From Purpose to Profit

The impact of purpose on profit and valuation cannot be overstated. Kantar’s study reveals that purpose-led brands experienced a staggering 175% valuation surge over the past 12 years, in stark contrast to a mere 70% growth rate for brands lacking a clear sense of purpose.

Therefore, our counsel is clear: consider everything, omit nothing, and above all, do what is right. This aligns with both the global need for purposeful initiatives and the desires of your customers.

Navigating the Brand Landscape

Unlocking the true potential of your brand involves a delicate balance between leveraging traditional strategies and embracing innovative perspectives. GLIMMA USA, with two years of successful operations in the USA, has been instrumental in redefining brand experiences for various companies, including a significant partnership with Delta Air Lines.

Our expertise in brand communication spans diverse aspects, but one particular observation has resonated personally – the diminishing role of physical assets in brand communication strategies. Anonymity seems to have overshadowed brands, and it begs the question: why?

Seeking validation, I consulted two industry leaders – a CMO at a multinational and the CEO of a major North American organization. The response was telling. The CMO admitted, “Not enough,” while the CEO candidly stated, “I have no idea.”

Revolutionizing Brand Asset Management

In the pursuit of digital dominance, the significance of physical assets has been overlooked. However, the task of planning and auditing these assets has evolved. GLIMMA’s brand asset technology eliminates the need for physical site visits, offering a cost-effective solution. Surveys are dispatched to field personnel across the USA, capturing essential data for evaluation. From evaluating on-brand aesthetics to conditions and visibility, the process is structured around client goals, even extending to the creation of webshops for tailored asset orders.

Global Perspectives for Local Success: GLIMMA’s International Reach Redefines Innovation

The USA is big. It’s easy not to look outside its borders. GLIMMA, being a global organization, brings innovation from diverse cultures and countries. These fresh viewpoints have the potential to unlock a myriad of ideas and innovations, ultimately contributing to increased revenue.

In the realm of brand management, the marriage of old and new could be the secret sauce for revitalize customer relationships and reinvigorate real estate for American brands. GLIMMA USA champions this unique approach, inviting brands to embrace both the timeless wisdom of established strategies and the innovative spirit brought by global perspectives.

In with the old, in with the new, the path to enduring success.

The Modern Indian Landscape

India stands today as the fifth-largest economy globally, experiencing an annual growth rate of 6-7%. Despite this progress, bureaucratic challenges and government dynamics pose hurdles for businesses. GLIMMA addresses these challenges, providing a strategic pathway for brands to thrive in this exciting marketplace.

A Catalyst for Brand Expansion Success

GLIMMA India serves as a vital link for both Indian enterprises and multinational corporations, offering a comprehensive suite of consultancy and project management services tailored to their unique needs. Whether deploying brand identities digitally or physically, GLIMMA ensures a seamless process for their brand expansion journey.

Navigating Competition: Regionally Optimized Brand Expansion Landing

For multinational corporations, GLIMMA leverages regional insights and collaborates with specialized media partners to optimize brand expansion on a granular level—spanning regions, cities, and towns. This approach ensures that brands stand out in a competitive market, making a meaningful connection with the diverse Indian consumer base.

Empowering Indian Brands Globally

Indian brands, operating domestically, can capitalize on GLIMMA’s services for brand expansion—be it through penetration, elevation, or diversification. With access to GLIMMA’s global network, Indian brands can strategically expand their reach to customers in over 100 countries, solidifying their global presence alongside their domestic success.

We can help brands land in or leap from the most exciting marketplace in the world. Knowing how brands need to flex and fit to global markets, we can support with the granular as well as the global in equal measure.

A Step Change for Progress

Has it ever been more critical for organizations to create places that propagate culture, stimulate innovation and contribute to an employee’s sense of belonging and well-being?

After a prolonged post-pandemic era, many of our clients at GLIMMA are now responding to the needs of their internal customers with the same verve as they have done with their own customers’ needs. They’ve embraced that great people – supported by dynamic and engaging workplaces – are the driving forces behind progress. In an era of incredible change within the work sector, some of the world’s top brands are nurturing excellence in their own environments like never before.

