Put a plan in place
To successfully execute any project, the key is making sure there’s an owner.
“Often it’s very difficult to implement something on time and with perfect clarity when it’s sort of management by consensus,” Kohnke says. “There has to be a single driver.”
Kohnke settled on his vice president of communications, looking for someone who could communicate well with him and the rebranding team assembled from all areas of the company.
“It’s good to have some knowledge of the process, maybe even (someone who has) been through it before,” he says. “Also (it needs to be) someone you have confidence in that is detail-oriented but can also look at it from a macro basis to make sure that all things are considered.”
When you’re rebranding, there are many elements to consider, including both what goes into the plan and how it gets executed.
“My advice to any CEO going through a rebranding is take the opportunity to redefine their company in the context of mission, vision, values,” Kohnke says. “It was a great opportunity for us to take those elements of three companies and put them into one.
“It’s an opportunity not just to focus on a brand [but to] focus on the rewrite and definition of who you are as a company and what do you represent.”
When it comes to defining a brand and the future of the company, sit down with your team, and from your research, identify the aspects of the company you want to simplify, along with what are the key characteristics and drivers of the company that will take you to the next level. The ones that rise to the top of your list should be those with long-term benefit and profitability.
For example, going with the newly acquired Staffmark’s name instead of the original Cincinnati-based company’s CBS Personnel was based on using the brand that was most widely known.
“You have to take a look at the larger, long-term good of the company,” Kohnke says, acknowledging some decisions will be painful. “You weigh the longer-term good against some of the shorter-term concerns. We feel that we mitigated those short-term concer
ns very well with an excellent plan and even better execution at the local level.”
The execution of the rebranding is critical because so much happens simultaneously, especially once the announcement is made. One of your first steps in the planning process needs to be a timeline of not only what needs to be changed but when it’s going to happen.
“You take each one of the areas of change [and] you identify what has to be done, who is going to drive it, what are the timelines, what do you expect the return on investment, what resources are needed to make the change,” Kohnke says. “And then my job is to make sure it gets done and follow up. The important thing — I can’t stress this enough to any chief executive officer — is the communication.”
While you may not be driving the project, you must keep a close eye on the timeline and maintain constant contact with your team and consultants to keep the process on track.
