Adviser marketing: Simon Barbato on ‘distinctiveness’ as the key to brand, and how to achieve it

Octo Members
13 September 2019
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A 35-minute watch. 

Simon Barbato is the chief of brand consultancy Mr B & Friends, and this wide-ranging interview in Octo’s coffee booths with Lee Robertson, talks through why branding is so important, the concepts that can make your business stand-out, the four dimensions involved in brand, and execution.

Referring to a re-brand for a former client, Simon makes the point that brand is fundamental to business’ modus operandi, with the new concept “challenging everything they did: the way they communicated, the way they behaved, the way their teams were structured”.

Asked how best for an adviser to make their brand stand-out, he underlines that ‘distinctiveness’ is the key here. Customer experience is a great source of leverage in this regard, he remarks, and refers to a wealth manager that offered its clients use of a mini cooper when visiting London as an example of a firm with great customer experience.

Also in the interview, Simon touches on the multi-dimensional nature of brand – explaining its four essential components – as well as execution, and the agency’s ‘compressed’ brand transformation program.

Don’t forget to check-out Sam Shaw’s new podcast series, beginning here with Manchester-based financial adviser James Wetherall. 

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