
So, your company has just gone through a rebrand, and now you need to maintain the consistency and integrity of this shiny new brand. One of your first steps is to implement a brand governance system.
Brand governance encompasses all the efforts made by an organization to control the presentation and use of its brand in both internal and external spaces. This includes creating clear brand guidelines, organizing brand assets, and setting up approval processes to make sure all projects reflect the desired brand identity.
Traditional brand governance systems used to involve a small, centralized team of brand managers who reviewed and approved every communication and marketing piece before it went out the door. This approach worked when companies produced only a few deliverables each year, and websites remained static and rarely updated.
Fast forward to today: companies are now publishing digital content at an unprecedented pace, and websites have transformed into dynamic communication channels. What used to be a handful of deliverables has turned into hundreds.
The old brand governance approach no longer cuts it, and here's why: brand managers are overwhelmed, leading to backlogs that affect the entire organization. Teams are left waiting or resort to shortcuts to meet project deadlines. This tension strains the relationship between marketing and brand management teams, leaving employees feeling disconnected from the brand. Marketers often sidestep brand governance processes to complete projects on time, resulting in off-brand content.
A modern, effective brand governance approach empowers everyone to work on brand projects asynchronously and fosters brand advocacy within the organization.
In this approach, the brand management team collaborates closely with other departments to ensure brand compliance. Brand managers shift from being the "brand police" to focusing on strategic initiatives, offering guidance, updating brand materials and guidelines, and conducting regular brand workshops to enhance brand knowledge. This approach brings everyone closer to the brand and highlights its value to the organization.
So, how do we make this happen?
We start by clearly defining brand governance processes for everyone in the organization. These processes should address the following questions:
What criteria determine what needs to be reviewed and by whom? For instance, your brand management team may not need to review every internal presentation, but they should oversee high-visibility external campaigns.
Who should submit deliverables for review? Should it be the external agency partner or the internal stakeholder?
When in the project timeline should deliverables be reviewed?
How should deliverables be submitted for review? Should you use a dedicated portal or simply email them?
What is the expected timeframe for feedback? It's crucial to allocate review time within project timelines.
Other critical initiatives include:
Investing in technology solutions that standardize your organizational brand processes, increase efficiency, and ensure everyone is on the same page. This includes online brand guidelines and digital asset management systems.
Conducting regular training sessions with marketers and external partners to deepen their understanding of the brand and enable them to align their projects with its core principles and visual identity.
Establishing a systematic process for notifying marketers and external partners about brand updates, ensuring prompt dissemination of changes to brand guidelines or assets.
Creating a consistent process for uploading new assets to digital asset management systems while proactively removing outdated assets, ensuring a current and organized repository.
A robust yet flexible brand governance framework establishes consistency, strengthens associates' and partners' connection with the brand, and fosters a shared sense of ownership and accountability for all who work with the brand.
Ready to transform your brand governance process? Let’s chat!