RJ Harris’ Post

Feeling like your marketing is all talk and no action? Tired of inauthentic tactics that fall flat? Let's talk about how athlete partnerships can inject realness into your brand strategy. Be Real. Win Big: Why Authenticity is Your Brand's MVP (and How Athletes Can Help) Forget the gimmicks. Today's consumers crave realness. Authentic brands build trust, cut through the noise, and inspire brand advocates. But how do you unlock authenticity? Athlete partnerships! The right athlete can fuel your brand's story. Look for shared values, genuine passion, and a unique voice. Partnering with an authentic athlete creates a powerful marketing force that builds trust, fosters loyalty, and drives results. #authenticbranding #athletepartnerships

Ever seen a nail salon, burger joint, sports bar, or lawncare business and thought, "how could the community possible need one more of those?" How will they stay in business? I do, all the time. Most days these new businesses inspire me. Part of my days I support Fortune 500 businesses with qualitative research and strategy consulting. The other days I'm helping athletic departments build their fan bases. There are lots of market research/strategy companies and sports-related businesses in the market place so what drives consumers or businesses to companies/brands? I'd like to think it's our unique services and driving results. This weekend I re-read, "How Brands Grow" by Byron Sharp. Love the book. His conclusion on Differentiation vs Distinctiveness is... 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 8 "𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘋𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥. 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘻𝘻𝘢 𝘏𝘶𝘵, 𝘔𝘤𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘥'𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘒𝘍𝘊 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘴: 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦 (𝘪.𝘦. 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴)...𝘈𝘯 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴." I've been pondering if focus on distinctiveness vs differentiation still holds true in service industries such as market research, consulting, personal coaching, etc. What are your thoughts? ---- Would love your follow (Heather Maxwell) and a 🔔 ring if you enjoy posts on #insights, #brandbuilding, and living a #wellplayedlife

Have you ever wondered why some brands stick in your mind more than others? 🤔 Let me share a fascinating concept called the Mere Exposure Effect. This principle, discovered by social psychologist Robert Zajonc in the 1960s, shows that the more often we see something, the more we tend to like it. It’s simple but incredibly powerful for brands! Here’s how it works: when your brand’s logo or message appears frequently in our daily lives—like in advertisements, on social media, or at events—we start to recognize it. This familiarity makes us more likely to prefer it over others. In sports, this effect is especially strong. Even when different teams have various sponsors, the brands that are more visible can influence how fans feel about them. For example, fans may form opinions about a sponsor based on their loyalty to a team or their rivalry with another, showing how sports audiences can shape brand reputation. So, if you want to boost your brand’s visibility and make it more liked, using the Mere Exposure Effect through sponsorship is a strategy you shouldn’t miss. The more your brand is seen, the more it will be liked. What do you think about the Mere Exposure Effect and how it impacts brand perception? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! #MereExposureEffect #BrandVisibility #SportsSponsorship #BrandAwareness #MarketingStrategy #FanEngagement #ConsumerBehavior #SponsorshipSuccess #BrandPreference #MarketingInsights

Brand marketing is all about building 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. It’s not just about making a quick sale; it's about creating a lasting connection with your audience and ensuring your brand stands out. When people recognize and trust your brand, they’re more likely to come back. Want to strengthen your brand’s presence? Start focusing on building awareness today! #brandidentity #localbusinessowner #brandingtips

🔑 Building a Trustworthy, Recognized Brand is Key to Success! 🔑 If your brand is trusted and top of mind for your audience, the chances of customers choosing to do business with you skyrockets 🚀! Yet, many marketers overlook the importance of brand awareness and fail to track crucial metrics like brand favorability and recall (both aided and unaided). Without focusing on these, brands risk fading in recognition and losing that valuable trust with their customers over time. Don’t let your brand fall behind! 👇 Do you agree or disagree? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

