A Brand Management Master Class

The role of brands has changed, and companies that recognize this shift and adapt their thinking about brand management will have an unparalleled competitive advantage in the 21st century.

With the changing role of the brand and branding, the roles of those who are responsible for managing their company’s brand have changed as well.

In the past, the purpose of brand management, and the responsibility of brand managers, was to police the brand for consistency across all communication channels and audience touchpoints. Today, the primary focus is to grow and sustain brand equity – a company’s most effective weapon against many obstacles it faces in the more than ever complex and fast-evolving marketing environment.

And so, it involves much more than maintaining consistency of a brand’s identity, and the old siloed approach to branding and marketing must give way to a cross-functional, multidiscipline, and collaborative approach. The approach that’s far more effective in combating the new challenges that are brought about by the speed and all-encompassing nature of change for all organizations of all industries and sizes, specifically:

• Commoditization (especially among professional services firms), which requires much deeper customer insight and a much stronger brand to overcome
• Disruption quite literally toppling industries, which requires brands to be nimble, adaptable and innovative
• Opportunities for customers to take control of the message due to the immediacy and public nature of digital communications, which requires a different kind of brand control – one that’s steeped in brand knowledge and culture and allows for empowered, in-the-moment decision making 

To overcome these challenges, today's brand management requires changing mindsets and culture, learning new skills and technologies, fostering cross-departmental collaboration and securing support from the executive leadership.

• So, what are the new rules of brand management?
• Who should be responsible for making decisions on behalf of the brand?
• How do you ensure brand visibility and recognition, while allowing your brand to adapt and evolve to stay relevant?
• How flexible can you be with your brand?

Learn the answers to these and other questions by taking a deep dive into what it takes to successfully manage your company’s brand today and in the future with this Brand Management Master Class. 

Ida Cheinman is Principal and Creative Director of Substance151 – a brand strategy, design and digital firm that helps companies develop and execute brands that result in a stronger bottom line. Sign up to receive articles from Substance151 blog directly to your inbox.