Rebranding your company – Step 5: Brand Implementation
This is the fifth in a series outlining The Letter M’s methodology for a rebranding or brand refresh:
- Design audit
- Discovery
- Brand framework
- Brand development
- Implementation
In our previous blog, Step 4: Brand Development, we outlined how to morph your brand positioning, values and personality into a visual representation (i.e., a logo, icon, wordmark, etc.). For our final entry in this series, we’re talking brand implementation… At this point you have a strategic, encompassing, relevant and stunning brand. Now what?
Take your new brand forward to meet your marketing goals:
1. Communications Plan: Announce, integrate and celebrate your brand. The Plan should highlight key audiences and messaging, communications tactics, and implementation across existing print and digital materials, signage, etc. Be creative! Maybe a special VIP event or teaser social campaign? A full rollout can often take 12 to 18 months. But ensure that you go from the “inside out”: announce to staff and partners first to allow time for discussion and acceptance. This also builds a strong base of ambassadors as you move to external markets.
2. Brand Guidelines: Protect your carefully crafted brand with rules and standards that ensure its consistent representation. Beyond “how much white space to leave” these Guidelines should also detail how you represent the brand in language. Our comprehensive outlines often include:
- VISUAL
- Logo/wordmark and tagline overview
- Sizing, whitespace and do’s/don’ts
- Style, layout/placement (with examples)
- Colour, typography and iconography
- Sub-brands (layout/placement/sizing)
- EDITORIAL
- Voice/personality and tone
3. Logo Applications/Templates: Use your in-house graphic designer or engage an external consultant to develop core visual brand elements such as signage and stationery like an email signature, enewsletter design, social avatars and corporate templates (think letterhead, PowerPoint slides, invoice templates, etc.). A critical element will be integrating the new brand into your website’s look and feel – this may mean a quick/easy reskinning or a full redesign.
There’s nothing we like more than delivering strategic branding and communications unless it’s talking about strategic branding and communications. Have questions on this installment or previous posts in the series? Shoot me an email for guidance and insights on your rebranding or brand refresh.
