Corporate identity implementation: 10 tips for a successful rollout

1. Costs and savings of corporate identity implementation 

Analyse the impact of the corporate identity implementation, distinguishing between visual, organisational and financial aspects. In that last category you naturally look not only at the costs, but also at the possible savings.

2. Define the new brand architecture before you start the implementation

Does your brand portfolio contain several (sub)brands? Then map out how those brands relate to one another, and state the desired positioning for each. That gives you insight into the hierarchy and synergy between the different brands – essential for a successful corporate identity implementation.

3. Which implementation scenario do you choose?

Which approach suits the organisation best? The options include a ‘big bang’, the ‘20/80 rule’ or a phased implementation of the new corporate identity. Let your choice be guided by the level of ambition, the available budget and the agreed starting points.

4. Draw up a plan of action for your implementation 

It sounds simple, but it is so valuable: draw up a plan of action. In this implementation plan for the new corporate identity you describe which goals you want to achieve, what the desired result is and which steps will be taken. It is also important to be clear in advance about which parties are involved, where responsibilities lie, what budget is available for the implementation and how you are going to measure success.

5. Capture requirements and wishes in a design brief

With this brief you tell the design agency what the list of requirements is. Think of the aesthetic, communicative, technical and legal requirements the new corporate identity has to meet.

6. Translate the design into a prototype

An approved design ‘on paper’ does not mean you are finished. How does the design translate into colour use, choice of material, size, use, costs and so on? It is wise to have test models and prototypes made in advance. A good design on paper does not automatically work on an eighty-metre-high apartment block.

7. Done? Not at all! Now the actual implementation begins

The design phase may seem the most important and most appealing part of the (re)branding; after all, you suddenly get a picture of the change. But the real challenge – and the real impact – lies in implementing the new corporate identity. Make sure attention does not slacken and stay involved until the last brand carrier has been given the new corporate identity.

8. Managing the corporate identity

Don’t forget to think during the design phase about how you are going to manage and safeguard the corporate identity – with a brand portal, for example. That is an online collection for your company in which all knowledge about the corporate identity is brought together. To increase brand consistency and save costs, it is wise to standardise as much as possible.

9. Introducing the new corporate identity

Good communication is half the work. Make sure internal communication is clear when the new corporate identity is introduced. Involve at least the marketing and communications, HR, facility management, fleet management and procurement departments. These departments are an integral part of the success of the implementation.

10. New brand identity and positioning

A change of corporate identity is often part of a larger, strategic change of the organisation’s identity. The new corporate identity is an excellent instrument for making the new identity, brand positioning and promise of your brand and company known – both externally and internally (‘the new corporate identity as a catalyst for the change’).