Launching a new brand? The most important people in the process are you staff. Do they know why you are rebranding? Do they even know what a brand is? This presentation highlights key challenges to launching a brand internally alongside solutions to those challenges. Good luck!

1. CHALLENGES OF LAUNCHING A BRAND INTERNALLY AND ACHIEVING STAFF BUY IN

2. “Customer experiences define the brand. Great brand experiences are the result of great common, consistent, customer experiences.” Interbrand

4. “It’s our logo; our slogan, our font; our advertising; our product.”

5. Solutions:

6. Clearly define what a brand is and get everyone on the same page

8. Staff will have strong emotional ties to the old brand

9. There can be mistrust with something new and unproven

10. Solutions:

11. Share positive stories of rebrands from similar organisations

12. Explain the strategy for rebranding and what it will do

13. Always invite feedback in a format that suits staff

14. Enlist brand champions across the organisation

15. Base brand conversations on research-based facts – internal and external research

17. Staff are engaged in different ways

18. This means saying the same thing about the rebrand via different media; in different formats – this is expensive and time consuming but essential

19. Solutions:

20. Find out how staff want to be communicated with

21. Segment staff audience ‘types’ and treat them differently

22. Assess the most effective communication media and formats

23. Continually adjust and test communications to suit internal audience

25. When will public facing staff be trained? How will branding be rolled out? What brand tools will be available? Who is leading on the rebrand? Which offices will be rebranded first? Why are we even having a rebrand?

26. Solutions

27. Be very clear about what is happening, when and why

29. Everything the organisation and its staff do either builds on the brand or works against the brand. Consistency reinforces brand values resulting in a stronger brand.

30. Solutions:

31. Give staff time and space to understand the brand values

32. Explain ‘We are all in this together’ – everyone needs to pull their weight

34. So too, is knowing where to invest time and money in the brand’s development

35. Some rebrands require a change of culture which requires strong leadership

36. Solutions:

37. Get the thinking cap on Plan, Plan, Plan ways to keep the brand values top-of-staff-minds

39. What is the best way to measure the success of the internal comms around the rebrand?

40. Solutions:

41. Use tools available to measure internal engagement such as hits on the intranet; logo or brand guideline downloads; staff survey responses or attendance at brand talks

43. Ways to maintain staff buy-in after the launch:

44. “Get them early” – present the brand at new staff inductions

45. Ensure on-going staff training, dialogue and sharing of successes

46. Keep measuring to make sure staff are engaged

47. Promote continuous communication/dialogue from the top to maintain momentum, importance and relevance

48. Ensure staff feel equipped, supported and confident about their brand knowledge

49. Most of all, make it fun!