Question

Topic: Strategy

My Internal Clients Keep Asking For New Logos

Posted by Anonymous on 1/19/2014 at 2:18 PM ET 250 Points
I work within a centralised comms unit, and act as an account manager for a number of internal clients. I am there to provide marketing support.
My clients can be difficult because they keep coming to me requesting tactical activity eg. I need a microsite, I need some leaflets, etc. The most challenging request is for new logos, straplines and "brands".
For me, it undermines our corporate identity, but this carries no weight with my clients who want to have the "wow" factor, something new and exciting etc.
Any suggestions for how to deal with this, or does anyone have a checklist of criteria that need to be met to warrant creating new identities?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 1/19/2014 at 3:17 PM Accepted
    Dear George,

    I've felt your pain. Truly I have!

    To my mind the issue you're outlining here is one of a lack of sales management. If the people coming to you knew how to close sales they wouldn't need logos, brochures, or new and exciting "wow" factors, they'd simply be closing sales and bringing in new business. Any talk of weak leads or of needing new logos is a bullshit cop out, it really is.

    Here's a checklist for you, one that will challenge your internal "clients" to get off their backsides and get out there and begin banging on doors:

    1. How will the deployment of a new logo increase sales in the first 30, 60, and 90 days of its deployment? (Insist on hard numbers, get management to sign off on the validity, and follow up with bulldog zeal).

    2. How will any new logo marry up with and support any existing logo deployment?

    3. Get your sales people to define the traffic numbers that any micro sites asked for and how they'll generate traffic and how they'll generate conversion metrics, along with their required messages, audiences, calls to action, and results in terms of net sales (not gross) again in a 30, 60, and 90 day period.

    Present these thoughts (in your own words) to management and get them to buy in. If they choose not to and if you're still feeling alone in the woods (I'm right there with you: been there, done that), start looking for another job. As a former colleague of mine used to say "There's no use knocking when there's nobody home!" Good luck to you, George!

  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 1/19/2014 at 6:30 PM Accepted
    You're most welcome, George, really you are. If my humble two cents worth helps you the time was well spent.
  • Posted by saul.dobney on 1/20/2014 at 5:50 AM Accepted
    Do you have any 'brand standards' documents that senior managers have bought into? These are our brands and this is how they are used. This is our policy for sub-brands and our approvals process. These are our standards for printed materials and microsites including typography, colours and image requirements and legal oversight. This is the formal request and sign-off procedure. These are the key metrics we will measure performance against including association with the main brand.
  • Posted by cookmarketing@gmail. on 1/20/2014 at 12:28 PM Accepted
    google/bing Tide and see how many times P&G changed the logo - for their consumer...your outside people may be correct, but changing (vs modifying) something that works may not be best in the longer term of the ultimate voter...
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