Associative Mind Mapping

When entering the extensive and possibly costly process of brand strategy development, the creation of a visualized holistic view of the brand environment and each of the brand touch points mirroring the customer experience journey, is an worthwhile first step to take. 

People within an ecosystem are having many insights that are not being expressed or shared for multiple reasons. The Mind mapping exercise is a highly effective way to collect, organize, and visualize information that various people are possessing individually. The associative mind map - guided by an experienced facilitator - supports the organic visualization of information in a logical and easy to understand manner by means of a highly flexible and organized diagram: the associative mind map.

The advantages to kick off the brand strategy process with a perceptual mind map are numerous. 

Pick those Brains

There is a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience within the ecosystem which is not utilized in an optimal manner due to so many factors. The Mind mapping exercise is a legitimate way to pick the brains from all over the ecosystem in a quick, pleasant and positive manner.

Unleash Creativity

The associative mind mapping exercise is done is such a way that it stimulates people to think freely without being hampered by daily frames of mind. The associative aspect enables people to think outside their own perimeter without limitations and to relate to other aspects of the ecosystem to an extend they have never realized to be possible.

Team thought leadership

The associative mind mapping exercise brings people together of different backgrounds and when well-executed, will generate new insights in a simple and low barrier fashion for people that are unfamiliar with design thinking. The collective nature of the exercise stimulates people to open up their minds and strengthen each other's thoughts in a stimulating non-defensive fashion.  

Consolidate and Aggregate at ease.

An associative mind map helps you to consolidate a vast range of information rather quickly at an aggregated level.  The simplicity of the model and the exercise, helps to visualize easily complex processes, systems and organization structures within a couple days without investing in long research projects, bureaucratic procedures, or expensive IT-systems. 

Creating a holistic overview

The radiating nature of a Mind Map allows limitless expansion of ideas whilst keeping a coherent and organised structure – providing you with the whole picture in one visual snapshot.

Enhance Program Planning

The creation of a holistic perspective of the brand environment and customer touch points along the customer journey provides a tremendous insight in the potential scope and magnitude of the brand strategy program, while reducing the chance of 'forgotten' angles. 

Identify Urgent Problems and Quick Wins

The mind map exercise is a great enabler of sharing ideas, insights, but also current issues. It is unavoidable and even welcomed that the various participants of different parts of the ecosystem are sharing current bottlenecks and issues. The mind map exercise offers an excellent opportunity to list those issues and to address them instantly with the responsible leadership teams for a quick resolution.  

Enhance Collaboration

A mind map exercise allows people of different background to harness the input in a dynamic and creative way and is proven to enhance critical thinking. Moreover, while spending time together it will create a better understanding of the different perspectives within the ecosystem which will lay a foundation for the next stages of the brand strategy program. In the end, collaboration is key for success.