Sobre marcas y automedicarse

There are as many ways to execute a rebranding as there are brands or companies. Even projects we've led from the studio, with companies we could say are similar, have little in common beyond the essentials.

Undertaking a brand update or change is a complex process that requires a firm decision agreed upon by at least the key stakeholders of the company. Ideally, launching these projects responds to a diagnosis (or forecast) that something is failing or can be improved.

From the studio we always advocate that it's essential to involve the entire team in these changes. For several reasons:

• Validation of information and process. It's critical to understand the company's reality as reliably as possible, capturing the perception of all core audiences of the enterprise. Especially the team. This will allow us to build from what the company is and not from what we wish it would be.
• Building a sense of belonging. A rebranding project is a magnificent opportunity to renew the pride of being part of an organization with principles and goals you share as a company member. The reflection itself already helps, but this feeling skyrockets when you're invited to think out loud, to participate in the conclusions.
• Ownership of the outcome. When everyone has been involved in the process, they immediately understand the reasoning behind each strategic or design decision. This prevents friction and rejection stemming from places that have little to do with critical, objective analysis. Moreover, this ownership accelerates the team's activation of change.

On certain occasions we find ourselves with rebranding projects that have been done entirely in-house, with the company's usual design or marketing team, like just another project.

Is it good? Is it bad? Obviously it depends on each case, but we could say that doing a 100% in-house rebranding is something like self-medicating: you can do it but it's absolutely not recommended.

There are certain mild and occasional symptoms that can be treated autonomously, but for substantial problems and changes, it's definitely key to have professionals nearby, as needed.

It's relatively straightforward to achieve points 2 and 3 when this type of work is done internally. As long as the entire team is involved (which isn't always the case) and a coherent and transparent process is followed (which also doesn't always happen).

The main problem comes with point 1: validating the information and the process. When we're inside a room, our perception of it changes radically compared to the view we have from outside. It's a matter of perspective.

From inside, the small sometimes becomes large and the enormous can go unnoticed. And that's normal. From inside we have so much information that it's very difficult, not to say impossible, to take the necessary distance to observe with neutrality and make decisions based purely on strategic criteria.

When we talk about branding within a company, it means stepping back to see the picture, the work, with perspective. And that's something very difficult to achieve without external help.

Tackling a rebranding project internally runs the risk of being unable to prioritize information by relevance to our different audiences. As a company, the team has all (or nearly all) the information; the challenge comes when it's time to rank and organize that information so it's discovered and communicated as effectively as possible.

Obviously, our advice will always be to work with branding professionals to carry out a brand redesign. But not as a matter of business or sales pitch—rather as a matter of professional responsibility. An external branding firm will bring:

• Experience and knowledge. Branding is a complex discipline and, as such, has its particularities, its theory, its methods, and its technique. Knowing them well and having applied them many times over will always be a guarantee for effectively solving a new brand redesign project.
• Freedom from bias or prejudice. Coming from outside makes it possible to detach from day-to-day company concerns that will be key when organizing information to communicate it to different audiences. It's quite easy to put yourself in the shoes of someone who doesn't know when you genuinely don't know. From that vantage point, you can easily distinguish what's relevant and what isn't across different stages of brand awareness.
• Independence to make decisions. Like any design process, a rebranding is based on decision-making with primarily strategic criteria: the new brand has to work. These decisions must be made with values and priorities in the correct order—something an internal team can't always do (hierarchies, compromises, internal dynamics…) but which is the primary responsibility of an external firm.

The format options for that collaboration with a branding firm are numerous. It doesn't necessarily mean spending a fortune and completely delegating decision-making. For example, there are many cases of in-house projects carried out with the Accompaniment of an external firm that provides that vision and experience. That detachment sufficient to be able to discard and prioritize the information that will guide decision-making for the new brand.

If you own or manage a brand, I'd really like to know your opinion: how would you approach your ideal rebranding project? I'll start: the day we need to do a rebranding of Soluble, we'll definitely bring in outside help.