I’ve decided building a brand is like being a birth mother. We’ve eaten well and taken our vitamins. We’ve sustained effort for months, if not years. So we build this thing. It has all our genetic markings and tendencies (good cheekbones and clever wit, obviously). And then we give it away to a good home.
The truth is, a brand’s success is dictated by its adoptive parents. A decade down the line, it could be thriving or it could be anemic, depending on the love and care it receives. To be honest, we’ve seen it go both ways. As such, we have some insight about what you, as an adoptive parent, will need for long-term success.
1. How much implementation money do you want to spend?
Are you ready to commission and install signage on all of your building exteriors? Perhaps change paint colors in the lobby? Possibly disrupt staff and customers while your physical spaces get a makeover to align with the new brand? Where will your brand be executed, and are you ready for all the iterations?
2. Are you ready for a website overhaul?
We see many clients think of brand development and website design as two separate activities. This is not the case. Best practice would be to have your website ready to deploy with your new brand fully integrated when you launch—and we’re not talking about slapping a new logo in the upper left and changing a background color. If your rebrand includes a freshening of your mission, vision, marketing plan, positioning, and more, it may very likely require a restructuring of content or messaging and, well, and an aesthetic refresh.
3. Are your stakeholders ready?
Will the folks who need to use the new brand be ready to do so? From lack of capacity to politics and resentment, a lot can get in the way of effective brand deployment. The people who use it in large and small ways need to be ready, willing and able to get on board. That could mean making sure everyone memorizes, understands, and believes the new tagline. It might mean the new design intern understands that limits on color palette and font choices exist for a reason. It may mean the founder has to practice a new elevator speech until she has it effortlessly at hand.
4. Are you ready to walk the line?
How long did Johnny Cash hold out before he was wooed by June Carter? I guess it’s a challenge when there are enticing options out there. But the best way to ensure your new brand’s success is to be conscientious and disciplined. Keep your eyes forward and don’t cheat. Until you’ve worn grooves and built muscle memory, it’s important not to deviate from the new rules. If your organization has a propensity toward experimenting with the trend of the moment, the discipline a new brand requires might not be for you.
5. Are you ready to give more?
If you’re the brand manager, you will have just endured an exhaustive, difficult (and thrilling!) process. Do you have the stamina to shift into the role of advocate, police department, and coach for the foreseeable future?
Brands don’t come into the world as healthy, functioning adults. They’re ornery toddlers, requiring constant nurturing and supervision. Before you adopt a new one, it’s essential to make sure you’re ready to help it grow healthy and strong. Because if you aren’t ready to do the hard work, things can go sideways quickly.