Endpoint recently made a presentation on brand implementation at the Transform Conference 2011 in London. The event was a generous sharing of experiences and insights both from the agency point of view as well as the corporate sector. The feedback received by Endpoint from our session was positive. We scored 84% for quality and 88% for relevance. 

The conference had an impressive lineup of speakers including Amanda Clay, the Head of International Brand Management for Telefonica who spoke notably on the importance of owning an employee brand, and her experience of creating one internal brand, building one culture and creating a bonding and commitment throughout the global network of Telefonica offices.

Tony Lorenz of Endpoint, spoke eloquently on the subject of what happens after a design agency hands the new visual identity and brand guidelines over to their client. He spoke about how only the skilled implementation of a brand will determine whether the investment made in strategy and creativity will bring the desired sustained returns. He also spoke about the fact that in reality for every one pound invested in strategy and design, twenty pounds on average are needed for implementation. Tony pointed out that clients need design solutions that not only work within the 2D dimensions of the brand identity, but also work practically across all 3D touch-points and assets; and the best way to achieve that is to start the implementation process from the very outset of the branding programme. 

We also heard from speakers about the relevance of the different aspects of a branding exercise including – tone of voice, digital brand management tools, cultural and language considerations to be kept in mind during a global rebranding exercise, how to build brands with emotional intelligence, and also budget management while rebranding.

John Shewell, the Head of Communications for Brighton and Hove City Council, brought an entirely new perspective to life by sharing the challenges faced by his team while rebranding the local authority. His insights on the strategic challenges of executing a rebrand for a public sector entity had everyone sitting up and taking notice. John spoke about how the council had previously lacked a human face, making it hard to give it any accountability for its achievements and the fact that people did not understand what their council tax was for, or where their money went. Shewell saw this as an opportunity to position the council much closer to the residents, and provide them with a consistent brand and experience.

The conference was a great opportunity for professionals who are involved in the different aspects of the branding world to create awareness about how they have successfully worked with the creation and implementation of brands, and managed the challenges they faced in their respective areas of expertise. Participants presented compelling examples of their experiences, collaboratively allowing everybody at the conference a helicopter view of the branding process.

The Transform conference provided excellent take away for all participants who attended, and as we predicted, is a must attend in the future for anybody who is involved in the business of brands!

Please feel free to email Shikha, in our strategy team at shikha.sabharwal@endpoint.co.uk if you'd like a copy of the presentation we made. We'd be happy to share our insights with you.