What's a "Brand Tour" and how to do one

First, I’m not coining the term “brand tour” - I heard it a few years ago, referring to the process of getting up to speed on a new brand at the beginning of an engagement or pitch. Like a lot of terms strategists use, I have no idea if it’s known vernacular, a loosely branded internal process at some agency, or a throwaway term that stuck.

Etymology aside, we’ve all done it. But my experience with strategists I coach is that many don’t do it thoroughly. In fact, most only do about a third of it, sometimes two thirds. Here are the phases and activities of a brand tour that I recommend:

1. Experience
   The objective of the Experience phase is to see the brand from its customers eyes. Strategists naturally gravitate here, even when our agency isn’t still trying to differentiate on “user-centricity” or “cultural anthropology.” We spend time on websites and social channels, maybe go into physical locations, see or use products, even talk to the brand’s customers. Make sure you sample as much of the brand experience as you can - sign up for email, follow socials, create an account on the website, join promotions, etc. In real life experiencing a brand is a combination of active and passive, so let the brand intercept you in the same way you’re intercepting it.

2. Understand
   If Experience is about the POV of the customer, Understand starts to put you in the POV of your client. Research who the brand’s main competitors are, follow industry analysts to hear their perspective on the category, add their stock ticker to a watchlist and read the news that mentions them daily, use Google News Alerts on the brand, competitors and key industry terms to immerse yourself more fully in the business of the brand. You need to know how this business makes money, and the forces that act on its profitability. If that sounds like business strategy it’s because it is - all strategists need to be part business strategist.

3. Analyze
   Once you understand how your client makes money, who its customers and competitors are, and what forces are influencing its fortunes, your next step is to dig deeper to see how it’s doing. Read financial statements if it’s public (or comparable analyses if it’s not), search for interviews with key executives - they’ll often talk about major initiatives and goals, which helps you see the obstacles they’re trying to overcome. Find category and industry analyst reports on marketshare and CAGR to see if they’re flourishing, flagging or flailing. (If all you can find are $2500 reports behind paywalls, try an image search or SlideShare for the things you want - these things often end up in presentations. (If you can’t find anything don’t ask ChatGPT - it can’t see any more than you can but has no reservations about just making stuff up that will embarrass you with the client later.)

A brand tour is a process. Doing it well enough that it actually benefits your work and puts you in a position to be genuinely useful to your client takes time, intention and structure. At least now you have the structure.