Strategic Branding and the Game of Chess

Integrative moves on the brand board of enterprise.

The logo above, for the US / China Chess Summit, is a global tournament that GIRVIN created for
a group of chess aficionados that see chess as a investment forum for growing acute thinking—the agency to strategic planning, poise, calmness in the action of “play,” and the tactical awareness to plan ahead.

That principle of growth has been long espoused, for example by Ben Franklin in an essay, “The Morals of Chess,” that was drafted in 1786

“The Game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired and strengthened by it, so as to become habits ready on all occasions; for life is a kind of Chess, in which we have often points to gain, and competitors or adversaries to contend with, and in which there is a vast variety of good and ill events, that are, in some degree, the effect of prudence, or the want of it. By playing at Chess then, we may learn:

I. Foresight, which looks a little into futurity, and considers the consequences that may attend an action …

II. Circumspection, which surveys the whole Chess-board, or scene of action: – the relation of the several Pieces, and their situations …

III. Caution, not to make our moves too hastily …”

Here’s the backgrounder on the principles—as you might know, as a player—the game of chess is a geometrically-defined grouping of disciplined appointed chess-piece moves that follow rules of containment, mapped below—

which, of course, speaking of brand strategies and tactical outcomes is aligned with studying the horizon, the landscape of the 8×8 configuration of squares—the competitive market, the chess-pieces [the competitive brands] in play—
who are they and how can they journey and, towards futurist thinking,
how shall they move.

And you—your brand enterprise moves—
what shall THEY be?

Speaking of brand play, another story emerges.

Working at Paramount Studios, I was shipped a script for a film to read—and was introduced to Josh Waitzkin—a prodigy.
And I designed the logo for Searching for Bobby Fischer,
Built with a custom redrawing of Bodoni font, an 18th century innovation
based on extreme contrasts of weight.

And, as everyone knows—brand or chess—
“Every journey begins with a single move.”

Start in the beginning,
set the playing field,
lay the board—
and make your moves.
And study the tells
of your opponent.

Tim | Copalis Studios
Come. Co-create. Collaborate. Connect.
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Explore more of our film work at Design for Hollywood
And other moves at GIRVIN Digital
Surfing | ART | Technology | Destination Brands | Placemaking
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We build projects—move by move.

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Josh Waitzkin today—

By johnnyscars – cropped from GM Maurice Ashley ,
Josh Waitzkin(Searching for Bobby Fischer) & Shiva, CC BY 2.0, Link

• Strategic Foundations Over Tactics: Splashy play might parlay marketing in opening attention, the lead-in positioning moves in play—building a consistent, integratively managed brand identity—wins in the long-term with customer loyalty—and controlling the center of the board.
• The Opening Moves—the Brand Strategy: Defining your stance in playing style, the market niche, the play to a brand’s target customer base, solidifying a brand’s proposition of value as a foundational strike.
• The Mid-game in Marketing Mechanics—the campaign: Executing campaigns and fortifying consistency over time represents the middle game-play, where decisions must align with the overall goal.
• Watching the Future—Anticipation and Adaptation: Brand teams, like chess players, must proactively plan multiple moves ahead, with sidebar contingencies in an ever-evolving market “chessboard.”
• Everything Counts—Each Move Means an Action-worthy step: Integratively holistic branding synchronizes campaigns, overarching the planned sequencing in every post, campaign, and messaging tier as authentically as intentionally expressed, rather than reactively playing, only acting in defense.