Creating and delivering a consistent brand identity is more than creating a logo and other assets, it is about communicating the essence of the brand. For branding to run deeply throughout an organisation, everyone must fully understand the organisation’s brand values – its DNA; everybody must be fully engaged and comfortable with what the brand stands for.
Tools can be used to help employees interpret the brand identity and keep it consistent, such as Brand Portals, style guidelines, and templates, but these must be rolled out via a comprehensive training program, either face to face or online. The tools must be easy to find within the intranet environment and simple to use and (if necessary) be easy to adapt. Templates can be created to help with consistency, again, they must be straightforward to use and be flexible.
A significant way to communicate brand identity is within a brand playbook. The content should be engaging and creative – but serve the purpose of bringing everything together in one easy to understand format. It can contain links to templates for emails, brochures, PowerPoint, and social media and having it hosted online, makes it accessible for everyone within the organisation.
One of the challenges facing organisations, is ensuring that their “tone of voice” is consistent. Typically, organisations have many content authors and ensuring that they all replicate the correct tone of voice in copy is difficult. This is made more challenging by the many communication platforms available to employees, such as social media and the Internet.
Real estate branding can be used to create a striking visual impact – both externally and internally. Signage on buildings and carparks, communicate to both visitors and employees the identity of the brand. Within buildings, the brand can be extended, using images, pictures, and the company colour palette on soft furnishings, screens etc.
Image selection is an area where brand consistency can fail. Typically, employees pull down images from the Internet that are not brand compliant, this is challenging to control. A way to help manage this situation, is by providing an image bank (where employees can download brand approved images) and guidelines for image acquisition.
Merchandise can be used effectively when it comes to raising brand awareness. The most cost-effective method of producing merchandise, is to onboard a supplier that provides a “just in time” production/manufacturing model. By adopting this approach, you avoid having to store boxes of merchandise that has not been used and may become out of date – you simply order what you need as and when.
Nowadays, the use of video is an extremely popular communication method. Because video is such a creative medium, it is difficult to ensure that brand identity is held true, however, by ensuring that developers use the correct colour palette, fonts, and images – the brand can be protected.
The first place that prospects typically look for information is on the web, its vital therefore, that a company’s website follows the corporate brand identity throughout. Content should be refreshed regularly, and lead generation mechanisms monitored and processed.
When it comes to working with external agencies, they should be treated as an extension of your marketing team, and as such be included in briefings and provided with the same level of guidance – this is where your brand playbook comes in.
By following the advice above, simple steps can be taken to help ensure a brand is protected. Consistency is never easy, but it can be made possible.
* Forbes