Home Sweet Headquarters

Multi-use social spaces are now being purposefully designed for modern-day workplaces. From bars, fully operational kitchens, quiet rooms, libraries, yoga studios and even mini-hotel rooms, brands are championing unique solutions to employee satisfaction and retention.

With city living costs increasing, workplaces need to function as traditional office spaces and surpass the comforts of home. Looking at the new Apple U.K. headquarters in London’s Battersea Power Station: the carbon-neutral epicenter for employee engagement and enlightenment, the old adage ‘there’s no place like home’ may need a refresh to include the office.

Culture Powers Performance

Ultimately, culture can power performance, foster camaraderie and elevate employee well-being. Still, culture is always best sampled in the same place, room and space. So, whether you’re a hybrid organization or a dedicated 5-day-a-week homestead, it’s incumbent on you to create the best environment possible to enable a collaborative culture to do its thing. Stephen Bartlett cites the culture at his company DOAC as the primer of performance and why they have had nearly 100% team attendance at their office for the last two years.

So, what’s the starting point for creating workplaces that matter?

Brand. It’s how you establish an emotional connection with your external customer, so it should matter equally to connecting with your internal customer: your workforce. Your purpose, mission, vision and values should permeate your design thinking and immerse your teams in why you do what you do, for whom and how. But it’s not just about aesthetics. Your spaces must be functional, ergonomically efficient and foster honest interaction, breaking down barriers in communication between teams. Great design can purposefully encourage conscious inclusion across your company and create a sense of employee belonging and ownership. Design must deliver more than just comfort.

Innovation from the Inside-Out

With brand and ergonomics noted and prepared for, where do we go next? To the internal customer: our employees.

Most projects we work on for major organizations have all-inclusive collaboration teams from every part of the company to help inform and see workplace design through their eyes, work experiences and day-to-day needs. You must ensure everyone’s voices are heard and their ideas are valued. Teams are more likely to engage in open communication and add value to the spaces you design specifically to generate innovation and ideas if they are consulted and listened to.

If all this sounds daunting, especially as you need to concentrate on managing and winning business and innovating more effectively than your competitors can, it needn’t. Here’s why:

Global Workplace Branding Made Simple

We know that workplace projects can envelop teams and easily become derailed, which is ironic because they are incredibly important to an organization’s future. So, to make things more purposeful, efficient, and engaging, we created BrandEye, for workplace creation teams.

BrandEye is a digital platform that connects your entire team to the design process – allowing them to comment and feedback at any stage. Designs can be shared as plans, films, CGIs and even AI, enabling your designers to express your new workplace visually for everyone to review and provide feedback.

It also lets finance teams keep their fingers on the pulse through its comprehensive cost tender summaries and end-to-end financial management plans and controls.

BrandEye‘s features allow us to expedite market entry, facilitating swift access to localized installation and manufacturing services, thereby minimizing travel-related costs and environmental impact. This approach also enables increased investment in local suppliers, aligning with your commitment to both local and global ESG strategies.

With BrandEye, you can invest more time in innovation, leadership, success and attracting top talent who seek the best workplace in town.

GLIMMA are currently delivering global workplace and physical brand visibility programs for two Fortune 500 companies with BrandEye, enabling them to create new futures and maintain their leadership position.

From Edinburgh to EMEA

Hailing from the stunning Edinburgh, Ross Haxton, MD of GLIMMA EMEA, began his brand and design journey courtesy of a first-class honors degree from the Edinburgh College of Art.

Landor then provided him with his first role in design, which proved to be a baptism by concept design fire.

“I started my professional career at Landor in the brand environments concept team, arguably the best introduction a designer could wish for. One minute, we’d be designing a brand environment concept for a luxury retailer, and the next, designing details on food counters for a global fast-food chain.”

Global Brand Discovery

After stints at top London agencies, Ross spent a year in Sweden, immersing himself in what many consider the epicenter of contemporary design. 

“I took a lot from my time in Stockholm. Here, I was able to merge personal immersive experiences of understanding with how to translate a brand beautifully into an effortlessly elegant environment. Surprisingly, I spent much of my time designing for Systembolaget: Sweden’s government-owned alcohol retailer!”

Returning to London’s gritty hustle and bustle, Ross worked across multiple brands, formats and scaled projects within his design practice, heading up large brand and environment design teams.

