When you go through a rebranding, there’s a lot to keep track of. First there’s strategy. Then there are systems – the consistent visual and verbal expression of your strategy. Even at their most efficient, these two critical phases take months. And in the midst of this work, it can be all too easy to lose sight of the last rung in the ladder: your brand reveal.
Brand Activation Is a Huge Deal
Too often, small and mid-sized organizations don’t dedicate the proper bandwidth to planning their brand activation. They get caught in the weeds of pressing creative work and the production of collateral. For many reasons, they might not stop to think about the brand’s first step into the world.
That’s a problem. Because a brand reveal is the biggest deal ever. It’s the first impression your new brand will make on your various audience segments, via your own channels and the press. It’s critical to explore your options and commit to a plan long before the weeks leading up to the big announcement.
Months Before The Reveal, Ask Yourself:
- What is the reveal date? Are all key stakeholders available at that time?
- How are employees finding out about the brand? A newsletter? A web meeting? A party? A combination of these elements and more?
- When are other audience segments finding out? How?
- Would certain customers, partners, media be honoured by a sneak peak of the work?
- How are we announcing our new brand, more generally, to the press?
- Are there dedicated resources to coordinate all of this?
- Are we doing the simplest thing that will yield the greatest impact?
- How important is secrecy leading up to the reveal day?
These are just a few things to keep in mind before announcing a new brand. The answers will naturally depend on many variables, like the size or reach of your organization and the sensitivities of particular audience segments.
Don’t Waste Your Brand Reveal
Your reveal is your first chance to make a great impression on your target audience. Make sure your agency can help you formulate the right transition plan for your brand, so all your hard work goes noticed.