The stakes are high any time you’re opening new locations or implementing projects that affect multiple sites. Projects like these demand meticulous attention to all the details and requirements spelled out in the brand guidelines because errors are costly.
Horror stories that involve errors in brand execution may be plentiful, but your project doesn’t have to be one of them.
Robert Nielsen shares insights on how to prevent branding nightmares based on his experience managing, directing and overseeing projects for more than 11 years at Big Red Rooster Flow in his role as Vice President of Petroleum Operations.
Why are detailed brand specs important?
Clear brand guidelines provide the structure for owner/operators or franchisees to follow to support the integrity of the brand. They formalize and communicate the essence–the non-negotiables–of a brand’s identity, character, and physical representation in a format that can be reproduced across locations.
With that in mind, brands want to ensure that customers receive a cohesive experience from one location to another.
Reputation, name recognition, and business attraction
Your brand image is a shortcut to your customer’s brain. Consumers make decisions in a flash, and the quality projected by your signage and brand delivers an instant sense of what customers can expect when they enter your store or restaurant.
Faded or off-brand signs cause customers to question the quality of the location and the level of service they can expect. Red signs that have faded to pink, or white displays yellowed by the sun, send a message of neglectful disrepair, damaging brand integrity and sending customers away.
A clear and precise brand image makes it easier for customers to identify the brands they trust. Consistent quality performance builds credibility and a favorable reputation, and that in turn leads to customer loyalty.
Contractual obligations require clear and consistent brand presentation
A brand name is a tremendous asset that must be protected, so maintaining accurate execution of all brand elements and protocols is a fundamental obligation for owner/operators. Each site is an embodiment of the brand that contributes to the overall customer experience.
Failure to follow the guidelines puts owner/operators at risk of jeopardizing their relationship with the brand as a breach of contract.
Consistent physical brand imagery supports efficient procurement practices
Establishing design and signage standards for uniform components across multiple locations helps the procurement team perform more efficiently.
Greater consistency provides an opportunity for more consolidation that can increase order volume and bring leverage that leads to better pricing.
What happens when brand guidelines and specifications aren’t followed?
When brand specifications aren’t followed correctly and inferior materials are used, your location could fail critical inspections. As a result, consequences could include the expense of rework and lost sales as well as damage to your relationship with the brand.
Your site could fail inspection by the brand
Nielsen notes, “A big risk for our customers is that they don’t learn they have failed to comply with brand specifications until after they finish their project and submit proof to the brand. At that point, they find out that they ordered the wrong materials, elements were put in the wrong place, or other mistakes were made and the work will need to be redone.”
When that happens, the location may not open on time while rework is completed, or it might open on time but have to shut down or reduce operations later for a period of time. Either way, sales will suffer.
The cost of rework–materials and labor–typically falls to the owner/operator who already bears the cost of lost sales when the site is not operational. These are not trivial expenses. “Just one mistake could be the cost of the program being implemented,” says Nielsen, “freight cost alone for a reorder could be thousands of dollars.”
Your site could fail a mystery shopper audit
Once a year, every six months, or even every month, brands may send mystery shoppers to the location to conduct an image audit as part of an overall evaluation of the site’s appearance and business performance.
Failing an audit not only strains the relationship with the brand but could potentially cause the site to lose its brand status. When that happens, the customer or owner/operator essentially loses their entire investment.
“The brand will take down brand materials the owner/operator has paid for, and the site owner/operator is often on the hook for some or all of the money spent on branding the location,” says Nielsen. “So it’s in their best interest to make sure branding is done correctly from the get-go.”
What causes these errors and what makes them so costly?
Brand guidelines protect brand integrity, but following them accurately protects all parties involved. Deviations usually occur when owner/operators go it alone or choose “shortcuts” that lead them to work with unapproved suppliers.
Unapproved suppliers and unapproved materials lead to unapproved results
Suppliers that haven’t gone through the approval process may not have full information or know what’s needed to fulfill brand standards for the piece in question. They could be unaware of or unable to meet the standards required for finish, sheen, and durability as well as color.
An owner/operator’s intent may be simply to trim costs. But when they choose to work with unapproved sources, they could easily wind up with inferior quality and products, made of the wrong materials, that fail to deliver necessary performance.
Rework and lost sales add to owner/operator expenses
“When a physical branding element is wrong, then typically it’s the owner/operator who has to replace it with a new, correctly produced item from an approved supplier,” says Nielsen. “Doing the job twice–and paying for it twice–isn’t much of a shortcut.”
Consider even the very basic situation of a series of red signs produced using incorrect materials. While they looked just right initially, within a year, they were pink instead of red. Nielsen notes that the cost of this type of mistake can easily run to tens of thousands of dollars per location.
And sales are lost while operations are stopped or reduced to handle rework.
