Launching or re-launching a brand on an unsuspecting public is a trying time for the marketing department. But it’s just one of many trying times in the marketing department and as long as you don’t shoot your load too early, everything should work out. I was a bit concerned about the term ‘shoot your load too early’ there. There’s always the danger that the less cherubic readers may revert to smut and innuendo. I remain confident, however, that the majority will recognise the term from their history books when soldiers using notoriously inaccurate, single shot muskets in battle were encouraged to hold their nerve and refrain from firing (the load) on the enemy until the last possible moment in order to maximise the opportunity of actually hitting someone. My point in relation to launching a brand is that everyone has an opinion. The opportunities for misunderstanding, confusion, procrastination, delay, alteration… just about everything in fact, are many. It’s a wonder sometimes that any new brand gets out the door. But those opinions are important and they have to be heard. It’s relevant that you hold your nerve before launch and make sure that everyone who needs to be consulted has indeed been consulted. But it’s more important that you know when to stop talking and pull the trigger. One man’s historical reference to muskets is always going to be another’s potty-mouth innuendo. That shouldn’t stop the launch. Nothing should stop the launch. If a brand strategy development process of almost any competent description has been followed, everyone will have had their say. Internal staff will have been consulted about the brand, their voice heard and their points noted. External audiences will have been questioned, customer opinions will have shaped the brief to the creative teams and the resulting Brand Strategy and Creative Platform output will have a direct and visible link back through to the internal and external input. So what are you waiting for? Well, experience suggests you’ll wait for anything and everything. Unlike just about every other marketing activity where time is of the essence and ludicrous, often impossible time pressures and deadlines are applied to speed of delivery, the launch of the new brand suddenly slows down. “Can we see it in red, just to make sure?”, “Sir would like to show it to his gardener.”, “What do you think about a ‘soft-launch’?”, “The French have got a problem…” Everyone starts to feel nervous. There are careers at stake, jobs on the line, targets to be met, sales to be increased and underpants to be changed. Pfffertttt. And for the record, the French have always got a problem. They need to get over it. Yes, a new brand launch is a big deal, but we knew that at the outset and having completed all the hard work, the ONLY consideration should be unleashing the big idea on the world. The whole point of following a brand-building strategy is that you have developed, probably for the first time, a communications platform based on objectively gathered ‘evidence’. So the answer’s going to be the right answer. You know that because the people who matter the most – customers, prospects and staff – told you the answer. You don’t need to worry about the gardener. You just need to launch. And actually, that’s the easy bit. Because it’s tactical. It’s a project. It’s a party. It’s whatever you want it to be, but the navel-gazing’s over and it’s time to shoot that load. Birddog is often asked for the ‘special’ activities that need to happen for the brand launch. There are some, potentially, but actually, a big flash in the pan would kind of defeat the object. We’re not delivering a here-today-gone-tomorrow campaign. The opposite in fact. Your new brand will likely take a while to permeate the organisation, reach every audience and take hold. So it’s not about ‘today’. Your brand will be with you for a long time to come so the long-term success of your brand strategy is about tomorrow and the next day and the day after and the day after that. Have a party by all means – this is as good a time as any to remind people of what your brand represents and why it is important to them and the company. (Marketscan infamously launched its ‘Superheroes’ brand positioning with a staff party where employees including the MD arrived in masks and capes. Kinky, but effective). Giving people something to remember the essence of your brand can also be helpful – things like a hot-air balloon ride or something inspiring if that’s the desired effect – but it’s more likely to be something physical that carries the brand as a reminder. If you have a terminally dull brand, it’s going to be an A4 copy of the ‘Mission Statement’ and Brand Values. But let’s hope it’s a bottle of company Vodka to represent the fire in the company’s ambition or a high quality fleece with the logo embroidered to represent the warmth of the brand. And, “should I get rid of my old business cards or use them up first before I start with the new ones…?” PUT THE OLD ONES IN THE SKIP YOU TWAT. You will likely have spent the better part of two small fortunes on re-establishing the corporate entity for the future good of all mankind. Do NOT cock it up by scrimping on the final delivery. Everything old gets replaced with everything new. You mean business. Everyone needs to see that. There may be extenuating circumstances that cause delay for some items, but business cards aren’t extenuating. And let’s not forget that the ‘badge’ itself may not have changed, but the meaning behind the badge almost certainly will have – so the emphasis is driving the new message(s) to the relevant audiences through every available channel. No one said this part would happen overnight, but it’s certainly more familiar and can be handled on a more tactical/campaign basis. The important part is that you actually stop talking about it and get on and do it. Prepare the troops, load the muskets and ‘don’t fire till you see the whites of their eyes’. How rude can it be…? Scot McKee Managing Director Birddog Ltd. www.birddog.co.uk