Kieran Antill

This idea of differentiation is widely shared but often not followed by companies. Why? Because you have to swim against the stream. You have to make decisions that will make you and your stakeholders uncomfortable. Companies need to focus on the outcome of differentiation. It's not about being different for difference's sake. It's simply about building memory assets. If you know the length of your customer journey this can help illustrate the absolute need for distinctive memory assets. Often it is years, not months depending on what you are marketing. Growth is about new customers and 95% of your target won't be actively shopping for what you are selling today. You need them to remember you to make the most of your investments.

Design serves the idea. This is something I find myself often saying when discussing the value of a design. Design is subjective, but when it is used for brand development the idea is primarily about building memory assets. So is your design memorable? What is the idea of the brand and does this support the telling of that idea? I'm not overly religious (more spiritual, if you must know). But the Christian cross is an example of a simple design that aids in the telling of the story. Its simplicity means it can be applied to a variety of situations. This is what I would call a robust design.

This is a critical step. If done right all employees should be aware that a rebrand is happening. It's exciting and they will want to be involved. This can be done in groups or even with quat surveys like videoAsk which allows qualitative feedback in a quat format. Prior to launching hold Q and A sessions to talk out the new changes. You want employee buy-in as they will author most of the future touchpoints.

Not all touch-points are created equal. Before beginning any branding changes it's important to map all existing touch-points and desired ones. It's an expensive but necessary process to rebrand so many companies get stuck halfway which can negatively impact the Customer Experience. It's sloppy and who wants to buy or work for a sloppy company? The fact is that physical touchpoints have a far greater cost to update than digital ones. S,o know what you're going to change before agreeing to change anything.

One of the key drivers to change or update a brand is simply that it is feeling old. It's a sign that you actually waited too long. You're employees and your customers have been noticing that musty feeling for a while now. It might be on a subconscious or conscious level but they can feel it. So while big radical changes and announcements are sometimes needed, especially when brand architecture challenges arise through acquisition. Branding updates should ideally be incremental.

Know where you are in the process. This article reads like a linear step-by-step guide to problem-solving. This is not how it plays out. You think on the toilet, in the shower, when you're half asleep. These are mostly non-billable hours. You need to think and evaluate as the ideas take shape. It's a dance and you need your team all understand that. The cadence is what time you can afford.