When we say, "A brand is an emotional connection," we're highlighting the idea that a successful brand goes beyond just products or services. It creates a bond with its audience that resonates on a deeper emotional level. This connection is built through consistent messaging, values, and experiences that align with the emotions, needs, and aspirations of your customers. Take Red Bull, for example. Red Bull isn't just an energy drink; it's a brand synonymous with adventure, adrenaline, and pushing the limits. When people think of Red Bull, they don't just think of a beverage—they feel excitement, thrill, and the urge to take on new challenges. Through extreme sports sponsorships, thrilling content, and its bold "Red Bull gives you wings" tagline, the brand has successfully connected with consumers on an emotional level, making them associate the drink with living life to the fullest. Want to dive deeper into how to create these powerful connections? Check out our last video in our INSIGHTS Blog that breaks down Brand Strategy in a simple, easy-to-understand way! rdlb.nyc Link: https://lnkd.in/eMn4DxTk #RDLBAgency #WeBuildBrands #BrandStrategy #BrandDevelopment #BrandAwareness #BrandIdentity #MarketingStrategy #emotionalconnections

I had a fantastic time presenting a talk called "Brand Matters: The Influence of Personal Branding on Brand Recognition" to our team yesterday. The focus on building a strong online and offline presence resonated particularly well with our current efforts to increasing brand awareness and establish trust and credibility with our target audience and community, particularly through social media engagement and industry events. A big thanks to everyone on the team, who sparked some great ideas for how we can further strengthen our company's overall brand recognition during the discussion. But there's always room for improvement! That's why I'd love to hear from you, especially marketers and branding experts in the community. What are your thoughts on how we can strengthen our company's brand recognition, through our personal brands? Please share your insights in the comments! #brandmatters #brandrecognition #companyculture #botlhaleai

I hear people say all the time that athletes should build their "personal brand." Those people don't really grasp the unique power of an athlete brand. Next week, I'll explain what I mean in detail. For now, understand this: An athlete brand is *vastly* superior to a personal brand. One reason? Athletes don’t just have followers. They have fans. And fans don’t just follow—they feel. That emotional connection is just one thing that sets an athlete’s brand apart. But it's massive. ////////// 👍 Like this? ♻ Repost it! :) Then follow me, David Neiman, and hit the 🔔 notification bell for more updates like these. Know an athlete who wants to build their brand? Send them here: https://lnkd.in/gMurkuKT #sports #socialmedia #sportsmarketing

The reason for investing into brand awareness campaigns is to improve your brand’s recall. Brand recall = brand recognition. Why is this important? Because almost every brand’s goal is to be top-of-mind in the eyes of their target customers. I think of a sponge, I think of Scrub Daddy, Inc.  I think of a road bike, I think of Cervélo  I think of sparkling water I think of San Pellegrino The reason for this post is because 99% of the time when I speak to early stage companies it’s almost a guarantee that someone will bring up performance marketing as a SUBSTITUTE to strategic media & awareness building campaigns. And I’m here to tell you - it’s not a substitute. The goals of these campaigns are completely different.  A million impressions on display ads, podcast features and articles may not (necessarily) SPIKE your revenue in the next 3 days, but they are key in building a sustainable and “top-of-mind” brand. Feeling enlightened yet? #trafficcaptain

Are you maximizing your Company or Business Brand positioning or awareness? 🌟 As a brand specialist, I'm curious to know where you stand in elevating your brand's presence and positioning in the market. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or a burgeoning startup, strategic brand positioning is essential for driving growth and differentiation in today's competitive landscape. So, tell me: Where are you on your journey to enhance your company or business brand awareness? Are you leveraging innovative marketing strategies, fostering meaningful connections with your audience, or exploring new avenues to amplify your brand's visibility? Let's start a conversation and share insights on how we can all optimize our brand positioning efforts for greater impact and success! Drop your thoughts in the comments below. 👇 #BrandPositioning #BrandAwareness #MarketingStrategy #BrandSpecialist #LinkedInDiscussion