The official website of Stephen Hawley Martin
Meet Stephen Hawley Martin
Stephen is a former Client Plans Director at The Martin Agency, the internationally renowned ad firm that brought you the GEICO Gecko and “Virginia is for lovers.” In that capacity he created strategies and marketing programs for all the agency's clients. Now, in his freelance consulting business, he uses the same process, the one he describes in his new book, to develop roadmaps marketers can follow to realize the maximum return on what they spend on marketing communications.
How Stephen Hawley Martin Ignites Sales
Discover
Develop
Align
Stephen uses a discovery process, the first iteration of which was developed at The Martin Agency. The procedure has been refined and improved over a twenty-year period to pinpoint a business or a brand’s strengths, as well as how the product, service, or entity connects, or does not connect, with its target market. A major goal is to identify the “One Thing,” and the emotion the One Thing engenders in users that can be amplified in order to set the brand apart and create that all-important expectation of performance.
Based on what is found in the Discover phase, Stephen develops the all-important Brand Power Statement or USP. This differs from a typical USP in that it not only puts a finger on the One Thing the brand does best that customers what most, it also brings into play the emotion generated in users of the brand. This is important because emotion is much more powerful at motivating than facts are all by themselves.
Alignment is the next step. Work may be required to ensure the organization or brand delivers fully on a new or a revised promise, and that the desired emotion does in fact result. A roadmap to follow will be provided to bring it all to fruition and to get everyone on board. Stephen has found that organizations thrive when their people become steeped in the brand. It happens when they get involved in creating it. They come to believe in it and its appeal. Stephen will orchestrate that.
There are many potential benefits to creating Brand Power. Here are six:
1. High potential for success. The Martin Brand Power process has a long history of helping under-performing brands move from the doldrums to dominate their categories.
2. Once implemented, you’re likely to make more money.
3. You may even be able to sleep through the night—with no more worries about less than spectacular sales.
4. You’ll save money now wasted on communications that don’t produce the results they should.
5. Your business may grow exponentially, creating opportunities for you, your employees, and other stakeholders.
6. You’ll experience the thrill of victory. You haven’t forgotten how joyous it feels to win, have you?