“This was the ‘Airmiles’ phase of my career. From designing banks in Canada to supermarkets in Hong Kong, shopping malls in Jeddah and workplaces for multi-national consultancies everywhere, I was literally intercontinental. At this point, I developed a unique appreciation for the importance of airport design, which has served me well since we [GLIMMA] now work for one of the world’s largest airlines.”

The Super-Brand Era

With significant international branding and environment design expertise (and a million air miles!), Ross then set up his own practice, giving him the freedom many designers yearn for and an opportunity to flex his design skills.

“This was definitely my ‘global super-brand era’, in which I worked for brands such as Adidas, David Beckham Academy, Chelsea FC and Newcastle FC, designing flagship stores, concept exhibitions and designer outlet concept stores. The ‘fingertip’ future-proofing of brands such as these, where consumers and brands both drive accelerated change, means that you’re designing a generation ahead on every store element. It’s an exhilarating and incredibly satisfying experience being able to design futures.”

City Making, Brand Shaping

After traveling internationally designing banks, workplaces, value and luxury retail spaces, supermarket chains, premium eateries and global fast-food chains: where does one go from here? 

“Well, the obvious graduation for me was to look at where these places of work, play and learning cluster. So, I started to take a helicopter view and focus on cities, towns and real estate, looking at how I could translate the detail of my designs for super-brands into creating super-places.”

Head-hunted to be MD of a small Southwest London design practice, Ross grew the agency into a specialist multi-disciplinary practice. Here, Ross and his team delivered brand and environmental design, architectural services, marketing and project management for billion-dollar real estate developments featuring workplaces, universities, retail, leisure, and residential homes for new cities in booming economies.

“I worked across Central Europe and the Middle East for a decade, creating city, town and neighborhood masterplans and developing a massive range of content for retail spaces, workplace and leisure brands and a host of inspiring start-ups. This was my ‘seven-to-eleven era’ – not a reference to the convenience store, but more so the scale of investment. It was a heady mix of conveyor belt concept design – quickly restoring all my skills from my Landor days – on top of a host of expansive economic powerhouse master planning projects that required a whole new set of skills. The numbers went from seven figures to eleven, hence the era naming.”

Redefining Brand Visibility with BrandEye

With his concept conveyor belt, Scandi-chic, super-brand and seven/eleven eras behind him, in his role as MD of GLIMMA, Ross has entered the ‘age of brand visibility’.

“It’s surprised me how blind many brands are to their physical brand visibility. I never really had the opportunity to see every store or concept I designed through the eyes of the customer because being design-side, you don’t get to spend time to see everything you have designed. With the digitalization of everything, many brands have neglected their physical brand, so here at GLIMMA, we’ve created BrandEye, which enables everyone involved in a brand to see how it shapes up and stands out anywhere in the world. It’s an amazing system, which has been adopted by some of the world’s most powerful brands to manage everything from design to implementation across their entire physical portfolio, from staff uniform to retail, planes, trains, automotive and workplaces.”

So, how would he describe his role in this new era of brand visibility?

“I’m working with brands to enable them to translate their visions into physical environments that are viable and physical, so more consultative, but very much involved in providing guidance and expertise of the design strategy. I’m also traveling again: from Malmo to the Middle East, via the Midwest!”

A Decade of Project Management Evolution

Vico’s journey with GLIMMA spans a remarkable decade, marked by a multifaceted engagement that transitioned from client and vendor roles to becoming an integral part of our family. Her unique perspective, cultivated through experiences on both sides of the business relationship, has enriched her understanding of brand strategy and the intricate world of brand management.

Since joining as a full-time member in 2009, Vico has been the driving force behind several iconic brand experience projects. Notable among them are her contributions to Citibank, HSBC, BBVA, Ford Motors, and the successful implementation of Holcim’s brand identity across North and South America. Her comprehensive grasp of the intricacies involved in brand execution has solidified her as a key member of GLIMMA Americas’ Project Management Team.

Fusing Engineering and Project Management Prowess

Armed with degrees in industrial engineering and marketing, Vico’s professional journey commenced in market research and analytics at the esteemed 3M Corporation. Here, she honed her skills in problem-solving and discovered a passion for working with leading brands. This propelled her transition into roles that seamlessly combined marketing acumen with development expertise.

