One of the invigorating aspects of working in the branding industry is reviewing the work that other agencies do.
There are numerous examples where I think “smart, well executed” and nod approvingly. There are others where my heart sinks as the industry at large piles in to express contempt, usually with no knowledge of the landscape in which the work was created.
And then there are examples where I am open mouthed with admiration for the work I’m looking at.
This is often a response to the clarity of the idea, but increasingly I find my admiration is rooted in something else – the understanding of the huge amount of work that went into enabling that idea to be realised.
“In reality, while the idea is crucial, it is not a golden ticket.”
A rebrand comes with the hope to refresh, reposition, and future-proof against a specific challenge, or to build on a certain opportunity.
And yet I’m consistently amazed by the popular view that once the agency has cracked the idea, the hardest part is over. That the job is to deliver something bold, brilliant, and my least favourite of all, “brave.”
And if the client, or more likely their stakeholders, don’t buy it, well that’s on them.
In reality, while the idea is crucial, it is not a golden ticket. It’s the start of a journey preserving and protecting the idea through the lengthy, complex, and often dispiriting journey it must go on before it sees the light of day.
Critically, this is a journey that we must go on in partnership with our clients, not a lonely quest we send them on alone. It is our job to arm the CMO with all the weapons they need to deliver the great work, and to be by their side through that process.
It must begin by acknowledging that what we bring to the table – our strategic, unmistakable design solution – presents a risk and an inconvenience for many people inside that business. It costs money. It creates work. It disrupts processes.
As a result, it reasonably invites scrutiny from very senior stakeholders who are not in the room when the idea is first presented, and who may not fundamentally value or recognise the role of design to their business.
These are the unglamorous realities that rarely make it into that beautiful case study, but if we ignore them, we fail in our duty of care to the client and to the creative idea.
So, how do we protect the work, and give it the best possible chance of success? There are some clear principles to smooth this process from the start, and they begin long before you get anywhere near the creative presentation…
Read the room and read the brief. It’s not just about your immediate client; it’s about building a deeper understanding of the shape of the business they work in. It’s about recognising the job that you really need to do, and where there will be pitfalls, so you can adequately prepare.
Build a case for consensus. When working with large organisations, there are often many valid, but conflicting, points of view. Finding solid ground, a foundation where everyone is aligned, and building from there, will more likely lead to future buy-in.
Pick your battles. It can become a matter of pride to get hung up on every detail, to romanticise resistance. But sometimes it’s better to let small things go, to then be able to celebrate the big wins, the ones that really matter.
Make it real. As the sell-in process continues, there’s a lot of power in bringing the idea to life with an event or showcase that engages the most left-brain audiences, because, after all, “everything you can imagine is real.”
Listen and adapt. The design process is lengthy, and it cannot be static to the evolving circumstances that surround it. Being inflexible in the face of change rarely serves the work or the client.
And perhaps most crucially, remember the stakes. People’s jobs and businesses are on the line. Our responsibility, to the best of our ability, is to do the right thing.
This means respecting and trusting our client’s knowledge of their brand, making a case for design that takes every detail into consideration, listening to, and patiently addressing the most frustrating of concerns, and being an ally to the finish.
Almost nothing makes me prouder than the moment a great new piece of work is unveiled.
Not simply because the idea was brilliant, but because together we fought for it, made it work for the brand, and gave it the chance to thrive – together.
Georgina Leigh-Pemberton is managing director of Turner Duckworth.