How To Launch A New Brand

For years now, I’ve been asked a familiar question. Once a company has created a new brand identity, is it better to roll out applications gradually, as budget allows, or should management bite the bullet and implement the new identity across all customer touch points simultaneously? The answer is: Do everything at once. That’s always the answer. That’s always going to be the answer. The only way you roll things out gradually is if you’re forced by circumstances to go slow. Those circumstances are usually budgetary in nature. I can understand the inclination to move incrementally. Some identity applications are easy, like stationery ensembles (if anybody uses them anymore). Putting a logo on a tote bag is always fun. And it’s easy enough to put the new logo in the top left corner of your website. But some applications are very difficult (expensive) to change. Signage at the top of a skyscraper, for instance, or the livery on fleets of vehicles. And yet the benefits of the all-at-once approach far outweigh any expense involved. And there are dangers in the gradual approach that can negate your investment in the new look, and even leave you worse off than before. Read more.