Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM SEPTEMBER 2024 28 M y friend who's the CEO of a retail product company recently expressed his frustration with an agency's rebranding approach. His cutting observation: "They're not rebranding, they're just making a better logo. This feels like expensive decoration, not rebranding." Unfortunately, rebranding often gets reduced to re-logo-ing. • So What Is Branding? Branding is a promise made and kept, a story told, and a problem solved. It's a company's essence – its soul. A logo is no more than an identifier – it tells you who someone is, not what they stand for. Consider the name Don. If Don is known for being dishonest and self-centered, that's his brand. If your brand isn't hitting its stride, maybe it's because you aren't keeping your brand's promises, or maybe you haven't stated those promises clearly enough. Being clear, specific, and consistent can be a challenge, but it's crucial. • Who is your brand for? Who are the people you want to reach? Whether you call them avatars, personas, whatever – what do they believe, value, and want? What do they think, feel, and do? What unique promise are you delivering that others aren't? What are their unmet desires? Focus on answering these questions, and the rest will follow. Branding isn't about everyone understanding you; it's about resonating with the people who matter. The aim of a brand is to connect deeply with the right people. Every great brand understands "We made this especially for you." • What will people say? Discussing the work of Adam Grant, an organization psychologist, and Wharton's top-rated professor for the last seven years, can be challenging – but talking about rethinking a brand is easy. Branding goes far beyond merely a new name or logo. When people talk about your brand, do they feel confident and informed? Can they share your core stories, promises, and values with enthusiasm? Like Adam Grant's book Think Again, a great brand is a lot like a well-told story. • Should you ignore the logo? Maybe. Most agencies are focused on design, but beyond the design bubble, people don't really care very much about logos. Still, a great logo can have value – it's not about winning design awards, but aligning your logo with your core beliefs. A beautiful logo is nice, but what truly matters is doing meaningful work that earns respect and gets shared. • A good brand strategist drives strategic outcomes. Making things look pretty is secondary. A brand strategist is your partner in shaping your organization's brand and aligning your goals, people, beliefs, behaviors, and audience to ensure that your business can thrive. • What about culture? It's people, not companies, that make and keep promises. It's your people who shape your customers' experiences. Employees who're living up to your brand's promise will directly influence the customers' satisfaction. It's your people you should empower with the responsibility to uphold your company's integrity. — Your brand defines what you believe; your culture lives those beliefs. — Your brand makes promises that create expectations; your culture delivers on your promises. — Your brand creates interest; your culture creates trust. — Your brand invites and engages customers; your culture serves and cares for them. If you want people to trust your company, understanding the link between brand and culture is non-negotiable. Trust is the social currency that all healthy businesses and societies trade in. Your brand is too vital to leave it to marketing alone. Your culture is too critical to be separate it from your brand. Your business is too important to operate in silos. Together, your brand and culture drive the results that take you to your business goals. The fusion of brand and culture, aligned with business strategy, creates your company's impact and team synergy. Your team knows this, your customers demand it, and your future hinges on it. • What happens if you don't act now? Most of the time, in most companies, nothing really changes. "Maybe later" is the default option. But without tension, there's no push for change. Businesses change when they're forced to, whether by economic realities or when they start dreaming of a brighter future. I've seen many branding projects that sprang out of a pressing need for change that was driven by human, market, and financial factors. When economic pressures mount, whether because of market changes, reputation hits, or customers flocking to the competitors, the leaders often courageously choose brand evolution. Nothing is more powerful than a group of souls who are united in and ignited by a common cause with love at its core. If you want that kind of power, I can help. REBRANDING REALITY CHECK The importance of brand integrity Steven Morris On Brand Steven Morris is a brand, culture and leadership advisor, author, and speaker. Over his 25+ years in business he's worked with 3,000+ business leaders at 250+ global and regional companies. Discover: https://matterco.co RO

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