From Self Branding to Merging Brands

How do two established web professionals, known for their own individual strengths and brands, merge their two identities without losing their sense of self? How does that translate to a brand system?

In this high-level talk, Lea will go through:

* The difference between branding yourself and branding a company
* The research involved to remove external assumptions
* A few key questions that she and Emily both had to answer separately about themselves and the company
* How these findings informed their new company name, their eventual logo, copy, and site design
* How the brand system created helps contribute to business goals

Transcript

1. Some rights reserved From Self-Branding to Merging Brands Lea Alcantara for Digital Biz Summit AUG 20, 2014
2. Sounds like that Princess • Ran my own business— Lealea Design—in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for 8 years • Wrote the Art of Self Branding in 2005 • 3 Adjective Exercise • Been speaking on the subject since 2007 !2 source: dailymail.co.uk http://abrightumbrella.com/about/lea-alcantara
3. Seattle, WA abrightumbrella.com/visas
4. Had to Close Biz !4 n
5. Spoiler Alert !5 M
7. • Been working on podcast since June 2011 !7 History:
8. Long story short: !8 http://abrightumbrella.com/blog/welcome-lea-alcantara
9. After a While… • We wanted to increase our profile • Difficult when it was under a personal name • We both had dated company sites—
 unsure whether it was smart to redesign current iteration under “Emily Lewis Design” !9
10. Conclusion: Rebrand !10
11. Goals of the Rebrand • To create clearer messaging • To guide us on how we present ourselves • To establish standards for how we conduct our business • To establish credibility !11
12. Consistent message= Your Brand !12
13. How to Differentiate? Not Just Another Web Agency !13
14. !14 source: imdb.com Not a unique snowflake. Hello, other agencies, designers & devs!
15. !15 Unique story arc. What can we offer? ource: collider.com
16. 1 + 1 = 2 Self Branding vs Company Branding !16
17. Branding Yourself • Little to no restrictions • Very subjective • Organic !17
18. Branding a Company • Many restrictions • Objective • Inorganic !18
19. Branding a Company with 2 Personal Brands in Mind • ??? • Um… • ??? !19
20. Your Own Worst Client • Juggling brands: • Your coworker(s) • Your own • The company !20
21. A Successful Marriage • Two separate entities merged together with similar hopes, goals, dreams, personalities. • Together they are stronger, but both can stand separate and can be recognized separately. !21 (business)
22. NATE CROFT ON BRANDING “You don’t know how to read the label because you’re inside the bottle.” !22
23. Discovery !23 or How to Remain Objective in a Subjective Realm
24. GETTING TO… “I understand.” !24
25. Survey Says… !25 Internal & External Surveys http://abrightumbrella.com/blog/behind-the-curtain
26. Internal Surveys !26 Removing assumptions about how we view ourselves & each other
27. Internal Questionnaire • Similar to what we give to clients. • Divided into sections: !27 • Business specific questions • Site questions • Competition • Group perception • Individual perception • Sample scenarios
28. Stereotype Yourself • Origins: A relief printing plate cast in a mold made from composed type or an original plate. !28
29. External Surveys !29 Removing assumptions about how others perceive us
30. Become an Amnesiac !30 source: © universal pictures
31. Choose 3… !31 4HE
32. 3 Adjectives Each For: • Team perception • Individual perception for Emily and Lea • Asked our friends, colleagues, and clients to fill it out !32
33. !33 Research Gathered… …what now?!
34. Not a Statistician, but… !34 27 Total Respondents
35. !35
36. Who Doesn’t Know Lea? Who Doesn’t Know Emily? !36
37. Contrast & Compare !37 Internal Results vs. External Results
38. !38 Confirmations? Surprises?
39. !39 http://abrightumbrella.com/blog/behind-the-curtain
40. Revisiting Business Goals !40
41. All discussions and decisions are based on how it aligns with our findings !41
42. Goals of the Rebrand • To create clearer messaging • To guide us on how we present ourselves • To establish standards for how we conduct our business • To establish credibility !42
43. !43 Disagreement? Return to findings!
44. More Parsing Tips • Honesty and open communication is important • This means leaving ego at the door • Understanding that branding is probably one of the most personal exercises you’ll go through in a business • Sensitivity and open-mindedness is crucial • Without the above, then honesty could be compromised !44
45. !45 Now, execute! Brand Execution Plan
46. • Online • website, social media, etc to • Offline • proposals, answering phones, tone, style • Bridge the gap! !46
47. • e.g. bright = smart, happy • so…we’ll write articles for our blog & other publications to establish authority, but the tone will be conversational and positive. • our site will be super clean but punctuated with bright colours to draw out happy reactions • What else? !47 An example…
48. • Choosing Clients • Choosing Projects • Choosing Partners • Choosing Vendors • … all connected to the findings !48 Business Decisions
49. • Logo • Print collateral • Copy • Site Design • … all connected to the findings !49 Identity Decisions
51. Questions? • @lealea • @abrightumbrella | abrightumbrella.com • @ctrlclickcast | ctrlclickcast.com • dribbble.com/lealea !51