Those of you old enough to remember may well be humming the famous 70’s Stylistics classic in your head (sorry about that).

In celebration of our new website, I write this article with a huge amount of pride and optimism (and we wonder why it took so long – the tale of the plumber and his own bathroom comes to mind).

Our new site was probably far too long in the making, but we are hopeful that the results will support the old adage that ‘you only get once chance to make a first impression’.  On the face of it, our site has a completely new look and feel, and a slightly different user-journey to most conventional websites, but, as this article will suggest, there’s more to our new brand than meets the eye…!

This new site is actually the result of our own brand realignment journey.  The subtle changes to the look and feel, and even the logo, are a small part of a much bigger picture, and here’s where the real magic happens.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Having been in sales and marketing for over 30 years, I’ve seen many companies come and go, with numerous strategies employed to keep businesses fresh, engaged and relevant.  Indeed, the cyclical nature of marketing means most of these strategies have been used and used again, many with great effect.  Whether we like it or not, the one thing that everyone can probably agree with is; change needs to happen – however, for so many businesses, change doesn’t happen.

Firstly, let’s be really honest about business – it’s hard, it’s really hard!  Many of us spend most of our time trying to please our customers whilst balancing staff as well as all the other elements that keep our organisations going.  Add to this, legislative changes and a 24-hour culture, it’s sometimes hard to find the time to even standstill.

Brand Realignment

So, let me ask you – is your brand working for you?

If there is one constant over the years, far too many businesses pay far too little attention to their business proposition, their talent, their market and even their competition.  For many, brand is seen as an ‘outward’ facing entity (you know, logo, identity, etc), but it must, must, start from within.  In fact, like a stick of Brighton Rock, BRAND should sit through the centre of everything we do, everything we say, everything we see, and everything we feel.

For those who have the appetite and a realistic budget, I have seen businesses large and small, benefit from realigning their brand.  Done properly, it allows for a whole new lease of life, and for many, it reignites the very reason any given company got into business in the first place.  Let’s face it, like a new home, a new car or simply a new pair of shoes, the emotion we get from ‘feeling brand new’ is part of what drives our desire for better, faster, or just, MORE.  Of course, to keep the brand-new feeling alive, we must employ the right strategies and people to champion a more inclusive culture, thereby allowing the business itself to be more perpetual.  In this moment, the business actually begins to ‘work harder’ for itself.

Brand realignment enables a company to re-program their business thinking and construct new strategies to better support a more rounded business proposition.  A more rounded proposition has the ability to stand strong and be understood by all that connect with it – this is really powerful stuff!

In summary, and as we begin the next chapter in our own business, I can say with the utmost integrity, that realigning our brand is the best thing we could have done – having worked with so many businesses over the years to help them feel on top of the world, I now know what that feels like – and it’s pretty infectious, I can tell you.

If your business requires inspiration or just a new lease of life, we’d be delighted to ignite you.

Lee Callaghan

Founder – Brand Elect