No Surprises: Five Tips for Sticking to Your Branding Timeline

Every branding engagement starts with a determination to stick to the schedule and meet every deadline. But many branding timelines go awry, leading to delays and frustration.

Most often, branding timelines are stalled by scheduling logjams, internal indecision, or last-minute executive bombshells. Sometimes milestones get missed when a key decision maker is surprised—by the project’s scope, by the nature of the deliverables, or even by their own responsibility to evaluate the work.

Whatever the reason … such delays can be costly. Not only do they represent missed marketing opportunities, but they often result in unexpected agency fees, travel and meeting costs, and many, many additional hours.

Faithful execution of a project plan requires careful consideration of logistics, communication channels, goals, and decision-making responsibilities. Neither partner wants a branding initiative to fall behind. So here are our five tips for keeping the process moving.

Five Tips for Planning a “No Surprises” Branding Process

1. Identify decision makers at the outset

At the earliest possible time, collectively identify whose approval is a must for a branding project to move forward. Working with executives to define a decision making body will not only ease scheduling and lessen potential conflict, but it will also make leaders feel included from the start, and thus more likely to provide buy-in later.

The core decision making group and inputs (“need to haves”) will include the CEO and the CMO, but additional team members may vary by company. Often, there are select, less-senior employees who may offer an unexpected, on-the-ground perspective of the company’s brand and its future, so think carefully about whose opinions would be “nice to haves.” Consider including these colleagues as non-voting but valuable additions to evaluative discussions.

That said, does the general counsel need to be involved? The CTO? Human resources? Liaise with the C-suite to ensure no critical voices are left out, of course. But also ensure the project isn’t so crowded with collaborators that it will be difficult to keep finding time for meaningful (and timely) participation on everyone’s calendars.

2. Brief the team

Whatever the composition of the decision making body, be sure that participants are educated about their roles and responsibilities, as well as the goals and scope of the project. An unprepared judge is an unreliable one, the kind who can derail a well-oiled machine.

The C-suite doesn’t need to be involved in quotidien status calls or emails, but they should share consensus on what’s on the table for change and how that change should be evaluated.

Circulate the following resources to the decision making body early:

• The project RFP
• A rough timeline
• The agency’s winning proposal

Be available to answer questions about:

• What brand elements are up for grabs
• Which could be addressed in future projects
• Which are sacred

Perhaps most importantly, brief team members on what’s expected of them: are they serving as a final seal of approval, or will you be interested in their feedback much earlier in the process?

If your C-suite is not savvy about marketing, this is also an ideal time to educate them on the role of brand. Confusion between brand, advertising, media relations, web design, and employee engagement can lead to disappointed expectations and/or uninformed evaluations. Again, the key to meeting your branding timeline is to forestall any element of surprise.

So as necessary, find the time to review:

• What brand is
• What it is not
• Why it’s valuable
• What you’re hoping it can achieve for your company

3. Establish a feedback protocol

You’ve experienced it before. A protracted barrage of emails, conference calls, and sticky notes—all containing disparate opinions on a project. Avoid this by establishing a feedback protocol before your first group meeting. Pick a channel, format, and deadline for team members to submit. And clearly communicate what kind of feedback you’re looking for.

Too often, critique, particularly of creative work, is vague and subjective: “It’s too soft-looking,” or “It’s just not my taste.” So provide samples of constructive feedback, as well as examples of the kind of descriptive language that’s helpful to designers, copywriters, and strategists. Your agency partners can help you put this together—and they’ll appreciate it!

Finally, designate a point person who will receive, organize, and synthesize feedback for the agency by defined dates. This will help prevent any crucial feedback getting lost in an inbox, and it will ensure any proprietary corporate jargon or references are adequately explained to an outside audience.

4. Hold an internal research summit

One of the most common causes of delay is plain old scheduling. A thorough research phase requires one-on-one interviews and in-person workshops to elicit candid and comprehensive perspectives. This often proves a challenge, however. Wrangling executives can be like herding cats—particularly across time zones.

If at all possible, an ideal way to speed through research is to gather interviewees and workshop participants in the same place for a day or two. Think of it as an internal research summit. Ideally, this could be during, or adjacent to, an already-planned event that many will attend, such as a sales conference or an executive gathering.

While it will be a long day for your brand strategists, such an event can compress weeks of intermittent research into a far shorter time, letting your team get to work right away. During one DeSantis Breindel project, two strategists embedded themselves in a client’s office, making it possible for them to conduct nine interviews and two brand workshops in only two days.

5. Prioritize the digital

Digital activations are a boon for those with tight branding timelines, especially those who are counting down to a launch event. Physical production takes time—not only for making the actual signs, swag, or collateral, but also for vendor evaluation, material sourcing, and shipping. This is particularly burdensome for brands with a global presence, who have translation needs on top.

One way to lessen production time is to opt for digital materials whenever possible. For instance, if you’re prepping for a big launch event, consider:

• Do we need posters, or can we use digital displays?
• Do participants require physical handouts, or can we pass out branded thumb drives?
• Can a speaker’s backdrop be projected instead of hung?
• Might a brand video be equally (if not more) inspiring than a physical brand book?

Of course, digital applications still require preparation, but they are more flexible. Edits can be made more easily and far later in the process. Additionally, they cut out the time and related to printing and shipping. Finally, they can be reused more easily: a digital poster’s life extends far beyond a single event. It can be remixed and reused for months to come.

Get Out Ahead and Set the Pace

While going with the flow might be great advice for a vacation, that’s not the case for a branding timeline. Upfront preparation is key, providing your team with the clarity and structure by:

• Defining roles
• Setting expectations
• Simplifying logistics

With careful foresight, frequent communication, and respected boundaries, you can marshal a no-surprises project that is completed on time. May the only surprises you encounter be expressions of pure delight at the work itself.

Want to partner with us on a “No Surprises” branding initiative? Let’s talk.