THE SECRETS OF SUCCESSFUL BRAND IDENTITY.
THE SECRETS OF SUCCESSFUL BRAND IDENTITY.
Course tutored by Chris Holt at London College of Communication 16th July 2007
Written by Giles Macleay
This course is intended to give a step by step planning of driving a company through a rebranding process. Although I work as a designer, I wanted a deeper insight into the process of carrying out a rebrand.
The first point we discussed was ‘Why?’ What are the reasons a company would carry out a rebrand. These reasons may include:
• Mergers/Acquisitions
• De-mergers/Splits
• Evolution/growth
• Refresh/revitalise
• Competition
• IPO – Initial Public Offering
• Internal/organisational
• Financial performance
• Scandal
• Confusion
• Differentiation
• Judicial (e.g. IPR)
• Consumer research
• Market forces
• New markets
There are more reasons than I have listed here but this is a good start to understand why the brand may need development. Of course this does bring you back to the question, ‘Is a rebrand necessary?’ Some businesses will gain strength from retaining an original identity.
Assuming your business is in need of a rebrand you then need to start an audit to build a solid case for the exercise. An audit should gather information on a number of this:
• A review of the brand history
• Business Demands
• Consumer shift
• Staff needs
• Other stakeholders views
• Competitors and rivals
• Forces beyond your control
• All relevant research
This stage should also be accompanied by a visual audit. Get out there and take photos. Nothing proves a point like experiencing the real thing. Get out there with a camera or a video. Take footage, interview people. You should almost try to be as cheeky as possible, the more in depth you can get, the more beneficial the information will be when presenting your case. People’s views should never be overlooked. Gather information on the competitors, what are the pros and cons of their business vs yours. Review every aspect of how they operate.
If all this information points towards a rebrand you will then need to present this to the heads.
You now need to build a business case to present along with your audits and research. Your business case should cover the following:
• The business objectives
• Summary of the brief
• A cost analysis and cost equation
• Additional cost and contingencies plans
• Spread showing where funding will go
• A break down of what will happen should you not carry out the exercise
• Projected returns on investment/payback/benefits
• Who is going to control the budget
You have now built and presented the argument and will need to set the entire project into action. This means putting together a comprehensive brief for whom ever you should choose.
• Task narrowly defined – keep it simple and to the point
• Assessing brand equity
• Organisational structure
• Visioning – where do you see it going
• Extent of change – Do you want an evolution or a revolution
• Expectations/outcomes – what do you want out of the process
• Evaluation
• Confidentiality – don’t spread the word as it may have adversary effects on the business
• Payment – how will this be taken care of?
• Agreeing the brief – both parties should understand the brief FULLY!
• Approvals – who has the final say and signoff
• Client professionalism
Of any strong rebrand process an agency cannot be expected to work from a simple brief as there is a lot of information need to make sure that the process is driven in the right direction. Accompanied with the brief should be a dossier with the relevant information:
• Nature of the project – pitch or not, who else is involved
• Brand positioning
• Company’s mission values and goals
• Reasons for review
• Competitor activity
• Aims and objectives
• Marketing plan
• 3-5 year company plan
• Taboos/things to avoid
• Names and naming
• Brand architectures – Monolithic/Endorsed/Portfolio
• Samples, examples, photographs, drawings etc.
• Available market research
• List of useful contacts
• Suggested interviewees
• Suggested visits
• List of ‘must haves’
• Timetable
• Budgetary framework
• Desired outcome
• Likely next steps
This is quite a comprehensive list to put together and needs to be. The life of the brand will be based on this information, not to mention the money being spent on it.
As you now have compiled everything required it’s a matter of choosing an agency to fulfil this task. With the advance of internet and accessibility it is becoming more and more competitive agencies can be chosen from any part of the world. This process will require time, care and resource. To do it properly, you should consider a minimum of 3 agencies to a maximum of 40. Each agency should be bound by confidentiality and there should be suggested process.
So where should you look? I’d like to say here with Logo Design and Marketing, but suiting your needs can come from anywhere. In the UK there are several places where you can find listings of agencies, the internet, the Design Council, Chartered Society of Designers, an Advertising Agency Roster, Award winners, Trade journals or the favoured word of mouth.
So do you keep your agency local or do you shop abroad? There are befits in both directions. Some foreign agencies will see the core of your brand better from another country or culture as your own cultural traits will stand out more. Language barriers need to be considered and time zones. You may want to ask yourself where you main competitors go for their work. Would you like to use the same agency? The agency may benefit from knowing your business or you may wish to keep you dealings apart. There should always be a professional confidentiality that will protect you business.
There are several questions you need to ask when selecting an agency.
• Who are they?
• Who owns them?
• What’s their background and company history?
• Who are their clients
• What skills do they have in-house?
• Where are they based?
• What other offices do they have?
• What is their turnover – are they financially sound?
• What similar work have they done? – and was it successful?
• Do they have a reputation?
• How much do they charge?
• What are they like to work with?
• Who will actually be on the team?
Once you’ve gone through your list try and simplify it. If an agency doesn’t do it for you ditch them. It’s best not to start off unsure. The next step will be to get them to pitch for the job. These days there is a lot of debate over ‘free pitching’ I personally disagree heavily. The agency needs to know your using them in good faith as they will you. It’s best to at least cover their costs for putting together a pitch. You may wish to set a budget so that it’s a level playing field and the agencies know what they have to work with.
As my lecturer said,
“Vision without action is a dream;
Action without vision is a nightmare”
Brand architecture is the lifeblood of successful brand strategy; therefore you need to know exactly what yours is. Will your brand be, Monolithic: i.e. a standalone icon or typestyle like BBC, BMW; Endorsed: i.e. Nestlé, Heinz, Sainsbury’s or will your brand come from a portfolio like Unilever. When you’re aware of this you’ll need to place yourself in the shoes of all the people your brand will communicate with. Ask yourself, is it appropriate? Does it communicate? And will it work? Are you heading down the path of evolution or revolution?
When all this is done you’ll need to get it out there. This too will need control, Register it or trade mark it so no one can steal it, then control it properly. This is brand management, if you’re not controlling it, it will control you. Make sure you looked for all possible downfalls; it’s always better to have checked twice.
With the development under way you’ll need to keep people in the loop. I have been advised to work from the bottom up and this makes sense. You don’t want a staff revolution. Filter through to the top as it’s the front-line staff who will deliver your brand. You will need to build a united front. Keep a solid pace and constantly review your place, remember to always look backwards as well as forwards.
Once you’ve done all this you need to plan your launch, make it big and make sure you’ve carefully considered the dates, i.e. not on World Cup Finals day. Find an appropriate theme, have a practice run and remember, he who fails to prepare should be prepared to fail. Also be aware that once you’ve launched your brand you’ll need to be prepared for what comes next… phone calls, emails, demand for help and advice, logos, guidelines and intranets.
Finally, you should try to create a brand that is relevant to each message and media that it is communicating from. Make sure everyone that is a part of that brand is working together as that brand, CEO’s, Managers, Staff, Suppliers, Advertisers, Direct marketing, PR etc.
‘The end is where we start from’
TS Elliot 1888-1965
