Getting Buy-in on Corporate Branding
When agencies present creative to a client for the first time, it can feel like dropping a bomb on the room.
“Here’s your new brand identity. Boom!”
The moment before creative is revealed is tense for both the creative agency and the client. The agency has invested a lot of time and thought into the project, and the client, of course, is investing their time, money and reputation. Everyone wants the work to be great.
The problem with a big reveal is that it’s a shock to the system. If the client’s team can’t see how the agency arrived at their proposed direction, they could think that it’s coming from out of left field, or that it’s being forced on them.
There are a few ideas that can help smooth out the process for creative agencies and clients alike.
Include the boss.
If the decision makers are left out the process, they may feel that the strategy is being dictated to them – and reject it on principle.
When facing a corporate rebrand, it’s important to begin by talking to stakeholders. A simple interview or phone call about the project can put people at ease, and, most importantly, show them that their voices have been heard. On a larger scale, it ensures that the creative work really reflects the client’s organization.
Like math, show your work.
Minimize the shock of a big reveal by showing where your ideas came from. Designers tweak, fiddle, play and experiment with ideas before they reach their end result. Even if they’re unpolished, preliminary work examples are helpful because they tell a visual story about how decisions were made.
Show the brand in action.
Brands don’t live in a vacuum. People have to come into contact with the brand to build a relationship with it. Help clients understand how their customers will encounter the brand by showing how it could be expressed across web, print, advertising, even in the language the client uses when answering the phone. Demonstrating how the brand works across multiple channels builds credibility for the concept and helps the client team expand their vision.
Corporate branding can be an uphill battle for internal teams and agencies. That’s because branding is about aligning vision and strategy among people who have different ideas about the “right” direction. It’s never easy, but these simple steps can help smooth the way.
WATCH: Ken discusses one of the biggest obstacles for new branding and marketing efforts – internal adoption. See his advice below or on YouTube:
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