“Observant customers [owner/operators] may recognize that a sign or other materials are substandard or out of compliance, and go back to the supplier and seek resolution,” says Nielsen. This can be a difficult process, especially if owner/operators are overseeing the project on their own.
“Rather than fight this battle themselves [over unapproved materials], if the owner/operator partnered with a comprehensive project management team,” says Nielsen, “that team could shoulder the burden and step in as a mediator to expedite resolution.”
How can a project management firm help prevent branding nightmares?
Navigating the incredible complexity of brand imaging projects across multiple locations with an army of stakeholders benefits from the support of a trusted ally.
Delegating responsibility to a comprehensive project management firm with experience in branding increases efficiency and strengthens your position by adding critical services and capabilities.
1. Industry knowledge leads to individualized solutions
“Every client has a different dynamic with their customers; how they’re funding or paying for image materials and the project as a whole,” says Nielsen. It’s important to grasp how the ownership relationships function and the concerns that affect decisions.
A comprehensive project management firm has knowledge of the industry that enables them to understand how clients or brands operate and want to run their program. Building on this information, Nielsen says, the firm can then provide a solution tailored to individual needs.
2. Refine current supplier base for improved performance
A project management firm with experience in the industry knows the challenges and intricacies of working with top suppliers for price, performance, and consistent supplier approval practices.
Nielsen talks about what’s involved in qualifying suppliers.
“When we [Big Red Rooster Flow] bring on new suppliers, the approval and onboarding process can take a year or two because of all that’s involved. The approval process includes color matching and verifying that not only is the color correct, but also the sheen and overall finish.”
Some firms can handle the vendor evaluation, selection and procurement process or work with your current vendor base to refine practices and achieve better pricing and consistency in supply. Others go a step further and can reduce hundreds of vendor contacts to one single individual.
3. Become your trusted brand ambassador
Brand guidelines can be several hundred pages long and owner/operators may be provided only basic instructions on how to fulfill the brand guidelines, what suppliers to contact, and what the finished items should look like.
A project management firm like Big Red Rooster Flow can take on the role of brand advocate. Familiarity with all branding elements–colors and finishes to manufacturing methods and sourcing–means they will become the brand expert so you don’t have to.
4. Resolve issues as your advocate or an objective mediator
Mistakes happen even to the most experienced manufacturers. As an objective third party, a project management firm can mediate or resolve manufacturing or supply issues or advocate on behalf of a customer to correct a problem.
A client found that white signs manufactured by a large supplier were turning yellow. When the team investigated, they learned the manufacturer had applied the UV protectant to the wrong side of the sign material. They also found that this error had affected multiple locations for the client.
Armed with research and documentation, the team advocated for their customer locations. As a result, the manufacturer covered all the material and all the labor via warranty. “Because we were engaged in the process, the manufacturing error was discovered and fixed.”
5. Detect patterns and solve systemic problems
Because a project management firm works with clients operating thousands of locations, Nielsen explains, they have the ability to gather data and feedback details from a huge number of site owners.
“By consolidating the information and performing trend analysis, the team can detect patterns and determine if systemic issues are arising with suppliers and then work to resolve them,” says Nielsen. An individual client wouldn’t be able to bring the same breadth of data to address the concern.
6. Establish a communication process that ensures accountability
Following a consistent communication process, especially one that involves stakeholders at early stages, can help prevent errors. Even experienced customers benefit from this structured format. Nielsen describes what can happen when typical protocols aren’t followed.
One experienced customer lobbied to skip the “formality” of having all stakeholders attend the initial meeting defining scope of work and other parameters in favor of just communicating via email and conversations as needed.
When the project was complete, it was discovered that some of the materials shipped could not be used and would have to be returned. Making the situation worse, some, but not all, materials were needed from each box–so complete boxes could not be returned.
Had the client agreed to follow the standard protocol, they could have avoided the added expense from restocking fees, shipping, return, and reorder costs.
“At the end of the day it really comes down to our ability to communicate properly,” says Nielsen. “To achieve a scope of work together; to understand what we’re doing and how we’re going to do it; to know who’s responsible for doing each piece; and then being able to deliver on that.”
Stronger together: A professional project management team is a valuable ally
When any project is done right the first time, you save time, money, and stress. That’s especially true for projects and new construction across multiple locations.
Branding horror stories are often the result of communications that have broken down or a lack of understanding in how to carry out brand guidelines. A clear and consistent process overseen by an experienced team like Big Red Rooster Flow helps you get branding right, right from the start.
Working with one single point of contact simplifies your process. And your team benefits from a wealth of industry knowledge from Big Red Rooster Flow and the breadth of support provided by Marmon Retail Solutions’ family of companies.
Learn how Big Red Rooster Flow can chase away your branding and multi-site project nightmares.
