Strong brand management for the future

Our client, a leading company in the IT and services sector, is faced with the task of professionalising its brand management and making it fit for the future.

The existing brand identity enjoys broad acceptance within the workforce and has established itself as visible and tangible since its introduction. The company's brand value has been strengthened through continuous work and is now one of the 50 most valuable brands in Germany according to the BrandZ ranking.

However, with a diversified, decentralised structure and continuous growth through national and international acquisitions, there are challenges in the brand architecture and the consistent implementation and tangibility of the brand. The introduction of a new corporate design offers the opportunity to set up professional brand management and bring it to life in order to make a measurable contribution to the company's success.

The focus was on the following questions:

• How can brand management be made fit for the future in terms of organisation and processes?
• What competences and resources are required to successfully manage the brand?
• How can ways of thinking and working as well as cooperation with interfaces be optimised?
• What specific measures are required to close the gap between the status quo and the target image?

The development of a future-proof set-up for brand management was organised as a collaborative process. In seven project modules, strategic goals were defined, best practices analysed, task packages prioritised and a roadmap and target image developed for the future „Brand Management“ team.

At the start of the project, the project objectives were specified, success indicators derived and stakeholders and collaboration routines defined. In order to gain a deep understanding of the requirements for brand management, we conducted guided interviews with internal experts and brand managers from companies such as Microsoft, Würth and BMW.

The insights gained from the needs analysis and best practice research were consolidated and served as the basis for the development of a pyramid of objectives. Based on this, levers for achieving the objectives were identified, task packages were defined and prioritised, and they were then incorporated into a roadmap. Quick wins were identified in order to quickly visualise initial successes.

Building on this, a clear target image was created for the future „Brand Management“ team. This included a qualitative mission statement, added value and roles of the team as well as working principles as strategic guidelines. At an operational level, we defined the organisational anchoring within the company, the various subject areas, structure, responsibilities and interfaces as well as the required skills and resources.

To ensure that the concept is practical and meets the needs of the company, it was iterated together with internal experts.

In an implementation workshop, task packages were defined and prioritised and localised in a roadmap, including responsibilities. This created the basis for an implementation-orientated setup of the new department and a sustainable transformation of brand management.

The structured approach created a future-proof setup for professional brand management:

• Strategic clarity: A target pyramid provides orientation for all those involved.
• Increased efficiency: The roadmap enables the targeted implementation of prioritised measures.
• Organisational development: The new „brand management“ team is clearly defined – from roles, competencies and tasks to interfaces.
• Practical implementation: quick wins ensure the first visible successes; long-term projects create sustainable added value.

The company is now optimally positioned to consistently manage and develop its brand and sustainably increase its value – both nationally and internationally.