How To Launch A Brand: Building A Successful Brand Implementation Strategy
On the heels of a brand redesign, the main challenge we hear from clients is that they are looking for a successful approach for how to launch their brand. Launching your new brand expression requires a compelling strategy, a meticulous approach and long-term consistency. The most effect brand launch strategy includes both internal and external tactics, designed to resonate with your own teams as well as the broader marketplace.
Making an impactful first impression requires many things to be considered and planned in the weeks and months leading up to your brand launch. On the external front, these include developing a brand implementation strategy, communication plan, and key messages to engage the right audiences. Internally, it is crucial that every single internal stakeholder—from leadership to the newest and most novice employees— understands how to express your organization’s new brand.
We’ve compiled a list of some of our preferred and most effective brand launch strategy tactics.
Our goal is to arm employees with the tools and knowledge they need to be confident brand champions, while deploying external messaging and tactics that resonate with the audiences your brand aligns with.
Internal Tactics
Identify your ambassadors
By distinguishing and elevating employees at every level of your company to be ambassadors for your new brand, you are helping to build engagement and enthusiasm from the inside out. Rather than deploying from the top down, this approach helps teams align with new positioning and messaging and invites them to be part of the collective voice.
Deploy your new brand guidelines
Marketers and designers know how crucially important a brand guidelines document is for creating cohesion among branded materials. But brand guidelines are also an invaluable resource for your entire company. They should contain everything your teams need to know about your new brand and how to use it: from how the brand is positioned in the marketplace to core company values, and, of course, those trusty do/do-not logo rules.
Engage employees through brand trainings
A truly successful brand launch goes much deeper an all-company email introducing a new logo and including a link to the new brand guidelines. Engaging teams through brand trainings and workshops ensures that every employee understands how this new brand will integrate into their daily activities and company culture. Trainings can cover how to effectively use the new brand guidelines, why the new positioning story matters, and how messaging will be tailored to specific audiences your company wants to reach.
Additional Internal Brand Launch Strategies Include:
Audit all marketing collateral: create a list of print materials that will need updating to reflect the new brand expression.
Audit all digital collateral, including social media profiles.
Consider an internal teaser campaign to build excitement.
Rally teams with an inspiring brand manifesto or video.
External Tactics
Unveil your new brand
The moment has arrived: you are ready to launch your new brand to the public. What does this moment look like? How will you announce it to the world? This could be through a public event, a creative announcement on social media, or a newsworthy moment.
Launch your updated website
Your company’s website is your most impactful piece of digital marketing. Simply updating a logo will not be enough to translate your new brand into the digital space. Rather, a comprehensive web strategy will turn your website into a transformational business tool.
Brand your public spaces
Brand is a three-dimensional experience. Consider how your new brand will come to life within the walls of your office, particularly in communal spaces like the lobby or main entry, conference rooms, break rooms, and huddle spots. On-brand signage and graphics foster a sense of connection to the new brand and encourage people to experience it in more tangible ways.
Additional external brand launch strategies include:
Share the news with your clients and customers through a video, social media reveal, or email campaign.
Engage the support of PR partners to build awareness through media coverage.
Monitor and evolve messaging and graphics over time to ensure consistency across all touchpoints and relevancy with your audiences and marketplace. Brand isn’t static!
Curious about how to launch your brand after a redesign or repositioning?
Learn more about our Brand Development solutions here