A brand is never done

Michel Hogan
Jul 23, 2017 · 2 min read

We live in more enlightened times when it comes to brand, but while it is finally seen as more than a logo, it remains bedevilled by a project mentality.

Many of you have been down the path. Things start feeling a bit ho-hum, the thrill is gone. And so as night follows day it’s time to fire up the creative juices and redo the brand.

The project is kicked-off and the agency is brought in. The brainstorming sessions begin, and before you know it, the trappings are polished up and ready for the big launch. Cue event, hats, posters and hubbub.

Then a few scant months later everything settles back into place. Any discussion of the brand is relegated back to ad-hoc mentions on PowerPoint slides and vague assertions of importance in meetings. Ho-hum reigns again.

In organisations, the things you do are never done, and neither is your brand. Readers here may have encountered my formula that captures this way of thinking about a brand:

The formula could also be represented using a circular diagram, because through their interaction, the elements are always evolving including the result.

To learn more about how a brand evolves click here.

The organisation’s identity of purpose and values interacts with how people deliver experience and make promises, which in turn result in a brand. It’s an ongoing process in response to the shifting environment. New competitors, technology and regulations will pop up.

Products and services change and improve. Policies get easier to understand (or not). Practices and processes become more productive. People take more ownership of what they care about and as a result the brand stays fit and competitive.

Simply put, a brand is never done because the environment you’re in is never done. But you can have a robust, resilient brand if you embrace the result mindset.

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First published on SmartCompany.com.au

Michel Hogan is an independent thinker and adviser on org identity, dedicated to helping you make promises you can keep and keep the promises you make — with a robust, resilient organisation and brand as the result. You can find Michel at michelhogan.com or click here to buy her new ebook Between Making Money and World Peace.

Written by

Independent Thinker and Adviser on Organisational Identity. What promises are you making and how are you keeping them?

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