These are the kind of necessary questions that must be addressed early in the process and are difficult to answer without a robust frame of reference that independent consultants who specialize in brand implementation can provide.
More than the typical Madison Avenue creative hub, a firm that specializes in brand implementation is a hands-on partner in making the new brand present wherever and however necessary. These firms can quickly grasp the full effort required for brand change and provide an accurate estimate of time and costs of the rebrand before it spirals out of an organization’s control.
With every stakeholder gathered, a thorough scenario-planning exercise can flesh out every variable to determine which are well-defined, immovable stakes in the ground, and which are variables to be modeled against. Only then can an organization optimize its approach to the rebranding effort by considering multiple approaches to time, prioritization, asset strategy and quality.
Remember, this is not a theoretical exercise around brand valuation or projected market return. It’s a real, tangible exercise around what an organization does today, how they do it, who they do it with, what they spend on it and what they could gain year over year by simply managing their assets, vendors, resources, processes and technology differently in the future. A heavy upfront investment (in time and money) in this critical first step of the process will pay for itself as the rebranding process unfolds.
Who will be leading the rebrand?
One thing every rebranding effort has in common: a campaign to raise external awareness of the new brand, logo and philosophy. That’s why advertising and marketing should have a seat at the table from Day 1, even when rebrands originate outside the marketing department, such as with mergers and acquisitions, splits and other large-scale corporate transactions.
Only with a full understanding of the rebrand, corporate strategy and deal structure can they begin to estimate the necessary costs, control the process and outcomes, and adhere to their budget and deadlines.
The CEO’s endorsement and leadership is a necessary foundation of any successful rebrand, while an organization’s chief marketing officer is a natural leader for tactical change. Successfully transitioning to a new brand means empowering the CMO to build out the strategy, oversee the project and ultimately act as an internal and perhaps external spokesperson for the change.
There will be plenty to oversee. Brand implementation and brand development are parallel-path initiatives. As an organization builds out its new brand elements, it should also be working on building out the project governance model and engaging workgroups in the detailed planning required. As they are developing their launch and advertising and communications strategies, they should be working on all of the preliminary surveys, production and other elements needed to ensure an impactful launch.
