How to select and equip top-notch workgroup leads to implement your rebrand

Your brand is a key part of your corporate identity. It reaches far beyond the marketing department and permeates every facet of your organization. So, if you’re starting to implement a large-scale rebranding effort, remember: You can’t bring about this level of transformation on your own. You’ll need help from partners across your organization to achieve a successful result.

Rebrand implementation requires significant time, energy, and commitment from every area of your organization that uses physical and digital branded assets. That usually includes every department, from human resources and facilities to IT and those that produce or deliver the products and services your organization offers. And there may be some people in your organization who simply aren’t up to the challenge. That’s why you need to be particularly thoughtful and selective when appointing the workgroup leads responsible for carrying out your best laid plans.

Effective implementation leaders will think strategically about the project and then roll up their sleeves to get the job done. Here’s how to select the right internal stakeholders and equip them for the task at hand.

Ask your C-suite to recommend effective workgroup leads from their respective areas

Your executive peers should all be champions of and advocates for your brand change. And to help your employees embrace your rebrand, it’s crucial for the C-suite to signal their support early and often.

One of the most important ways the c-suite can demonstrate their endorsement is to help you identify and select 15 to 20 competent team leaders to spearhead your implementation efforts. But who are the best people to entrust with this responsibility?

Characteristics of effective workgroup leads

It’s all too common for organizations to unwittingly appoint the wrong workers to lead brand change. Executives and senior directors are typically too far removed from daily operations to effectively lead the charge. And junior-level team members don’t have the gravitas required to delegate work to others.

In our experience, the best workgroup leads possess a unique mix of organizational knowledge, influence, and “make it happen” follow-through. They are typically:

• Up-and-coming directors or mid-level managers who have demonstrated a noticeable commitment to professional growth
• Well-connected team players who can rally employees around becoming ambassadors of the rebrand
• Strategic thinkers who understand the inner workings of the organization and can identify opportunities for greater efficiencies and cost savings
• Active participants who come to each meeting prepared with ideas about the process (as opposed to passive attendees who don’t act until tasks are assigned to them)

Furthermore, workgroup leads who manage branded assets need to be familiar with the ins and outs of their department and industry. It’s important for them to know which people, vendors, and tools to access in order to effectively convert all their branded touchpoints.

It’s important to be as specific as possible about the characteristics you’re looking for in team leads so your C-suite colleagues can make the best recommendations possible.

The importance of accountability in brand implementation

Another way the C-suite can support your rebrand implementation efforts is to establish clear expectations and lines of accountability for workgroup leads. This includes communicating clearly to all employees what is expected of them during the rebranding process.

Workgroup leads need to know they have the C-suite’s backing to:

• Delegate tasks to employees and follow up on progress
• Evaluate existing vendor contracts and explore new vendor relationships in order to maximize efficiencies and resources
• Gather data from across the organization to inform implementation decisions
• Look for opportunities to standardize and streamline branded assets (rather than converting everything automatically)

Workgroup leads also need to understand how their implementation efforts intersect with, and depend on, the work of other departments. An implementation partner like BrandActive can keep track of the big picture and ensure all individual leaders follow through on their respective tasks. This oversight is a necessary component of keeping the entire rebrand moving forward.

Equip workgroup leads for success through training sessions and workshops

Once you’ve identified the right internal implementation partners to roll out your rebrand, it’s time to train and equip them for success. Bringing all your team leads together for a consolidated kickoff is a great way to foster teamwork and camaraderie around the common goals of the project.

Your kickoff should provide information about your:

• Rebrand strategy. What are the reasons for the rebrand and the benefits you expect to gain?
• Launch plans. Will you introduce your new brand to internal and external stakeholders via a big-bang event or will you take a more gradual approach, staging the new brand rollout across regions or product/service lines? What must each workgroup lead accomplish prior to launch?
• Implementation plan, budget, and timeline. How much will this effort cost and how long will it take to roll out? What is your overall vision for how you expect to implement the change? When is each part of the implementation process due?
• Roles and responsibilities. What can workgroup leads expect from working with an implementation partner like BrandActive? Who is responsible for what?
• Processes. How can workgroup leads access funds from the rebrand implementation budget? What other guidelines and processes do they need to be aware of?
• Approvals and reporting. Who should team members approach for sign-off? To whom should they submit progress updates?

The more you can centralize your efforts, get everyone on the same page, and answer questions workgroup leads have about what to expect, the better. Furthermore, consider giving your rebrand implementation project its own name to increase buy-in from your team and make them feel like they’re part of something truly special.

Then, once everyone understands the big picture, meet with each workgroup separately to dig into the plans specific to their area.

Provide your workgroup leads with ample rebrand implementation support

It’s impossible to overstate how time-consuming and demanding rebrand implementation can be. Even the most dedicated and capable employees may struggle to carve out sufficient time to roll out your brand change.

That’s why allocating sufficient internal and external resources for your rebrand implementation is one of the most important things you can do to set up your workgroup leads for success. This is especially true if you’re grappling with the ramifications of the Great Resignation, the Great Reshuffle, and the resulting War for Talent.

Many dedicated and loyal employees are already picking up the slack from labor shortages and other workforce challenges. Adding a rebrand to the mix could overload them even more. And it could exacerbate the risk of your rebrand stalling out before it’s complete.

To that end, make sure you equip your workgroup leads with two important resources: a realistic implementation budget and an experienced implementation partner.

BrandActive can take your high-level implementation plan and turn it into an actionable, step-by-step guide for each of your workgroup leads to follow. But we won’t stop there. We’ll be by their side to lessen the burden and make the implementation process manageable and rewarding.

Ready to equip your workgroup leads for the rebranding journey that lies ahead? Just reach out. We’d love to help.