enough to engage and

point back to the site for added traffic.


Product Description

The Hot Design Express products are actually the innovation in project management it

provides. In the book The Brand Gap, it was stated as such, “The successful company is

not the one with the most brains, he suggests, but the most brains acting in concert.” M.

Neumeier (2015) Hot Design Express represents a newer form of consultancy that

reflects the convergence in media, communications and manufacturing. By wrapping

these processes in a package, shielding the client from the myriad of complexities, Hot

Design Express exhibits innovation in service deliver which creates overall value and

customer satisfaction. The book also says,

“Today there are three basic models for managing brand collaboration:

Outsourcing the brand to a one-stop shop, outsourcing it to a brand agency, and

stewarding the brand internally with an integrated marketing team.” M.

Neumeier (2015) Hot Design Express has developed many professional

relationships and outsource venders which gives them the flexibility to do

complex tasks almost in parallel. This level of efficiency across high-end skill

levels offers a competitive advantage to the client while creating the value of

projects completed on time and on budget. This type of innovative product

offering falls in line with the brand attribute of providing innovative design

services in a timely manner.

Differentiators

We congratulate Hot Design Express on their unique approach to a very

targeted and defined market. From this standpoint we could say there are no


competitors but that would be unwise. The book The Brand Gap points out the

benefits of occupying well-defined niches like this and how they command a

premium, “charismatic brands often claim the dominant position in their

categories, with market shares of 50% or higher.” M. Neumeier (2015) Besides

that, the book claims, these companies claim up to 40% higher prices and are

least likely to be commoditized. This being said, Hot Design Express used these

three competitors as a comparison to highlight their differences.

1. http://theblackowlagency.com/

2. http://www.barbinc.com/

3. http://www.salonbuilder.com/

Hot Design Express is a hybrid digital marketing and design agency that deals

exclusively with hair and beauty. They highly measurable marketing campaigns over

multi-channel formats to achieve maximum exposure and branding to specifically

targeted markets. The first differentiator they possess is a highly targeted niche of salon

and product owners primarily in the African American sector. Of the three sites listed

only one site, www.salonbuilder.com specializes in salons though www.barbinc.com

deals with a similar niche, since it is barbering it’s not the same. The second

differentiator is services. Hot Design Express offers a robust set of services that are

integrated and reflect modern convergences in media, communication and

manufacturing. With packaging and product design mixed with the marketing and

launching of these products as well as a full set of measurable online visibility

solutions, the versatility in services they provide is hard to be matched. The site

www.salonbuilder.com offers canned web sites geared to charge a monthly fee for the

http://www.salonbuilder.com/

http://www.barbinc.com/




http://theblackowlagency.com/


lifetime of its use. The same is offered by www.barbinc.com, a monthly fee for a

cookie cutter site cobbled together with thin content and no optimization. The site of

www.theblackowlagency.com has creative services but they are unspecialized and

amount to little more than mere graphic design and not a complete solution. The third

difference between Hot Design Express and the three listed sites is community and

content. Hot Design Express regularly devises specific content and engages with a

community of targeted audience members. This content exhibits thought leadership

and the ability to contribute to the value of discussion and discovery among the

community. Out of the three, www.barbinc.com had the most relevant and up to date

content, an examination of their keyword structure revealed that there is no concerted

effort to optimize this content though. The other two sites had either stale content or no

content. A sites content and how it is structured is a dead giveaway as to the intent of

the site. A site without optimized content is a shot in the dark.

In Closing

Our analysis of the Hot Design Express brand has uncovered some good and some bad

but overall we are excited about the innovative direction they head and the ethical

philosophy they embrace as they do.


http://www.theblackowlagency.com/


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