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Branding   URGENT - Need Help Fast!  
 
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Rebranding Of A 100+ Year Old Company
Posted By: lstreet* on 11/2/2004 12:45 PM (CST) 250 Points
I am the Director of Marketing and PR for a 108 year old telecommunications company. We offer a full suite of advanced telecommunications products and services, plain telephony, digital able tv, high-speed internet, voice-over-ip, and satellite broadband on an enterporise level. The former services are delivered to both residential as well as small to medium size businesses.

We are looking to rebrand our company. We have too many sub-brands and need to simplify and streamline who we are and where we are heading. We want our rebrand to reflect this. We want to do this right and are looking for marketing research to determine consumer appeal, message, identity, etc.

I am looking for as much feedback as possible. We need a firm to conduct the research. We can implement with our marketing dept. but may from time to time need some input from the experts, that being the research and or marketing/branding firm we choose. Consider this an open bid.

Any help is welcomed!!!

PS: We have been assigned a relatively short timeline for this.


Posted by: JBtron Accepted Answer
11/2/2004 12:51 PM (CST)
Polly,

Congrats on your FIRST KHE question!

Regarding rebranding, I have over twenty years of experience. I am a seasoned branding expert and can be available to you on a moment's notice (click my name to see my email address).

Also, there are very speecific research steps that must be taken to properly assess your position/brand/process. With the brand equity you posess, there are basic questions that must be answered that may save you a whole bunch of unnecessary work.

Get in touch via the email address on my profile page (click my name to get there).

ALSO: check the "Search Questions" section of KHE. You might find a few gems.

Hope this helps!

Best,

::JBtron
 
Posted by: tony_dubitsky* Member Response
11/2/2004 12:59 PM (CST)
Dear Polly,

I recommend that you contact Rick Jacobs at Monigle Associates (www.monigle.com).

Best regards,
Tony Dubitsky
 
Posted by: PictureSez* Accepted Answer
11/2/2004 1:16 PM (CST)
If you're in a hurry, I wouldn't recommend doing much primary research--it would take too much time. Besides, there are many consumer reports provided by research companies, such as the Gartner Group, on that subject.

Since this is an "open bid", I'll throw in my offer of expert advice. I've been in marketing for almost 20 years, with most of my experience working in the telecommunications industry on messaging, branding and other communications issues. My last stint was with AT&T Wireless. Feel free to review my profile, then contact me (click my name to see my email address on my profile page).

--Robbin Block
 
Posted by: SteveByrneBranding Member Response
11/2/2004 1:31 PM (CST)
Hi Polly,

Our firm specializes in research and rebranding campaigns for technology businesses including several telecommunications companies. Please click on my name for contact info and website.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

- Steve
 
Posted by: Jett* Accepted Answer
11/2/2004 2:13 PM (CST)
Branding is a sticky subject. You are wise to ask for help.

You've come to the right place. Our firm specializes in projects of this calibur and can provide/assign a team of the nation's leading branding experts to your "rescue".

Although prices vary, you can expect anywhere from $5000 to $50,000 for the initial retainer and a monthly service fee in the range of $1500-$10,000...depending on the size of the project and the complexity. Again, you will receive a TEAM of experts (most are from the Top 10 Experts here at MP) to collaborate with your marketing department... not only to advise, but enrich ("coach") your staff on how to continue and maintain the programs we implement. Of course, we can remain on retainer from month to month in order to assist your company rather than come in with a program and leave you struggling to implement. All necessary graphic development is included along with comprehensive reporting, strategies, creative, plans, tactical recommendations, competitive research, and psychological reasoning for each brand development.

Please keep in mind, the more re-branding performed, the longer the project. It will not happen over night. I personally re-branded my own company starting in January 2004. It took about 6-7 months before the effects were realized and we began to see a profit increase as high as 600%. Patience and careful execution is the key.

I would like to invite you to contact me via email (just click on my name) in order to receive the initial paperwork necessary to evaluate your needs.

Thank you for posting this exciting, potential challenge! We look forward to working with you.

Good Luck and I'll talk to you soon!

--Blaine Wilkerson
Pres., Jett Enterprises

 
Posted by: km2000* Accepted Answer
11/2/2004 4:52 PM (CST)
Hi Polly,

Can't say I'm tossing my hat into the proverbial "for hire' ring, but hopefully I can offer a unique perspective.

I also work for telecommunications company (106 years old) with similar offerings to yours (we are a Rural Telco with 2 ILECs, a CLEC, an Internet company, a Security company and a Business Communications company). In 1997/98 (just before I came on board) they re-branded, taking the distinct servicesand placing them as profit centers under one 'umbrella company' name. We're still trying to get people to 'get it'.

Partially, I think, because we are rural, to many people, even though they know we provide other services - we're always going to be referred to as "the phone company". (Heck, there are people who still refer to our security division by it's original name -- they know the current name, now 4 years old, they just don't feel the need to use it.) *grrrrrrr* :)

It's almost as if our customers feel more secure thinking of us as several 'smaller' companies - like being several divisions under one name is too 'big' and therefore cold and corporate.

It's frustrating, to say the least.

Being that I was hired after the process, I don't know what path was taken in terms of research & evaluation, but I have seen the aftermath of the re-branding and it has not been an easy go. We are finally making progress in the last year or so - after consistent messaging for 6 years!

So, the only advice I can give is take time to do the research - DON'T RUSH. And, if the research points to your customers NOT being favorable to a re-brand, don't pursue it. It will be costly, time consuming and counter-productive.

Hope this perspective is helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me (just click on my username for my profile).

