Picture this: You and your team have just wrapped a rebrand project and you’ve been handed your shiny new brand guidelines.

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The excitement is palpable, and your minds are buzzing with endless possibilities. It's like standing at the base of a mountain, ready to conquer the summit.

But here's the kicker: Now you have to figure out how to climb that mountain. How to turn that vision into a reality. The sheer number of logos to swap out is dizzying. It’s overwhelming, right? We’ve been there too. But don’t stress! In this post, we'll cover the essentials of a smooth roll-out.

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❶ Build internal excitement

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Rally your team by communicating the vision behind the new brand. Engage key stakeholders early on to join in the conversation. Host collaborative workshops to align departments and foster collaboration.

During the design process, you don’t want to invite too many cooks into the kitchen, but you should keep your team in the loop where you can so they’re on board.

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→ Pro tips

• Plan a launch party to celebrate with your team


  
  Treat them to some fun branded swag that aligns with your company culture. 


• Create a short animated brand-hype video. 


  
  Tell the story of your new direction with the power of cinema and bring the identity to life.
  
  “The piece that everyone was most excited about by far was our hype video that we shared at our launch event. It was the emotional hook that turned everyone into brand ambassadors,” says Maria Almeida, Design Lead at Edenred Payment Solutions. Check out their brand hype video here.
  
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❷ Create consistency

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Develop clear brand guidelines that go beyond just the visual, covering tone of voice, and key messaging too. Provide your team with the tools and resources they need to uphold the brand's integrity across all touchpoints.

Consistency creates stability, recognition, and trust. It’s your super power.

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→ Pro tips

• Make guidelines and tools accessible.


  
  Create an online brand hub where the guidelines and assets your team needs live.

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• Template, template, template. 


  
  Create flexible templates for high-use pieces. Think social media posts, presentations, newsletters, and digital ads.

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❸ Give your team autonomy

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Turn your team into brand ambassadors. Educate and empower them to tell your brand story. Offer training sessions that dive deep into the brand's values, personality, and unique selling points. Encourage them to embody the brand essence in their own roles.

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→ Pro tips

• Assign team brand leads. 


  
  Pick a brand ambassador from each department within your company. Have them conduct their own internal audits, flagging everything they use that will need to be rebranded. This will help you prioritize high-impact pieces and manage expectations.

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• Stay vigilant. 


  
  Your brand ambassadors can help their teams keep an eye out for stray off-brand pieces that inevitably fall through the cracks of any roll-out (think old business cards, off-brand presentations, and out of date email signatures).

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❹ Communicate with your community

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Don’t leave your audience in the dark! Leverage all your channels, from social media to email marketing, to spread the news and educate your audience, drumming up excitement.

Actively listen to feedback, engage in meaningful conversations, and adapt your approach as needed.

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→ Pro tips

• Piggyback your launch off of an industry event or conference.
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  The hard deadline of a big trade show or event can be just what you need to keep your rebrand on track. 


  
  Plus, you can wow your audience with a killer booth or weave your brand story into a presentation or talk.

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❺ Analyze the insights and adjust

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Set measurable goals and track your progress. Define metrics that align with your brand's goals and regularly check in to see how you’re doing.

Now that you’ve built the emotional foundation of your brand, it’s time to learn from the data to make informed decisions as you grow.

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→ Pro tips

1. Test test test. 


   
   Test different messaging and design approaches and analyze your results. Easy to use tools like Hotjar can help you understand and optimize how your audience is interacting with your brand.

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2. Audit your brand roll-out. 


   
   Gather all the assets you’ve created and review what’s working and what could be improved. Seeing everything you’ve built gives you a birds eye view and helps ensure consistency.
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Need a guide to help you climb the mountain of brand implementation? Book in a discovery call with one of our brand experts today.

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