Assembling a client team for a rebrand.
Who to invite and why you shouldn’t include everyone.
So your brand is ready for a makeover. Time to call in the branding team, right? Well yeah, but what about your own team? You know, Bert from marketing, Jen from ops and a few other head honchos? Having the right people in the room to make decisions is important, and necessary, to keep things from getting overthought, unfocused and to be honest, getting in your own way as a company.
Rebranding is not just a branding agency effort. Of course, as designers and creatives, we’re the ones that set a creative strategy, define a look and feel, develop the tone of voice, create logos and textures, design letterhead, selectively choose fonts, revise and revamp all collateral and develop a brand launch campaign and so on...But it’s YOUR brand. You’ve had an impact on its history, its trajectory, audience insights and product development. No doubt, you’ll have opinions about which direction to take it, and rightfully so. But so will numerous other team members who have also contributed to the brand’s success thus far. And there lies the point – too many voices can lead to very little progress. So, who gets invited to the party? Who has a final say? Whose opinion even matters? It's a tough call, because you want to be inclusive, but too many cooks and everybody starves. Here’s what we tell clients:
Create a core team.
More specifically, a small group of 5-7 key members with defined roles and responsibilities as they relate to the rebrand. Keeping it a smaller, odd number eliminates stalemates and keeps things from stalling out.
Project lead.
Someone to oversee the project – specifically, sticking to timelines, scheduling regroups, gathering feedback, assigning next steps and moving things along.
Decision makers.
Senior stakeholders and high-level executives who offer vision from different areas of the business and are instrumental in having the final say.
Product specialist.
Knowledgeable point-person tasked with understanding your current products, as well as your competitor’s, and anticipating and planning roadmaps for future products to set yourself up for success for years to come.
And of course, there’s us – the branding specialists.
Technically, we’re not part of your internal team, but we work closely with it, being mindful of your strategy and any other input to build out everything necessary for your rebrand.
Get on track, stay on track.
Start with the most important step: getting executive stakeholders to agree that a rebrand is the right thing for your business and that it serves a strategic purpose – whether it’s as simple as addressing outdated visuals or as significant as rethinking messaging, positioning, new targets, offerings and more. With everyone on board from the top down, there will be no waffling, confusion, indecisiveness or feet dragging. We’ve seen it happen. Stick to these few steps so it won’t happen to you.
Define clear roles and expectations.
Some roles will naturally fall upon certain team members based on their day-to-day tasks within the company. Regardless, the kickoff meeting is the time to assign roles so everyone knows who is responsible for what, along with a friendly reminder to stay in their lanes to avoid confusing overlap and double duty.
Get gut checks.
But don’t resort to knee-jerk reactions because of what one person in the back office said. The point being, it’s not a bad idea to get an outsider’s reaction – from groups outside the brand team that aren’t close to the rebranding effort. If there are any concerns revealed, bring them up to the larger rebranding team, debate it, and come together as a team as to whether or not they are valid.
Communicate, communicate, communicate.
This goes without saying, but it can’t be reiterated enough. If only part of the team is talking, or leaving out others, things get missed, leading to confusion and stalled progress. Secondarily, it’s important to communicate with your larger organization, otherwise second-hand info can turn into a game of telephone and before you know it, rumors start swirling about bankruptcy or the business being sold. Those may seem wildly exaggerated, but you get the point.
Set milestones.
This keeps the project on track to avoid a late – or worse – rushed delivery. But it’s important to not let your rebrand necessarily be dictated by your timeline. Obviously, timing the launch of your rebrand matters, but focus on getting it right more than getting it out by a certain date. Set daily or weekly check-ins where the team can outline progress, discuss what’s still needed and bring up any concerns that might keep things from moving forward, then see how that pairs up with your timeline and adjust dates as needed.
Things we ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS remind clients.
Patience pays off.
Rebranding isn’t an undertaking you can just quickly get off your desk. Afterall, it’s not just a big change, it’s a long-term investment, so it’s best to get into the mindset of being thorough. Be patient and spend the extra time getting it right. Speaking of spending extra time…
Expect some homework.
The rebrand is just one part of your day-in, day-out job. You still have other work to take care of, so dedicate some time outside of the office for the rebrand. Stepping away from your office is actually a good thing. Not only does it allow you to focus solely on the rebrand, but a change of scenery could also help open up your thinking in ways sitting around a familiar work setting might not.
Don’t be THAT client. Be THIS client.
“Decision by committee” happens, and with so many important people involved, it’s easy to understand why. But when everybody has a say, progress and momentum take a backseat. So don’t be that client. Instead, be decisive. Remind your team why you’re rebranding. Set out to make a few big changes, not every little one. It will keep your team focused and the thinking from becoming diluted.
Involve the whole team.
Or better stated, keep leaders and heads of departments who are outside of the brand team in the know. You’re not asking for their input – remember, we’re trying to keep the rebrand team tight and focused on the strategy and goal – but it’s helpful to keep them informed. That way, as the rebrand rolls out, they’re aware of any updates, and can fill in the rest of your employees to ensure they know how to implement your new brand.
Which leads us to the big, important questions:
Who’s in your top 5 to bring into the rebranding war room?
It can be hypothetical at this point, but it’s a good question to have thought about if and when you decide to do a rebrand.
Beyond when…have you identified WHY a rebrand is right?
It’s not always as obvious as it may seem, but we’ve touched on a few reasons it may be time, including internal and external factors, as well as growth.
To that point, are you noticing any outages, shortcomings or cracks on the surface with your current brand?
Better question, are you seeing any opportunities to improve your brand’s image, whether visually or in the mind of your customers?
And finally, if you’re still unsure whether a rebrand is right, it could be worth considering a refresh.
The process is very similar to a rebrand, but instead of a complete overhaul, your brand gets a tune up that could include an updated logo, revised color palette and more. We know, we know…it’s another decision you and your brand team will have to consider. But the good news is, we’re here to help you figure it all out.