The brand – a communication tool that is too complex?
For many companies, branding is a complex communication tool, the advantages of which are not entirely clear. Ambiguous reporting structures, responsibilities divided among different departments and a range of external service providers result in communication islands - expressions of brand identity that operate in isolation from one another, with no clear context:
| – | Guidelines defining the brand identity are often perceived as too constricting and as a factor that increases complexity, e.g. when developing new advertising campaigns, establishing brands within social networks or enhancing the brand reputation by engaging in large-scale sponsoring activities. When these tasks are out-sourced to multiple agencies, there is an increased risk that the brand guidelines will be interpreted inconsistently. |
| – | While it’s true that brand decisions are a matter for top management, communication messages are generally created and disseminated by different departments. So brand managers are well advised to solicit others’ views and intervene if necessary. Unless it is clear who is responsible for what, departments and divisions will try to push through their own communication concepts. |
| – | Autonomous communication budgets and independent company divisions, each with its own specialty, sometimes give rise to a patchwork quilt of communication messages. A brand audit usually reveals these “identity islands” because it examines and assesses the entire range of company communication. |
Brand management is an interdisciplinary endeavor that – under the auspices and with the approval of top management – affects all internal and external branding activities. As a clearing house that examines and evaluates all communication messages at regular intervals, brand management ensures the consistency of the brand identity at every interface along the experience chain, thereby enhancing the efficiency of brand communication. At the same time, the clearinghouse function reduces complexity, because service providers pay closer attention to existing brand guidelines rather than reinventing new ones.