There’s no question: a good brand is paramount to success. While the importance of branding has come to the forefront, business leaders are often unclear on the strategic and tactical approach to a rebranding project. Here is a quick guide on what to expect when approaching a rebranding project.
What to expect when rebranding
If you’re involved in a rebrand, it’s not a responsibility you should take lightly. Expect to be a part of something big. Be an agent of change. Expect your mind to be challenged and stretched. Expect to be invested in the project’s success and one of the first brand ambassadors.
Brand project teams that recognize the rebranding process as a pivotal point for their organization can change the trajectory of the business for decades to come. This is a unique opportunity. This is a turning point. Expect to lean in and be a part of something great.
Project stakeholders should also expect that great results take time. When done correctly, rebranding is not a quick process. Multiple phases — including a multi-pronged research strategy, conception, and design — will only yield great results when given a thoughtful, intentional approach. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your new brand.
What is your responsibility?
You are the experts on your business, and it’s your responsibility to share critical information about your strengths, weaknesses, and the market landscape.
Identify your main competitors so your research partner can evaluate their brand strategies. The goal is to identify a market opportunity that your brand can own, and that process cannot be accomplished in a vacuum.
Know who to involve in the project. Identify internal and external stakeholders who can provide firsthand accounts of their experience with your brand. Don’t have a narrow-minded focus on products and prices. The research phase should involve a cross-functional group of people recruited across the organization. Who knows, maybe your streamlined billing process is a significant competitive advantage.
What is your agency’s responsibility?
Your agency is the expert on branding and should bring structure to the project by applying a proven methodology. They should be a treasure trove of rich resources, including best practices and human resources, who can bring efficiency and specialized expertise to each project phase from research to creative talent, including copywriters and graphic designers. These resources can present the new brand in ways that are compelling and easy-to-understand in multiple mediums. They will help create a strategic plan to launch the brand internally and externally.
And while you may not realize it at first — it’s hard to be objective about your brand. And change is hard. Throughout the process, your agency will provide an unbiased voice of reason and keep the team focused on collective goals.
Rebranding schedule guidelines
A schedule is critical for successful project management. A brand initiative involves people from across the organization, and it’s easy for project team members to get pulled back into day-to-day operations and lose focus. A schedule with incremental deadlines will help the team stay focused and move the project forward.
When creating a project schedule, it’s essential to maintain momentum, but allow a reasonable time for tasks to be complete and yield quality results. In other words, don’t make haste. Beware of imposing artificially urgent deadlines that will undermine the quality of the results. Missed deadlines can be frustrating for all involved and pull focus from the positive work and final outcome.
Ready to get a successful rebrand underway? We are too. Contact the branding experts at id8 today, and we’ll bring the expertise needed to set the strategy and schedule, plus the talent to execute the details. Let’s get started
