A brand is more than just a logo, says Sholto Lindsay-Smith, managing director at Uffindell. Here are his top tips to develop a powerful B2B brand
As the recent Gap logo fiasco clearly demonstrates, rebranding exercises can go terribly wrong. Indeed, ‘rebrandings’ or ‘renamings’ that have served to repel the very audience they were supposed to attract are now a feature of business life. But by following a few basic steps during the brand construction process, organisations can help to ensure a successful brand transition that will deliver a long-term advantage.
1. Make it an organisation-wide activity
Branding should no longer be viewed as the domain of the marketing department, but should instead be seen as a company-wide activity. This means engaging the whole organisation in the branding process to bring the idea to life and ensure that it permeates across the entire organisation, from product design through to invoicing. At every point the customer experiences the business, the brand idea should come to life.
2. Ask questions before committing
A brand model not only provides a useful way to construct and define a brand at the conceptual level, but also offers a reference point to return to when managing the brand. Yet the formula for winning B2B brands of the future extends far beyond the brand model itself. Before committing to a brand strategy, businesses should ask themselves the following questions:
- Is it authentic? The brand proposition must be credible and the brand values a true reflection of the culture of the organisation.
- Is it differentiated? The brand must provide a clear point of difference from competitors in the market.
- Does it resonate with your priority customer segments? By definition, brands with a focused proposition will not attract universal appeal. What is crucial, however, is that the brand resonates with the particular niche or customer segment it serves.
- Does it offer a clear benefit? Powerful brands must not only offer a rational benefit, but also an emotional one.
- Will it shape a better customer experience? It is always worth questioning how your new brand positioning may impact the customer experience. If it does not positively affect it, it begs the question of why you are rebranding in the first place.
3. Ask questions before committing
The classic strategy review framework provides a useful way to approach a branding programme. It should ask: Where have we come from? Where are we today? Where do we want to be? How do we get there? The ‘Where have we come from?’ component is important because it’s about finding that thread of continuity – what is often referred to as the brand DNA – which is critical to ensuring the creation of an authentic brand.
The secret to success for defining and rolling-out a new brand lies firmly in the preparation. Spend time performing a ‘situation analysis’ to review competitor positioning, the changing business landscape, customer perceptions and the wider macro trends impacting your market. This analysis should conclude with a view on the brand’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT), which can then be tested as part of an ongoing evaluation process. It is the testing and exploration of alternative directions you could take the brand that can result in the most positive results for the business.
The development of a new identity and creative expression for the brand is often the core focus for a brand development programme. It can help to generate excitement and provides a high-profile way to signal a new change in direction both internally and externally. The creative expression should cover the visual and verbal essence of the brand, the use of typography, imagery, colour, tone of voice and nomenclature.
Employees need to be engaged and empowered to deliver the brand experience and to positively influence the customer journey. Metrics should be set in place for all the different brand touch points and action plans developed to drive change. This requires an integrated approach involving HR, operations and marketing and where new skills are required, training needs to be provided.
4. Avoid a branding faux pas
To avoid making the any rebranding errors, you should consider the following:
- Ensure enough resource to execute: Companies frequently invest much of their budget upfront in the research phases of a brand development programme, but fail to allocate enough budget to fulfill the execution and engagement process. This is the tough bit where branding programmes often fall down. Firms cannot afford to neglect this critical phase.
- Consult employees from the start: Employees have to represent that brand and to do this well, they must believe in it. Rather than presenting a fait acomplis, consult staff in the brand development process, communicate the changing market context, explain the rationale for change and involve them in defining the brand values.
- Look beyond the logo: While the change to a company logo often becomes the focus of a rebranding exercise, rebranding does not necessarily require a new logo. It may simply be communicated through a new creative platform, a new messaging strategy and enhanced customer experience.
