Build a future-proof brand
8 tips to make your brand future proof
Your brand is your organization’s most important intangible asset. It generates both competitive advantage and shareholder value. Despite this, good brand management is not always prioritized, even though research has shown that brand performance improves when a brand is well-organized.
Organizations that do not invest enough in their brand are not future-proof. To ensure that it will survive and remain strong, it’s important to have a brand which continuously evolves through technological and social developments and is in keeping with advancements in the wider world. A well thought out strategy, extensive insight and good management are crucial.
This sounds easier said than done, so that’s why we’re sharing with you eight tips to follow so that you can immediately start to future-proof your brand.
Be a pioneer
When there is so much change around you, it can be tempting to bury your head in the sand, but doing so might mean you miss out. Respond quickly to changes, especially when it comes to branding. Be curious, not hesitant, and don’t write off new technologies and trends too quickly just because you think they won’t survive or they seem irrelevant. Open yourself to new innovations and be flexible.
Stay true to your authentic brand story
What does your brand really mean to your organization? Does it represent tangible assets with your logo on them? Is it your tone of voice? You’ll find that the brand extends to more than that. A brand must be the expression of the ‘authentic story’ behind your organization. It must stand for something, including its right to exist: the reason why your organization matters.
Make your brand performance measurable
Data plays an increasingly important role in marketing and communications. You also need to make your brand performance measurable. A good brand dashboard is an excellent tool for this. In
addition, it’s important that you continue to learn and experiment with what works and know what does not work to continue to develop the brand.”
Encourage brand coherency, instead of enforcing consistency
Ten years ago, it was believed that consistent application of the corporate identity across all communications was key to having a strong brand. However, today the emphasis is much more on conveying one coherent and convincing brand promise. This is about flexibility in applying the corporate style, rather than a strict requirement that all communication looks the same.
Experiment more often
People no longer search directly for a well-known hotel chain or restaurant, they search through intermediaries. There are now more brands in the market which play an intermediary role. They don’t always offer products or services themselves, but offer overarching services. Examples include Trivago and Tripadvisor. These are all well-known brands which have taken a strong position between customer and supplier and can themselves demand attention. If you do not watch out, you will be overtaken or overshadowed by this kind of smart intermediary. That is why you have to move with what the customer needs and continue to build a strong brand to ensure you do not become completely depended on this kind of intermediary.
Say goodbye to the silo structure
Brands are frequently still organised in silos. Think of marketing, communications, facilities, IT, HR and UX. These departments have a lot of involvement with the brand, but rarely share best practices and experiences. This needs to change. Encourage communication between parties and ensure that the brand remains a topic of conversation. Collaboration is crucial for a coherent brand experience across all brand touch points.
Get the right expertise
A brand does not stand still. As we have mentioned before, social and technological developments affect the brand landscape at lightning speed. To ensure that your brand is always future-proof, you need the right expertise at your
disposal. You can develop this expertise within your own talent pool, but it’s also advisable to use external help, especially when your brand planning changes.
Define how you want to organize your brand in the future
Despite the obvious value in brands, in practice we often see little attention paid to properly shaping them. Constant investment in your brand and good brand management are important for the long-term success of the brand. This is not a
one-off process, but a life-cycle as the brand continues to develop. Managing your brand is therefore a continuous process, with the aim of continuing to optimize brand experiences and brand values.