Marketing a diva: the visionary

Marcia Kilgore, Ben Francis, Edward Enninful: entrepreneurs, founders, leaders. Visionary divas come in all shapes and sizes and I’m not just referring to the million/billion pound businesses here. The visionary diva is a differentiator, a disrupter - and sometimes they don’t know it. 

This diva may have built the business from scratch with a clear vision or picked up the reins in troubled times to turn it around; either way this visionary diva is determined to do things differently to how it was done before them or how it is being done by the competition. It’s their business,  maybe they own it outright or are a majority shareholder. Others in the business see them as a strong leader, showing them the way and they are happy to be there for the journey.  

While others in the business can see the vision unfold, this diva’s desire to disrupt and innovate can evolve brands, products or services before they have begun to bind into mind of their target markets - and they are unapologetic about that. They see through a lens that sees constant room for improvement and growth and anticipates what their customers want. 

I have met only a few of these divas, with a personal brand so strong they engender a culture that unites around its common purpose: its  leader. What would happen though if this diva – the only one in the business – had to take leave for a while? What if they did something really regretful? More positively, how powerful would it be to have a company with not just devout followers of the Visionary diva but a bunch of other divas who have embraced the vision and now pushing it and developing it to their own network, in their own way? 

This isn’t about cloning. Others will want to tell your story but they need to find their own inner diva (see ‘celebrity’, ‘boffin’ or ‘the making of…’ (COMING SOON)) and they will as long as you encourage them to do so. 

The personality and brand values of your business will be set by the Visionary and should be felt by everyone in the business. Feeling and knowing what these values are is the first important step but being able to communicate them is where the power lies: this is your brand and you need to express it. The Visionary diva will know what they are but is this the reality on the ground - check! And do so before you start plastering your ‘values’ all over the website. 

Tell the Visionary diva’s story on the website, when recruiting, when pitching, whenever you can. You might not get it featured in the FT but word gets out and this is the consistent messaging that is so important. Every single Visionary diva I have met or read about has an interesting story to tell. 

However, the voice crack in the bel canto comes when your business does not align to the personal brand the visionary has created, as they evolve and develop, the business may no longer hold as much gravitas and the excitement behind its inception has faded. Their personal brand needs to make the jump to the business, and quickly, letting the business be seen as the disrupter, not just the Visionary. This is most effectively done by articulating the differentiation effectively across various channels, building a relevant and consistent brand.

Next in the series: The Making of a Diva (COMING SOON)