Best of luck, keep us posted,
k.
 
Posted by: Sharon Moderator Response
11/3/2004 1:42 PM (CST)
I have gone through this process recently, and I agree strongly with k2000 recommendations. Don't rush. I did this process too, for a 150 year old university and it took 18 months. And that was planned. I recommend a three step process (this is simplified, but you'll get the idea):

1. Primary research: essential, even if it's only anecdotal and informal. You need to find out what your customers think of your current brand and where the problems are. 108 years is a very long time to build up brand equity. You want to make sure you don't lose it. I know you don't have a lot of time, but I would definitely hire a market research firm to do a down and dirty study so that you know ahead of time what your current brand does mean and what you may want to preserve.

2. Graphic design : I recommend hiring a firm that specializes in graphic design and has done corporate rebranding in the past. Before making a decision on a graphic design partner, be sure to get them to take you through the process of a similar client so you know what to expect from them and there are no surprises in the contract. We ended up going with a higher priced vendor because they showed us how they continued to work with clients who had multiple stakeholders to please.

3. Internal Audience buy in: Again, an absolute necessity. Your customers are important but if the employees don't buy into the project, it will fail. Employees want to feel like you at least ask their opinion and you listen to them. They can be convinced that this is the best thing for their company, too, as long as you take the time to talk to them. I actually had an identity project newsletter that had two editions during the process to keep employees up to date on what was going on. And the absolute key to employee buy in is very visual and open support from the company's president. This is essential.

It sounds like this may not have been a thoughtful decision, but a knee jerk one. I hope you can get to the root of it, and figure out how to organize the project so it is successful.

I hope this is helpful. Good luck.

Sharon
 
Posted by: mbarber Accepted Answer
11/3/2004 8:27 PM (CST)
Gidday Leif.

I think rushing here would be a tad unwise. Overcomnig the inertia of a company history over 100 years in the making means there are entrenched 'mental anchors' in the ground.

If you rush the exercise you may gain approval from outsiders but your internal values sets will be sent down the gurgler. That means all will be rosy on the outside and rotting on the inside. Too often companies make the mistake of rebranding by ignoring the expectations of the people that work there - never a successful way to do it.

So let me start with a question - what is it exactly that you think your company does? And do most people in the organisation agree with you? And a hint - it has NOTHING to do with telecommunications!

BEFORE you begin rebranding you need to be VERY clear on what you want to move FROM.
 
Posted by: thinkmor Accepted Answer
11/4/2004 10:27 AM (CST)
Hi Leif

Agree with K2000, Sharon Mbarber in taking your time. While it is convenient to try and short cut, you potentially will lose an enormous amount of brand equity if ALL of your stakeholders are not considered equally because of your heritage.

Your re-branding process should be strategic and long term, it's about thinking for Your Future Direction and should involve your management level and then filter down your organization so this cannot be rushed.

Your initial steps to formulate a brand strategy for your portfolio of brands should include at least:

Stage 1

1) Identify all your stakeholders in order of priority
e.g. Customers/consumer
Employees
Shareholders
Suppliers

2) Identify your stakeholders needs and check the alignment of your current proposition. You need to know where you are first before you can decide where you want to go. Brand Stakeholder Alignment can only be achieved if you adopt an integrated marketing approach.

3) Define your brands and segments & include your key assets and competencies. Define your 5 year objectives per segment.

4) Categorize your brands by type, segment, product, brand value etc. You can then also measure brand strength accordingly.

5) Determine your Brand Core - Extended values and Brand history/story

6) Collate ALL exisiting brand research both internally and externally that are most relevant to your stakeholders. Your 'creative' research should concentrate on segmentation, usage and attitude studies and less tactical in approach and be integrated to really give you a Total picture of your consumers and customers and other stakeholders.


These stage 1 steps, of course, are simplified but you owe your corporate brand more than a 'Quick' fix because it has been in existence alot longer than you and most probably will be there many years after you've gone too.

So work with a consultant(s) to co-ordinate your brand research and start planning for the future of what you want your "New Improved" Umbrella Brand to aspire to.

Hope this helps & Good luck!

Zahid Adil
 
Posted by: AndrewS Member Response
11/4/2004 11:25 AM (CST)
I agree with Blaine that it will take a while to rebrand, not only that but and tangible results may take years rather than months.

Good Luck
 
Posted by: sanjay* Accepted Answer
11/5/2004 3:01 AM (CST)
Hi,

Market research is fine. But there are certain things that you need to look at minutely irrespective of who does it.

First, check that how are you perceived in the market in diferent sgements.

Does this feedback reflect your 108 yr presence and what?

Can you lverage your strength further
While doing the MR your reserach has to be more qualitative and not so much quantitative.

That means the survey questions hold the key. The questions should be few and must make the consumer think and not get instatnt response. MR has its pitfalls so be careful
we do this kind of work but we are in India. We actua;ly do a lot of work for old companies who are part of fortune 500.

Sanjay
SalesNet
 
Posted by: ASVP/ChrisB Member Response
11/19/2004 8:47 PM (CST)
You should definitely talk to JB http://www.marketresearch.com/map/prod/924735.html off line to get help for this project

You've been in business 108 years, your company will likely need some professional advice to get the brand strategy on track.

ChrisB
 
Posted by: Val (Moderator)* Moderator Response
11/20/2004 4:10 PM (CST)
Hello all. I am closing this question, since its more than 10 days old. We do this to make sure members' contributions are rewarded in a timely manner and to improve the visibility of newer questions.

Thanks, so much, for participating!
Val (Moderator)
 


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