Sandra Saias, EVP of Ogilvy PR’s global strategy and planning group, reveals the agency’s rebranding philosophy, beginning with the thought that all brands must have a point of view—a belief system that drives everything a brand does and helps it to attract widespread support:
“Brands with a POV can transcend their product or service categories to become an integral part of popular culture,” says Saias. “If brands exist because they play a role in the world, both functional and emotional, then a rebranding exercise is a perfect opportunity to dig in deep to explore what exactly the root of the brand is and ensure the brand’s role in the world is clear and motivating.”
Here’s the checklist used by the agency when planning a rebranding effort:
• Be sure that brand is expressed in a channel-neutral fashion so that it can be appropriately expressed by each discipline/channel. It’s not ideal to “translate” from one channel to another. Also, ensure that all disciplines/channels are able to execute against the brand to ensure 360-degree consistency.
• Keep in mind that today brands are built not only by brand managers, but by consumers as well. Identify ways that you can engage consumers as “co-branders” and use their experiences to help build the brand.
• Be true to yourself. While you have to keep the competition and context in mind, you also have to be authentic.
• Think long term. It has probably taken a long time to build your brand. When rebranding, avoid being overly “now”—if you tie your brand too closely to today’s issues, what happens when tomorrow comes?