Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

Great question and a common problem, I'm guessing. The matter is further complicated by the fact that not all prospective users (i.e., the salespeople) are great writers, know a good headline from a bad one, etc., so the likelihood that all communications will really reflect the care, tone and professionalism you would want and would deliver (to reflect positively on the brand) could be compromised.

My suggestion is that you continue to provide the finished product for them, but that YOU have the templates so each job isn't a one-off for you.

I have clients who have adopted this approach and it seems to work pretty well.

Thank you for your response. I am the only marketing person for an organizations that houses several departments that would need a flyer. There are over 25 managers who are in need of flyers. My job is to provide them with the tools they need to succeed, not to do it for them. I have conducted brand training and provided guidelines so I am confident that they are capable of mirroring the brand tone and messaging. It's just that they do not have the brand typography and the program knowledge to do so.

I have too many other initiatives such as marketing and social campaigns to manage these requests. Unfortunately, I cannot hire a graphic designer to take this responsibility so I need to find a solution to this. Do you have any other solutions to offer?

Can you offer create PowerPoint and Word templates (for example) that'll suffice for their needs? If they need more fine-tuning, then you'll need to get involved.

When you say "Unfortunately, I cannot hire a graphic designer to take this responsibility" - isn't it possible to suggest to the other department that they hire a freelance graphic designer? That way, you can recommend someone you know and trust (and can liaise with too) - and the cost falls to their department.

It's a common problem to protect brand standard.The importance of protecting your personal brand in the age of social media and stable information streams.

By either taking away or by not giving you the ability to hire a graphic designer, and by allowing sales people to do their own design, your manager or supervisor is telling you, the sales team, and your customers that the value, integrity, management, and equity of the ways in which the company and its brand are perceived are of no value or merit in the marketplace.

This is displays a MONUMENTAL degree of ignorance, arrogance, and stupidity on this person's part.

It is not the role of sales people to "play" at being designers. Their job is to SELL!

By allowing sales people access to logos, identity elements, and typefaces (so that sales staff can do their own thing) the company telegraphs countless inappropriate messages,some of which include:

1. Design is easy. Anyone can do it. It doesn't matter what the result looks like.
2. Customers don't care what things look like.
3. Management does not value the input of its staff, or the perceptions of its customers.
4. Marketing is all about selling.

This must stop and it must stop NOW.

Until there is a MAJOR SHIRT in managerial thinking towards the ways in which the visual side of doing business is viewed, understood, and perceived by everyone in the company, and by everyone you're serving, you—as marketing manager—are DOOMED TO FAIL.

There is no way that you alone can control, steward, or manage ANY aspect of corporate identity.