Key stakeholders are divided on brand messaging changes. How do you unite them towards a common vision?

To bring key stakeholders together on brand message adjustments, encourage open talks to understand varied viewpoints and resolve issues. Create a collaborative environment in which everyone can share ideas. Provide data-driven insights and case studies demonstrating the advantages of the suggested changes. Create a common vision by matching communications with the organization's basic values and objectives. Highlight the possibilities for improved brand equity and market reach, and urge stakeholders to take an active role in developing a unified plan.

Listen Actively: Conduct one-on-one meetings with stakeholders to fully understand their reservations. Ask open-ended questions to gather insights on their specific concerns. Document Issues: Compile a list of common concerns, categorizing them into themes. This will help you address the issues systematically.

I would first listen to everyone’s concerns and ideas. Then, I’d find common goals and show how the changes can help achieve them. By keeping communication open and focusing on shared objectives, I can guide everyone towards a common vision.

Minha abordagem inclui ouvir todas as partes envolvidas, apresentar minha vis?o em um diálogo aberto e promover uma discuss?o organizada. Trago à tona as perspectivas de diversos setores e identifico as preocupa??es de cada pessoa. Em seguida, aponto as preocupa??es mais recorrentes e abro uma conversa entre todos os envolvidos. Por exemplo, se o setor de marketing estiver preocupado com prazos, questiono o setor de vendas para verificar se essa preocupa??o realmente desequilibra as opera??es ou se é algo contornável, como atrasar uma campanha. Essa prática alivia preocupa??es e melhora o diálogo entre todos, possibilitando que os prazos se tornem mais flexíveis e as entregas mais eficazes.

The most important start to any conversation focused on new branding, creative, or messaging is alignment. Everyone needs to understand the goal of the change, whether there is data to support it, and the desired result. Once this is clear, you can evaluate the market, consumers, competitors, and their own business through the lens of creating clarity together. This approach provides a data-supported baseline for making decisions, rather than relying on personal opinions. It's a tremendous exercise to keep stakeholders aligned and focused throughout the process.

O primeiro passo é garantir que as decis?es sejam coletivas, n?o pessoais, e sempre em alinhamento com a marca. Costumo dizer que a marca é uma persona que moldamos para refletir nossa imagem para o público. Decis?es pensadas coletivamente devem sempre refletir essa persona. Para isso, precisamos elaborar um documento estratégico que descreva claramente o que a nossa marca é, como pensa e, principalmente, como age. Assim, as decis?es, que antes eram prerrogativa da lideran?a, passam a ser uma responsabilidade compartilhada por toda a empresa, promovendo a compreens?o de que somos um organismo único com objetivos coesos.

I would recommend starting here, aligning objectives and business goals prior to hearing stakeholders opinions provides relevance and perspective that are extremely valuable in initial information data gathering and alignment phase. One of main questions I like to ask out of the gate is, "what does success look like if we achieve the goals we are discussing today?" It helps set the precedent around solving the problem for the business and keeps conversations focused around some commonality. Then stakeholders opinions and concerns can be connected to those goals and you can weed out personal opinion vs. quality input much easier.

Bring the conversation back to the overarching brand vision and mission. Remind stakeholders of the long-term goals and how brand messaging changes align with these objectives.

Find Common Ground: Identify overlapping goals among stakeholders. Highlight how the proposed brand messaging aligns with these shared objectives. Show Data: Use customer insights, market trends, and competitive analysis to demonstrate how the new messaging supports broader business goals.

If it didn't need collaboration then there wouldn't be a branding team right? Insights are important and each person with their different personalities have different insights which could prove to be very valuable in the context of universal acceptance.

A constru??o da autoridade de marca deve ser um esfor?o coletivo, envolvendo n?o apenas o time institucional ou de marketing, mas toda a organiza??o. é essencial criar um debate que inclua atendimento, vendas, financeiro e outros setores. Dessa forma, cada equipe pode entender as preocupa??es e aspira??es dos demais, desenvolvendo solu??es que realmente fa?am sentido internamente. Quando a organiza??o funciona bem internamente, fica muito mais fácil garantir que a imagem externa da marca seja compreendida e eficaz.

