What do legacy brands like Kodak, and Yahoo! have in common? Their brand strategy missteps contributed to their downfall.
What can we learn from their mistakes? Although sales cycles for B2B companies typically run longer than those for direct-to-consumer companies, B2B companies are under growing pressure to market more, post more, and sell more. Stop before you try to push more content and increase your digital marketing spend. Take a minute to check the quality of your brand strategy.
Slumpy sales and poor employee buy-in may not be a marketing or HR issue. You may have a critical gap in your brand strategy.
Strategy comes before logo design and marketing tactics: that’s why we brand first. A beautiful logo, a polished website, and clever ad campaigns will not deliver sustainable growth if your brand strategy isn’t aligned with your mission and in tune with what your customers care about.
Intuitive brand strategy gets to the central value a company brings to the marketplace.
Kodak’s story is well known. The C suite lost sight of the foundational strength of the company as a technology and market disruptor. They chose to shelve their inventions of the DSLR camera (digital imagery) and touchscreen technology for the short-term gain of film sales. Here’s more on the background of Kodak’s brand strategy misstep. If Kodak had a clear brand strategy, it would have recognized that its mission was “to capture and share moments,” not merely lead the market in film sales.
Yahoo!‘s vision was to keep people in their system and on their page. Google’s vision is to get people where they want to go. Yahoo! missed the moment and its mission was not in tune with what people wanted.
Yahoo!’s Vision Statement Yahoo!’s vision is to be the center of people’s online lives by delivering personally relevant, meaningful internet experiences.
Comparably.com
Google’s mission is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. While Yahoo!’s vision was to be the center of people’s lives,
While Google was taking people places, Yahoo! pursued the goal of snagging people and keeping them on the Yahoo site.
In 1998, Yahoo’s mission statement focused on attracting and retaining the largest, most diverse global audience by providing an independent, open platform for users to access a wide range of content, services, and communication tools. They aimed to build a platform where users could easily discover and connect with anything they desired, and then analyze user behavior to personalize and enhance their experience. Yahoos Billion Dollar Blunders
In the early days, Yahoo had two opportunities to buy Google; the first was in 1998 for $1 million. As of January 2025, in the global search space, Yahoo! holds a market share of 1.34%, while Google accounts for 89.62%. Global Search Engines from 2015 to 2025, Statistica.com
Yahoo!’s complicated and cluttered home page in 2000.
Google’s home page in 2000 reveals a clear and focused strategy to get people to where they want to go.
To “brand first” means we start with codifying your brand’s unique identity before we touch design or marketing tactics. We dig deep with your leadership team through a guided Discovery, then build a Brand Blueprint—a living document that becomes the foundation for all your visuals, messaging, marketing, sales, hiring, and training.
We don’t guess. We gather, clarify, and codify the unique intangible qualities of your brand.
We don’t decorate. We discover the right look and message to attract your ideal customers.
We brand first so every business decision is focused and aligned to your mission and vision.
It’s not marketing. It’s strategy with heart. And it works.
A Winning Brand Strategy: Selling More Than Soap
Dove, a Unilever consumer brand, states that its purpose is to inspire every woman to see her beauty in who she is, and its mission is to ensure that the next generation grows up enjoying a positive relationship with the way they look. Its vision is to redefine beauty. When you get the purpose and mission right, you can build a sustainable brand promise on it. The Dove team has developed impressive marketing campaigns and global initiatives based on this brand strategy.
Your marketing team can only say what you tell them to say. If your marketing campaigns fall flat because they are based on faulty assumptions, promises your company can’t deliver on, or a mission that doesn’t inspire your team or your customers, please don’t blame the marketing team!
A Case Study: Brand Strategy Success
When we began working with KIRKS, a national parts distributor, they were struggling with inconsistent messaging, an outdated name, a scattered graphic appearance, and a sales team that was shooting from the hip to explain their USP.
Working through our Brand Blueprint process with the KIRKS leadership team, we went to the foundational roots of the company, starting with its beginning in 1946 with founder, Ernie Kirkman. It was exciting to discover that, 75 years later, the company’s mission was still in effect: supplying quality parts.
As we explored the ways the company had adapted to changes in technology and the marketplace, the leadership team gained clarity on their purpose, mission, key differentiators, USP, and what their customers truly want.
The KIRKS brand identity has been refined by dropping “automotive” from the name, a crisp, iconic logo, and messaging that resonates with their ideal customer. The Brand Blueprint equips sales, marketing, HR, and leadership with direction. It’s a foundational tool that explains the unique DNA of the brand in relatable and shareable language. You can review the KIRKS Transit | Fleet | Equipment case study here.
Before you launch another campaign, redesign your website, or dive into a “brand refresh,” ask yourself and your team this question: Do we truly know who we are as a brand—and can our customers tell?
At Identity Creative, we often meet companies that are eager to grow but stuck spinning their wheels. They’re pushing out marketing tactics without gaining real traction. Their messaging feels off. Their visuals are dated or inconsistent. And internally, their team isn’t on the same page.
That’s why we brand first.
Our Brand Blueprint Process (BBP) is a deep dive into who you are and what makes your company different. It starts with Discovery Workshops that guide challenging discussions with your leadership team to uncover:
From there, we craft a Brand Blueprint. It’s your internal guide that aligns your team and informs all future marketing, design, sales communication, and even hiring decisions.
Most marketing agencies skip this part. They jump into designing or capturing leads without first answering the critical why and how. That’s like putting flippers on an Olympic swimmer. At some point, the flippers have to come off, and the “winning speed” is gone.
Here are some of the results when you don’t brand first:
When you brand first, you’ll enjoy deeper and lasting outcomes:
One of our recent clients told us after their Discovery Workshop:
“I wish we had done this years ago. Everything has come together beautifully.”
When You Brand First, Everything Else Gets Easier
Once the foundation is established, your brand begins to take shape.
Your brand is more than how you appear. It’s every part of the experience people have with your company. When you start with strategy, your brand becomes your biggest business asset.
Life’s too short to work without a meaningful purpose.
“Brand First” means we don’t jump into marketing tactics until we’ve built the brand foundation. We guide you through a proven, collaborative process that clarifies your identity, from your purpose and values to your market position and elevator pitch, before we create a design or headline.
If you’re feeling stuck in your marketing or your team isn’t aligned on who you are, see how you’re doing on your mission, vision, and core values.
This is your business, and you’re pouring your life into it. Our business is dedicated to helping you shine from the inside out, fostering healthy and sustainable growth. If you’d like to discuss creating a Brand Blueprint for your business, please contact us today. It may be time to brand first.