How to Create a Brand Rollout Plan

While most marketers welcome a rebrand, managing its rollout can be tricky. Use this list to map out your brand rollout plan by identifying and prioritizing your needs in spreadsheets.

Be sure to manage the expectations of your organization by sharing your brand rollout plan as early as possible in the rebrand process.

To rebrand existing items consider this:

• What Needs to be Rebranded? Make a list of all items that will require a rebrand (a.k.a. design refresh):
  • Brand/corporate identity (business cards, letterhead, envelopes, mailing labels, shipping materials like boxes and packing tape)
  • Signage/office environment (exterior and interior)
  • Vehicles/fleet
  • Wearables/uniforms
  • Office/administrative (memos, order forms, invoices, company checks, internal process documents, employee onboarding package, etc.)
  • Marketing materials (brochures, sell sheets, catalogs, giveaways, etc.)
  • Product packaging
  • PowerPoint and other templates
  • Website, social media platforms, intranet
  • Tradeshow displays/booth
• Take Inventory – Using the same list, create an “inventory” column to note quantities on hand. Next to that, create a “date ordered” This will be helpful for depleting inventories, avoiding unnecessary reordering or determining quantities for short-term use.
• Assign Ownership – Who needs to be involved? In the same list, create an “ownership” column to note who will be responsible for seeing the rebranded assets through to completion. Include individual’s names and/or departments.
• Determine Lead Time – In the same list, create a column for “lead time.” Review each item and note how many business days (or weeks) will be required to fully complete/produce it.
• Prioritize – In the same list, create a “priority” column and assign a priority value (1 to 5) based on the significance of that item being designed and produced by the launch date. Next, sort your list by priority value and copy each group to its own tab. Label the tabs accordingly (e.g. Priority 1, Priority 2, etc.)
• Launch Dates & Timeline – Review each tab and highlight the item that will require the most time to produce. Next, create a “recap” tab. Copy the highlighted item from each priority tab to the recap tab. Using your launch date, assign a date to Priority 1 by backing out from that date. From there, you can decide the timing for each Priority group. This will help you manage expectations and budgets.

For your kick-off campaigns, consider this:

• Introduce your rebrand to employees four to six weeks prior to your external launch (customers and prospects). This will give them time to build a comfort level with new language, the new look, new processes, etc.
• Using the same method as above, create separate spreadsheets for your internal launch and your external launch. Rebranding efforts are loaded with moving parts. These spreadsheets will help keep your efforts on track.

Hint: No rollout is perfect and you will not flip a “rebrand” switch to have everything complete at once. (UPS created a seven-year rollout plan to rebrand all of its assets.)

Author:

Certified Brand Strategist for Tag, Michelle Taglialatela has 25+ years of experience in business-to-business and business-to-consumer advertising. Price has been recognized for creative excellence and currently holds 35+ awards. In 2004, Michelle became a Certified Brand Strategist and member of The Brand Establishment.