I've conducted dozens of brand workshops with clients, and there's nothing more rewarding than the conversations that follow. Almost always, I hear, "I was unsure what to expect from this, but that was the most interesting and illuminating experience." The value in unpacking a business with key team members from different departments is immense. It provides unique perspectives across the company, from C-level executives and Operations to Marketing and Sales teams. It's one of the most effective ways to foster collaboration and create a sense of ownership among everyone involved. New brand rollouts are always more successful when everyone believes in and supports the cause because they were part of the process.

Facilitate workshops where stakeholders can contribute ideas, voice concerns, and work together to refine the brand messaging. This collaborative approach can help build consensus and ownership.

Collaborative Workshops: Organize workshops where stakeholders can contribute to the messaging strategy. This involvement fosters ownership and reduces resistance. Feedback Loops: Set up regular feedback sessions where stakeholders can voice their opinions as the messaging evolves.

Se a sua marca mantém uma rela??o próxima e humana, comunicar os acertos é importante, mas compartilhar a jornada e os erros também é essencial para criar uma conex?o autêntica. Comunicar a jornada envolve atualizar constantemente os objetivos que a marca está alcan?ando, de forma a destacar uma conquista coletiva em vez de um sucesso egoico. Quando a jornada é bem comunicada, os acertos s?o celebrados por um público mais engajado, e os erros proporcionam oportunidades para receber feedbacks valiosos e encontrar novas solu??es. Isso fortalece o senso de pertencimento tanto para quem constrói quanto para quem observa a marca.

It's important not to lose momentum in the rebranding process, so setting a clear schedule of expectations and timing is critical. You want to keep the collaborative mindset from the brand workshop fresh in the minds of the team as you move through the execution phase. I suggest mapping out a clear schedule with regular touchpoints to share progress and keep everyone engaged. It's helpful to do a quick recap of how we reached each new phase, reminding the team of decisions and data points from previous sessions. This approach ensures alignment and focus throughout the rebrand, making the process much smoother.

Regularly update stakeholders on progress, challenges, and any adjustments to the plan. Transparent communication helps build trust and keeps everyone engaged.

Transparent Updates: Provide regular updates on the messaging development process. Use visual aids like roadmaps or progress charts to make the updates clear and engaging. Celebrate Milestones: Acknowledge and celebrate key milestones in the messaging process to keep stakeholders motivated and engaged.

In my experience, there are always dynamics in every group to uncover. Different personalities, hot buttons, and sacred cows can present challenges. It's best to work with individuals or teams to evaluate these dynamics and find ways to win people over by addressing their pain points and turning them into positives or avoiding them altogether. Bouncing ideas off key individuals before presenting to the larger group fosters buy-in. I've also found that focusing on what's best for the company based on its goals is hard not to endorse, so keep the company's best interests in mind. Always read the room and be aware of potential landmines.

Se sua marca tem motivos sólidos para ser defendida, crie solu??es eficazes para comunicar essa mensagem a quem está disposto a ouvir. Conquiste alguns defensores fiéis e demonstre a eles que sua mensagem é importante e será cumprida. Uma mensagem clara se dissemina mais facilmente e come?a a alcan?ar pessoas ao redor do mundo. Ofere?a algo em troca para esses defensores, como pontos ou reconhecimento, e mostre que eles s?o valorizados. Com isso, o número de defensores crescerá exponencialmente.

Identify Champions: Find key stakeholders who are supportive of the messaging changes and can influence others. Empower them to advocate for the new direction. Peer Endorsements: Encourage these champions to share their positive experiences and the rationale behind their support during meetings or through internal communication channels.

Address Risks: Clearly outline how potential risks are being mitigated, using data and past successes to bolster confidence in the changes. Provide a Safety Net: Assure stakeholders that there will be opportunities to adjust the messaging if initial results don't meet expectations. This flexibility can ease concerns about committing to a new direction.