What do you do if your feedback isn't constructive and helpful in brand strategy?

Here is what I would do if my feedback isn't constructive and helpful in brand strategy 1. Clarify what I am trying to accomplish 2. Carefully examine the feedback received. If the feedback is unclear or lacks substance, don't I would ask for more detailed explanations. 3. Reach out to other stakeholders, industry experts, or trusted advisors who have a deeper understanding of your brand and its strategic objectives. Gather additional feedback and insights that can provide a more constructive and aligned perspective on your brand strategy. 4. Once I have collected feedback, I evaluate it against the brand strategy goals to get the ones that is most relevant and likely to contribute to the successful implementation of your brand strategy.

The first thing is to make sure you understand what is the objective that the business is trying to achieve through the brand strategy. Ensure that your contributions are in sync with the goals and objectives that the strategy has set out to achieve. If there is still a lack of connect in your feedback, ask questions and discuss more to understand the points being discussed. It's often simple things that are usually overlooked and create problems/miscommunications.

I dive back into the conversation with curiosity. Just like when I moved from Gujarat to Mumbai and faced a whirlwind of cultural shifts and stiff competition, it sometimes left me puzzled. Similarly, when feedback leaves me scratching my head, I ask more questions. Is this feedback a personal preference or does it have a strategic nugget I’m missing? By opening up a dialogue, I often find there’s more beneath the surface. This approach helps me sift through the noise, finding those insights that can truly shape our brand strategy in a meaningful way. Navigating feedback is a bit like adjusting to a new city. It’s about understanding the lay of the land, asking the right questions, finding your way to turn challenges into opportunities

Se o feedback não for construtivo nem útil na estratégia da marca, é importante adotar medidas para melhorar o processo de feedback. Inicialmente, avalio a qualidade e a natureza do feedback recebido, identificando áreas de melhoria e possíveis lacunas na comunicação. Em seguida, busco feedback adicional, seja através de pesquisas de satisfação, entrevistas individuais ou grupos focais, para obter uma visão mais abrangente das percepções dos stakeholders. Com base nessas informações, realizo ajustes no processo de coleta e análise de feedback, garantindo que seja específico, relevante e acionável para a estratégia da marca.

When faced with unhelpful feedback for brand strategy, I prioritize clarity on objectives and the questions asked. First, I reassess my goals for obtaining feedback and what insights I hope to gain. This clarity guides me in refining my approach and ensures that the questions I ask are targeted and purposeful. By understanding the specific areas I need feedback on, I can avoid vague or irrelevant inquiries that yield low-value insights. It's about optimizing the feedback process to extract actionable and meaningful information that can drive effective brand strategy decisions.

I can’t stress on this enough. When we gain some industry experience, a lot of us stop accepting the fact that we DON’T KNOW IT ALL at times and it’s completely okay. And this comes in the way of taking the feedback positively, which hampers the brand. When you are listening to a feedback, remove yourself from the equation, even better, do the Red Team technique, be the critique of your own work. Remember: BRAND FIRST ALWAYS!

After getting feedback, I take a step back to objectively reflect, much like reviewing a roadmap in my professional journey. I strip away personal bias, aligning feedback with our brand’s goals and audience needs. Unexpected critiques can shed light on overlooked areas, offering valuable insights. This objective reflection ensures our strategy not only aligns with our brand’s values but also strengthens our connection with the audience, turning challenges into strategic opportunities for growth.

When adjusting brand strategy based on feedback, it's essential to ensure the feedback is representative of our target personas. We analyze if there's a consistent trend aligning with our long-term brand objectives, not just short-term fixes. Rushing changes based on low-volume or knee-jerk feedback can deviate us from our broader target market's needs. It's about discerning whether the feedback aligns with our brand's vision and resonates with our core audience, guiding strategic adjustments that maintain long-term brand integrity and relevance.

There is a lot of difference in just taking feedback for the sake of it and actually working on the feedback. A practice we did in one of the agencies I worked in really helped, instead of asking for feedback, we scheduled “feedback brainstorming” calls with the whole team. Where instead of just listening to the feedback we would spend time to understand and decipher it. We would work on some directions right in the call and take back something concrete with us from the call. It really helped. We weren’t just listening. No one was commanding. Everyone was working collectively towards a common goal, to reach closer to our objective. It also spruces up the team spirit, which is an added benefit.

In our agency, when the business folks and creatives team up, it’s magic. Chatting openly, bouncing ideas around - that's our secret sauce. This vibe turns feedback into gold, sparking innovations that make our projects shine. Plus, it turns us into true fans of our own work, spreading good vibes and buzz. It’s all about teaming up, having fun, and smashing those goals together. Trust me, it’s this mix that takes our ideas from “pretty cool” to “wow, that’s awesome!”

Engaging collaboratively is crucial when feedback on brand strategy isn't constructive or helpful. In such cases, it's essential to foster open communication channels with stakeholders to understand their perspectives better. This involves initiating dialogue sessions or workshops where team members and stakeholders can openly discuss their feedback, concerns, and suggestions in a constructive manner. By encouraging collaboration, you create a space for brainstorming ideas, exploring different viewpoints, and collectively finding solutions to address any challenges or shortcomings in the brand strategy.

Educating internal stakeholders is key to ensuring valuable feedback aligns with the brand's vision and goals. By clarifying our vision, mission, and strategies, we provide a foundation for understanding and evaluating feedback. This includes sharing data, analytics, and metrics that demonstrate how our strategies support our objectives. Often, internal feedback is based on prior experiences rather than strategic alignment. Starting with education sets a baseline understanding, empowering stakeholders to provide informed and actionable feedback. It fosters a culture where feedback is not only valued but also contributes meaningfully to our brand's success.