UPDATE YOUR BRAND

by Jason Dreistadt | Jul 18, 2017 | Branding, Creative

Have you ever heard of someone wanting to update their brand?

It seems to be a buzzword in today’s culture, however there is a misconception on what that actually means. To many people, updating their brand means changing their logo or re-doing their website. It really goes much deeper than that.

Michael Eisner once said, “a brand is a living entity – and it is enriched or undermined cumulatively over time, the product of a thousand small gestures.” A brand is the entire experience that people have with your organization and as such, it is a definitively strategic endeavor.

There are three areas to address when it comes to your brand. Definition, Internal Knowledge, and External Communication.

DEFINITION
When it comes to your brand, it is important to address what it is your brand is all about. What are the driving factors to your organization? What motivates you to come to work in the morning? What have you been called to do?

INTERNAL KNOWLEDGE
It is important to INTERNALIZE your brand with your staff. When everyone is on the same page and communicating the same information, it reinforces your brand with the outside audience. Organizational culture is another aspect of this. If your messaging speaks to creativity and collaboration, yet your office space is bland and compartmentalized, there is a dichotomy that will speak volumes to those you work with.

EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION
Once the brand has been defined and internalized, you are ready to communicate your message to the outside world. There are three keys for communicating your brand: Frequency, Consistency, and Time. Communicating your message often, saying the same thing all the time on all different fronts, and doing it over time.

Updating a brand is not a quick overnight decision. It is one that requires thought, development, training, and communication to get the proper traction needed in order to achieve success.