How well do you know your brand? — PART I
Before any company enters into the rebranding process, it’s incredibly important to take a step back and audit your current brand. This process can show you what brand equity exists and what isn’t working. It can also help you identify the biggest areas of opportunity. In this first part let’s take a look at two areas of your brand, core elements of the brand and culture.
Audit your core brand elements.
At the highest level, the core elements of your brand help guide all other aspects. First, consider the category your company lives in. By nature, we categorize people and products to make it easier to understand and recall things later on. For example, when meeting someone for the first time, you more than likely ask them what profession they’re in. If they respond with, “I’m a teacher,” your brain automatically puts them in the Education category. When you think of Sharpie, the markers or writing tools probably come to mind. Know your category and keep it as simple as possible.
From there consider your Purpose and ask yourself why this company exists (beyond making money). If you closed tomorrow and vowed to never reopen what would the world be missing? Do you exist to provide refreshment or to reduce an industry’s carbon footprint or something entirely different? Your Purpose illustrates the heart behind your business.
Outlining your Position could help you further clarify your Purpose. It’s important to have an honest conversation about what only your brand can do. What do you do better or unlike anyone else and why does it matter? Use the following exercise to help you identify your current Position:
My business serves WHO to create WHAT IMPACT so that RESULTS are generated. We do this by PRODUCT/SERVICE in the way ONLY WE CAN.
Audit your current culture.
One of the easiest ways to look at the current culture is by asking yourself (and others within your organization) the following questions. How decisions are made and the behaviors that are (or aren’t) recognized or rewarded can have a lasting impact on internal culture.
• How is authority distributed?
• What methods do you use to make decisions?
• How do you get together and collaborate?
• What are the behaviors you punish?
• What are the behaviors you reward?
• What are your peculiar ways of starting, managing, celebrating, or mourning your work?
• Is there psychological safety? Do you encourage everyone to speak up? Do you promote participation and candor or groupthink and silence?
• What are the proclivities of your company?
To get started it’s important to consider the level of hierarchy that exists within the company, and the level of empowerment each of those has. The biggest brand ambassadors are those who understand the value they bring and those who are challenged to help you accomplish your vision. All too often these conversations and opportunities are not widely distributed, which creates doubt in the minds of employees and prevents them from doing their best work.
After answering the questions based on an honest look at where the brand sits today, consider going through them again but through the lens of the future. What are the aspiration answers to these questions and can you foster enough change to get there?
At pivotal moments, rebranding is the most effective way for leaders to signal significant change. Are you at a pivotal moment? Drop us a line, and we'll be in touch.