Acting or performing the same way when it comes to the key brand elements – and even more so when it comes to brand purpose, meaning and positioning – could be hard both over time and across diverse service providers. To help you overcome this challenge and benefit from the professionalism of different suppliers, here some core principles to support you in keeping and enhancing your brand value.
- Create written brand guidelines
We are all aware of the advantages of brand books. And of the resistance applying them in the real life. But nevertheless, their importance for guarding the key brand elements like logo, colours, wording remains undisputed.
What the 2020-upgraded brand book should be able to provide includes – beside the typical graphic brand elements – also brand meaning, brand values, key target associations, tone of voice, visual sentiments. In this way, the brand owner assures the proper use of the brand “face” toward its diverse stakeholders. - Introduce your corporate culture
As they say, culture eats strategy for breakfast. Still, we need to grant the service providers transparency about the corporate strategy, the workflows and processes as well as provide them. with access to all brand-related resources such as templates, rules etc.But most importantly, we have to onboard them as if they were (in fact they really are) new employees to the team. With special attention to the real-life brand environment, like for example, the informal communication means, the unwritten expectations of the internal audiences and – last but not least – the decision making process (not about your campaign budget but about all that happens in and with the organisation). The latest reveal the authentic corporate values that influence the organisations functioning respectively the brand purpose, behaviour, appearance.
Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash - The brand consistency checker and the brand evangelist
Your brand mantra – unlike your brand guidelines that are simply to be applied – is the. best brand consistency checker. For a reason, it is also referred to as a litmus test that enables all brand managers quick and easy to confirm if any activity, design, even decision is consistent with the brand core values and positioning.
Additional “magician” support we can affirm if we create or engage a brand evangelist – one dedicated person whose sole focus of their attention is to observe and defend the brand in any application. Is this usage appropriate? Does it fit the brand philosophy? Are the physical. characteristics of the brand appearance homogeneous with the guidelines? - Have faith in your team, including the service providers
And secure this faith with enough information – timely, transparent, clear and easily accessible.
