Geoff Rosenbaum of the Principle Group on Branding – Part 3

Time for part three from a series of posts from Geoff Rosenbaum, Executive Vice President of Principle Group, an international branding company headquartered in the United Kingdom that recently opened a new U.S. office in Tennessee.  You can follow the link to read Part 1 of Geoff’s branding series and to read Part 2 of Geoff’s branding series.

The moment you roll out a brand, you start losing control. An infinite number of factors impact the public’s perception of your organization’s identity, many of them to a large extent out of your influence.
 
But the power and pleasure of rolling out a new brand is in setting a trajectory that gives the brand the best possible opportunity to thrive and flourish. On a global scale, this challenge can be both rewarding and supremely daunting.
 
As we have discussed in past posts, a worldwide implementation program can be a big, complex and terrifying endeavor.  We have provided tips in planning and preparing your resources. Now we will cover strategies that will allow you to maximize the power of your launch.
 
Many of our clients initially assume a brand rollout should be as limited and decentralized as possible. The overwhelming level of detail and complexity of coordination naturally incline many marketing and operations teams to limit exposure. However, if you want the most bang for your buck, and you want to set your brand on the strongest trajectory for continued success, we recommend that our clients follow Rule Number Two: Do It Now, Do It Everywhere. [Read more]

Geoff Rosenbaum of the Principle Group on Branding – Part 2

Time for part two from a series of posts from Geoff Rosenbaum.  Geoff is the Executive Vice President of Principle Group, an international branding company headquartered in the United Kingdom that recently opened a new U.S. office in Tennessee.  You can follow the link to read Part 1 of Geoff’s branding series.

Implementing a global brand can be a big, complex and terrifying endeavor. It’s not uncommon to be faced with hundreds of sites in several countries, all needing to be finished yesterday. You probably don’t speak the language in all these regions, and it’s doubtful you have brand champions established in every office in your worldwide organization.
 
But it’s your job to turn concepts into practical reality. As an example, take large-scale branding endeavors such as site signage and interiors. What must you do to ensure material quality and design are consistent, installed according to your standards, and quality-checked to assure your superiors the project has been correctly managed across all locations?
 
As promised in our last post, we’ll spend the next few weeks reviewing the five rules of brand implementation as developed by Principle Group through multiple, successful global programs. Rule number one is to Plan It Like a Military Campaign. [Read more]

Geoff Rosenbaum of the Principle Group on Branding – Part 1

Today, I’m happy to publish the first of a series of posts from Geoff Rosenbaum.  Geoff is the Executive Vice President of Principle Group, an international branding company headquartered in the United Kingdom that recently opened a new U.S. office in Tennessee.  I can’t wait to read Geoff’s insights!  Keep reading to get a taste of what he’s got in store for the KeySplash Creative Conversations community!

What if cattle farmers marked 25% of their cows with an old, twisted branding iron, leaving a garbled symbol that could be interpreted multiple ways? Or didn’t brand some cows at all because the animals were located in a hard-to-reach area? 

In a competitive environment, the livestock would be stolen. The farmers’ investment would be lost.

The origin of the term ‘branding’ remains a logical touchstone for understanding the value of focused, steady marketing in today’s business arena. A brand is only as effective as its consistent, quality application, and global companies in particular are keenly aware of the difficulties in achieving and maintaining that consistency. 

Most multi-national ventures eventually find themselves confronted with the lack of reliable brand implementation resources in many regions. Materials not available on a global scale, interpretation of guidelines varying widely, unsophisticated local suppliers – these and other factors contribute to the complexity of effectively implementing a worldwide brand. 

For large-scale branding endeavors such as international skyline sign installations, worldwide identity conversions and multi-site simultaneous rebranding, these challenges can quickly multiply and transform into gauntlets of terror for normally efficient and capable marketing teams. [Read more]

Top Business Priority – Creating Brand Champions

This week, I wrote a guest post for NewsOnWomen.com called “Your Top Priority – Creating Brand Champions” where I discuss the importance of creating brand advocates for your business and tips for getting started. 

Follow the link above to take a look!