What’s Your Role?

Where Are You in the Process?

– Thinking about it? – In the planning stages? – Rebranding now?

Rebrand Is a Process, Not a Deliverable 1.  Thinking

Define your goals and begin creating a roadmap

2.  Planning Assign roles and allocate resources

3.  Rebrand Lead, coordinate, manage expectations and build consensus

4.  Brand Launch Celebrate your firm’s past and future successes

5.  Ongoing Brand Management Continue to engage and educate internal teams

Brand is not what YOU say it is. It’s what THEY say it is.

—Marty Neumeier, The Brand Gap

Brand Is

– NOT a logo – NOT a tagline – NOT an identity system

Brand Is

– NOT a logo – NOT a tagline – NOT an identity system

– Brand IS a perception about your firm, its people, culture and services that exists in the minds and hearts of your audiences.

Step 1: Thinking

Why Rebrand

Reactive –  M&A –  Increased competition –  Legal/publicity issues

Proactive –  Planned change in leadership or business direction –  New markets/services –  Lack of alignment –  Positioning issues or loss of relevancy –  Lack of image and message consistency or outdated

Rebrand vs. Refresh

What’s right for your firm:

– Is there a need for a fundamental shift in your firm’s positioning? – Or, are issues mostly image related?

Step 2: Planning

Planning

– Secure management sponsorship – Determine key participants who will add value – Define budget and realistic timelines – Select outside agency/consultant(s) or assemble

internal team – Plan rollout from the start

RFP/Selection Process

– Consider your biggest RFP pet peeves and do better – Don’t create extra work – Hire outside firm that will bring strategic vision and

can manage your team and the overall process – Define your budget

Step 3: Rebrand

Your Role

– Collaborate across silos – Communicate internally – Stay on course – Form true working alliance with outside firm/

consultants – Don’t ignore “red flags”

Brand Strategy: Audit

– Existing brand audit: define the gap – Audience profiles: internal and external stakeholder

interviews

Brand Strategy: Platform

– Purpose and vision – Position and competitive advantage – Value proposition – Brand promise, essence, values – Key messages, brand story

Brand Identity

– Brand voice and personality – Naming, tagline – Visual identity – Design system – Trademarking

Brand Applications

– Think of all the pieces: public-facing and internal –  Business collateral –  Digital communications –  Internal documents and templates –  Office interior and signage –  Swag –  And more (much more!)

– Prioritize

SMPS Marketer | Vol. 28, Issue 5, Oct. 2009

Kasian (Architecture and ID)

– Make a small-firm brand competitive with global leaders in architecture – Brand platform: “Inspired Thinking” – Brand identity, external communications, brand

launch party – The brand program has won several design awards;

website traffic increased nearly 60%; revenue increased 30% in the year after the brand launch

case study and images: rebrand.com

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Step 4: Brand Launch

Brand Launch

– Celebrate your firm’s past, present and future – Make it an event – Think PR opportunities – Internal launch first – always – Reconnect with clients, prospects, industry – Plan in advance – Plan in advance – Plan in advance

Step 5: Brand Management

Ongoing Brand Management

– Guardian of the brand? Brand police? – Graphic guidelines – Regular review of collateral – Centralized templates – Monitor. Adjust. Repeat.

Internal Brand Engagement

– Employees = best brand ambassadors. – Build it into orientation / onboarding. – Internal communications and education. – Ask for feedback. Respond to feedback.

Final Thoughts

– Do your homework – Position yourself as an expert – Make sure your effort is acknowledged

References

–  The Top 20 Mistakes Marketers Make When Rebranding – And How to Avoid Them | rebrand.com

–  Rebranding a Legend in Hyper-Track: The Exclusive, Inside Story on How ‘HOK Sport Venue Event’ Became ‘Populous’ | Marketer Vol. 28, Issue 5, October 2009

–  Case studies: rebrand.com

–  Tim Williams “Positioning for Professionals”