Considering a rebrand? It’s not as simple as you think…
Relaunching a brand? It’s never as simple as you might think. Although you have a vision of the final outcome, it’s sort of like that overdue kitchen remodeling project. There are numerous unexpected pitfalls and obstacles (and some real opportunities) to go through to reach a successful outcome.
Refreshing a brand is more than the identity. It brings into play all the meaning behind the brand and can symbolize the success you’ve had. It can also be a symbol of the transformation of an organization that is charting a new course or venturing into new initiatives.
The most critical part of any rebrand comes after the creative process is complete. What really makes or breaks a brand is building a strong and trusting partnership between operational and external affairs teams, ensuring clear and consistent communications internally and externally and delivering on promises – to all your audiences. A strong brand aligns all of an organization’s constituents by guiding the creation of meaningful strategy and disciplined followthrough by engaging staff – at every level –which ensures the brand promise is kept for those the organization serves.
Some key areas to look at moving forward:
Brand identity is only a foundation. The brand represents what everyone believes in
Shaping your brand promise is everything: When an organization introduces a new brand, it can be tempting to think the work is done – but it is truly just beginning. The most important component of any rebranding effort is to inform and consistently engage all employees, partners and stakeholders. These are your brand ambassadors – and are the vehicles through which a new brand identity is expressed, and more importantly, through which a brand promise is upheld – so it is critical they understand how and why the brand is changing, and what that means to your organization and industry – and above
Who are the critical stakeholders? Get everyone involved but manage the input
This is the most critical part of the process. You can’t possibly move forward until you’ve got those most important players in your organization onboard. This doesn’t mean total agreement; it means including them, having them participate in the process and listening to their perspective.
Focus on a consensus and strategic goal not just a new logo
Organizations and companies often look at the rebranding effort as a graphic design exercise. Yes this is part of the process but really only a minor part. It really is about what you’re saying: what is it you want customers, employees and stakeholders to think about your organization? What opportunity do you have to build a whole new image of your organization?
Work in partnership with the organizational processes and strategy
A good brand drives an organization to be disciplined in its operations and visionary in its strategy. Getting your new logo into use is important, but aligning your organization’s day-to-day work, as well as your long-term planning, around your new brand message is far more critical.
Think beyond your organization. Think about your market
Staff engagement with a new brand is key, and requires ongoing focused effort, but don’t develop tunnel vision about the audiences you must engage. Another crucial constituency are your external partners. Connect with these partners to communicate your new brand allows you to reinforce your mission and the value of your brand promise.
Communicate, communicate, communicate….
Place a priority on helping all constituents articulate the new brand with the same authority and confidence they bring to their jobs. Develop a series of tools, including a brand style guide, that explain the motivation behind the change and the elements of the rebrand – from a new name and tagline to new graphic elements – within a context that is meaningful to staff, board members and external partners. Through materials and face-to-face communications, highlight how these new elements are most effectively used, and how to talk about them in a simple, straightforward and consistent manner.
Update all resources and materials
While this may seem obvious, leave no stone unturned when it comes to identifying and updating key brand assets such as websites, business cards, letterhead and signage but it’s more than that. It can the color of your offices or decor changes. And then, sure your marketing materials and everything you have and do reflects your new brand not only in look and feel, but also in tone. Your new brand must be incorporated into all who you are, so that the brand mission and promise come across clearly.
The importance of the launch
Not only do you send out an announcement and let everyone know you’re different and why. The critical aspect often overlooked is the importance of a launch event. A place, a time where all the stakeholders, the media see a transformation of your brand and the recognizable symbols of your promise. This brings energy, power and enthusiasm to everyone involved and extends through media and communications to the broader market and world. It becomes the vital time and place that everyone refers back to when the organization changed.
Look at the bigger picture, what it symbolizes
Although it’s a big effort that requires a giant shift for any organization, it’s also an amazing opportunity to generate excitement and engage all the key stakeholders. From a business perspective, it reinforces long term business strategy and goals. This becomes the critical time to retell your story in order to galvanize employees and remind clients, partners and the media about what your do and how valuable your brand is.
Remember the ultimate goals – authenticity and what you stand for
A strong brand represents the spirit of an organization and communicates a simple and incredibly powerful promise to constituents. When checking all the boxes throughout the rebrand process, don’t lose sight of your overall goal, which is to help people understand, commit to and actively support your mission – and ensure your organization is working at its peak to fulfill your brand promise.