OwlBlog
Diarmid
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
Brand New Brand?
I've just a read an interesting interview with Javier Diez-Aguirre, director of communications for Ricoh Europe (B2B Marketing, October '09), in which he talks about his strategy for building the awareness of his brand in a very busy market. If I may be so bold as to quote the article:
"...for Diez-Aguirre, it's not just about how Ricoh is perceived, but it's also about how the company works from the inside, out. He tries to take a 'holistic' approach, he says, adding that employee engagement was a key focus of the sponsorship. "Lots or marketers don't take this seriously... but it shouldn't be seen as an HR issue. It's important to invest in your corporate brand." He says the greatest challenge in in his role is to successfully create a 'one Ricoh' culture internally."
How refreshing!
Maybe it's because, by training, Mr Diez-Aguirre is actually a molecular biologist (and, I'm guessing, probably quite clever!) and not a 'qualified' marketing manager, but I genuinely found his take on the importance of investing in a corporate brand really quite refreshing! In an age where things evolve so quickly and the number and variety of channels for presenting your brand is constantly growing, it is more important than ever to ensure that your brand communicates properly what it is that your company is all about – clearly, unambiguously and, perhaps most importantly, consistently.
But a very common pitfall with rebranding exercises is to focus solely on the facade – the logo, the business card, the natty new fleece jackets – without considering the really important stuff: the brand values. If a company is serious about a rebrand, then I think it's vital that they look deeper than just the skin and really ask some tough questions about themselves, their company values and what that means (or should mean) to their customers. Now I appreciate that this isn't an easy thing to do – self-evaluation is at best fraught with danger – and that's where we agencies come in. We can come at the issue without any corporate baggage, ignoring any internal politics, and ask the kinds of questions which sometimes are very difficult to take from a colleague, a manager or a director, no matter how well put.
In the last couple of years, we at B&V have worked on a number of rebranding projects in very different areas, from a GP's practice to an engineering company. Before designing anything, we go through a period of consultation with the client, talking to people from management and key decision makers down to admin and clerical staff, trying to get a feel for what people believe to be their own company's strengths (and, sometimes, weaknesses). This is, I believe, crucial to the future of any new brand as it ensures that people throughout the organisation feel as though they have been consulted, that their opinion is valued and, ultimately, gives them 'ownership' of the new brand. In simple, old-fashioned terms – pride.
Once the design process is under way, of course there are various permutations to be tried, tested, discarded and generally ummed and aaahed about – but eventually a new brand emerges. The logo is settled on, but as I've already said, a brand is more than a shiny new logo! Colours, fonts, imagery, even the tone of any text all needs to be considered in order to successfully do what the brand should do: communicate with the customer.
And this is where that inclusive consultation process can really pay dividends. By including people right through the company strata and making them feel valued and involved in the process, they will hopefully be more inclined to fully embrace the new brand and what it stands for. This, in turn, will mean they are less likely to undermine that brand as it is rolled out. Given the number of avenues by which you can get your brand seen these days, from the web & other digital media to traditional print and advertising, it really is more important than ever to ensure that, wherever it appears, you brand is represented in its best possible light. After all, what is the point of spending any amount of money, large or small, on a rebranding exercise only to undo all that hard work with a couple of badly produced leaflets, or an advert that completely fails to communicate the company message?
Ultimately, as far as Mr Customer out there is concerned, your brand IS your company. It defines how people see your company and, as often as not, how your company sees itself. In short, your brand should be worth its weight in gold. So, while I'd certainly advocate that rebranding can revitalise a company's fortunes (look at Skoda!), it's important that it's done well and that everyone is on board, from the top down (or the bottom up!) – then we can really help make that difference.
"...for Diez-Aguirre, it's not just about how Ricoh is perceived, but it's also about how the company works from the inside, out. He tries to take a 'holistic' approach, he says, adding that employee engagement was a key focus of the sponsorship. "Lots or marketers don't take this seriously... but it shouldn't be seen as an HR issue. It's important to invest in your corporate brand." He says the greatest challenge in in his role is to successfully create a 'one Ricoh' culture internally."
How refreshing!
Maybe it's because, by training, Mr Diez-Aguirre is actually a molecular biologist (and, I'm guessing, probably quite clever!) and not a 'qualified' marketing manager, but I genuinely found his take on the importance of investing in a corporate brand really quite refreshing! In an age where things evolve so quickly and the number and variety of channels for presenting your brand is constantly growing, it is more important than ever to ensure that your brand communicates properly what it is that your company is all about – clearly, unambiguously and, perhaps most importantly, consistently.
But a very common pitfall with rebranding exercises is to focus solely on the facade – the logo, the business card, the natty new fleece jackets – without considering the really important stuff: the brand values. If a company is serious about a rebrand, then I think it's vital that they look deeper than just the skin and really ask some tough questions about themselves, their company values and what that means (or should mean) to their customers. Now I appreciate that this isn't an easy thing to do – self-evaluation is at best fraught with danger – and that's where we agencies come in. We can come at the issue without any corporate baggage, ignoring any internal politics, and ask the kinds of questions which sometimes are very difficult to take from a colleague, a manager or a director, no matter how well put.
In the last couple of years, we at B&V have worked on a number of rebranding projects in very different areas, from a GP's practice to an engineering company. Before designing anything, we go through a period of consultation with the client, talking to people from management and key decision makers down to admin and clerical staff, trying to get a feel for what people believe to be their own company's strengths (and, sometimes, weaknesses). This is, I believe, crucial to the future of any new brand as it ensures that people throughout the organisation feel as though they have been consulted, that their opinion is valued and, ultimately, gives them 'ownership' of the new brand. In simple, old-fashioned terms – pride.
Once the design process is under way, of course there are various permutations to be tried, tested, discarded and generally ummed and aaahed about – but eventually a new brand emerges. The logo is settled on, but as I've already said, a brand is more than a shiny new logo! Colours, fonts, imagery, even the tone of any text all needs to be considered in order to successfully do what the brand should do: communicate with the customer.
And this is where that inclusive consultation process can really pay dividends. By including people right through the company strata and making them feel valued and involved in the process, they will hopefully be more inclined to fully embrace the new brand and what it stands for. This, in turn, will mean they are less likely to undermine that brand as it is rolled out. Given the number of avenues by which you can get your brand seen these days, from the web & other digital media to traditional print and advertising, it really is more important than ever to ensure that, wherever it appears, you brand is represented in its best possible light. After all, what is the point of spending any amount of money, large or small, on a rebranding exercise only to undo all that hard work with a couple of badly produced leaflets, or an advert that completely fails to communicate the company message?
Ultimately, as far as Mr Customer out there is concerned, your brand IS your company. It defines how people see your company and, as often as not, how your company sees itself. In short, your brand should be worth its weight in gold. So, while I'd certainly advocate that rebranding can revitalise a company's fortunes (look at Skoda!), it's important that it's done well and that everyone is on board, from the top down (or the bottom up!) – then we can really help make that difference.
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