Branding19 Jun 2024
6 Stages To Launching or Relaunching Your Brand
Are you launching a new, or refreshed brand? So where do you start? If you put in the work at the start and lay strong foundations you are more likely to succeed. A comprehensive plan is the best way to do this. Let's look at the Key Stages to help you take your stakeholders on the journey.
The 6 Stages of a Brand Launch
There can be a long list of elements connected to your brand, and even more if you are launching a totally new brand! We recommend structuring a comprehensive Brand Launch around 6 Key Stages which are:
1. Plan launch (to assign tasks, timing and budgets)
2. Build launch assets
3. Deploy pre-launch teasers (to build anticipation)
4. Launch internally
5. Launch externally
6. Re-iterate brand awareness
So where to start?
The best way to kick-off is to write a list of everything you can think of that will be affected by the new brand. This can vary depending on whether you are also changing your business name or just the look and feel of your brand.
Below are some checklists to help you build your plan and help highlight areas you need to plan for. Feel free to add to the lists or remove items that don’t apply to your business.
As you work through them try to compile all the information for each task to include:
• What it will cost?
• Who needs to do it?
• How long it will take?
• What is needed for it to be completed?
Elements of your business that may need to be updated to reflect your new brand are, but not limited to:
• Brand Guidelines
• Website
• Sales/Credentials Presentations
• Email signatures
• Internal systems – project management programs, calendars, booking systems etc
• Accounting systems – your business name, invoice templates etc
• Social Media Channels
• Uniforms
• Branded Merchandise
• Internal templates
• Stationery – letterheads, invoices, business cards
• Accounts with suppliers
• Vendor agreements with customers
• Legal documents
• Licenses or subscriptions
• Bank Accounts
• ASIC
• ABN (if new legal entity)
As part of your plan you should also assign who needs to be involved with any changes. There will be both internal and external stakeholders to engage with. These can include:
• Business partners
• Executive team
• Marketing team
• Employees
• Designers
• Website developers
• Social media managers
• Suppliers of merchandise
• PR agencies
• Media buyers
• Accountants
• Business advisors
As well as updating existing branded elements you then also want to plan for your launch.
• Will you host an event as part of your launch?
• Where and when?
• Who will organise it?
• Who will be invited?
• Will you have branded merchandise for the launch?
• What items will you have? Uniforms/gifts/giveaways
• What is the lead time in getting these made?
• What assets do you need to get these made? Eg artwork
The next part of your plan should be timing and this can be a big piece of work. That’s why it’s important to have gathered all of the information you need before you start mapping it out. Think about (in the order the steps are listed), who will be responsible for them. Consider which tasks are dependent on others and which can be happening at the same time.
Now that you’ve listed out all the steps, timing and costs, you’ll also have an overall budget to work towards. Once you know the total spend you may need to go back and make some revisions to fit within what you can afford. Having already worked out the cost of each task it will be easier to identify where costs savings can be made. Or perhaps it’s come in a little under budget (happy days!) and you’ll have a little left over to splash on extra merchandising or more Facebook ads. So with the what, who, when and how much covered you’ve created a strong foundation to launch your new brand.
Executing the Plan
Of course, having a plan is important, but if it just stays in a spreadsheet or on a piece of paper it’s of no value. So think about how you can share this plan and keep it front-of-mind each day and each week to ensure you stick to it and deliver what’s needed.
Here are some tips to help you stick to the plan
• Share it with other stakeholders who have tasks to complete and get their commitment not only to the task but also to the timeline for it
• Add tasks, or milestones to your calendar or project management system
• Use a project management app like Slack to help keep everything and everyone aligned
• Have regular check-ins, at least weekly, with your team to ensure you are staying on track
• Keep a record of all your costs against your budget so you can make adjustments as needed
• Most importantly tick off and celebrate tasks as you complete them
Need help with your brand launch?
At Belong Creative, we've helped many leading and challenger brands across Australia launch their brands to market, both internally and externally. Reach out if you'd like some advice on how you can make a great impression with taking your new or refreshed brand to market.