Vico’s commitment to integrity, enthusiasm, and forward-thinking is palpable in every project she undertakes. As a testament to her dedication, she pledges to be an attentive listener, ensuring that GLIMMA’s clients receive unparalleled service.

Outside the Office: A Glimpse into Vico’s World

Away from the world of brand management, Vico is not only a Senior International Project Manager but also a devoted spouse and proud mother of two wonderful children. Originally hailing from Mexico City, she has woven her story across continents, calling first Los Angeles and now Boston her home.

Contrary to her modest claim, Vico is more than just “not a terrible tennis player.” Her passion on the court mirrors her dedication to her projects at GLIMMA. Additionally, her love for spicy cuisine is only surpassed by her commitment to volunteering for diversity awareness projects in her community.

In Vico, GLIMMA not only has a Senior International Project Manager but also an individual whose authenticity and expertise contribute to the consultancy’s success. Stay tuned for more stories from the exceptional team shaping the future of brand experiences at GLIMMA.

Executing a successful brand refresh extends beyond captivating visuals and impactful messaging. It requires meticulous planning and an intricate understanding of how to translate design brilliance into consistent, cost-effective execution across all touchpoints. This is where brand engineering shines. It meticulously bridges the strategic design vision with the operational realities of flawless brand implementation, ensuring every element adheres to your brand identity with remarkable precision and unwavering consistency. Ready to transform your brand guidelines into a working, breathing brand?

Step 1: From Guidelines to Detailed Solutions

Your design agency will have handed over a comprehensive set of brand guidelines. The clue is in the name – they are there to guide you in implementing your brand consistently. But with the best will in the world, they cannot cover every scenario and detail.

We all know that it’s important to plan. No doubt you will have already scoped various scenarios and may be working already with a brand implementation partner who has provided a full audit of your brand touchpoints.

Equipped with these insights, it’s now time to expand on the guidelines and flesh out the rules and solutions in detail.  Take signage as an example.

Consider how your design is specifically applied to a multitude of different real-life signage requirements. What is the signage hierarchy and what is the purpose – wayfinding or standalone? Pylon, monument or fascia, illuminated or backlit?

This is where it really pays to work with specialists who know the product field, but who also how to deliver solutions that will maintain your design integrity.

Developing your design and showing how it will be applied in the real world will be an ongoing feature of your rebrand. The way you capture the developments and nuances is also key and forms part of your brand governance strategy. But that’s a whole other topic for another time!

Step 2: Details & Specifications

Once you have a full picture of what is required in each area, you can start to add all the finer details. The more detailed on the following points you can be, the better:

• Specific design application: Ensures every element translates flawlessly into real-world contexts, protecting your brand vision from dilution.

• More accurate costing: Minimizes budget surprises and maximizes return on investment.

• Find the best supplier: Guarantees optimal quality, compatibility, and performance for your brand expression.

Let’s now consider color. There are nearly 2,000 Pantone color references.  Your design guidelines will be very specific about which color to use, most often in 2D print. But it’s a whole different story when you have to achieve the exact color match in your retail store, car dealership or workplace – be it graphics, tiling, wallpaper or paint.

Of course, product knowledge is important but what probably counts most is experience. What works on paper does not always translate in reality. Tried and tested solutions are worth their weight in gold.

Designers, architects, interior designers, and specifiers can all contribute to detailing and specifying the right materials and in the right quantities.

They understand how different materials work and which finishes or lighting solutions will give you the best result.

Remember to reach out to suppliers too – their technical teams are always happy to advise on the best solution. Be aware that their advice will be restricted to their specific product range.

To save doing the rounds with multiple suppliers in an attempt to find the best solution, consider using an independent adviser who has experience across the board.

Brand implementation companies undertake this exact task day in and day out – tap into their experience and product knowledge.

Step 3: Documentation & Prototyping

“We are drowning in information but starved for knowledge.” I don’t think anyone reading this blog would disagree with this statement.  There is more information, more choices, more sources of information than ever before and it’s more readily available than ever.

In Step 2, you have honed down the many and often overwhelming number of choices available – to convert this ‘information’ into knowledge that can be shared with your team, it’s time to document and then test drive the solutions. Many people will be involved in your rebrand – to keep them aligned and delivering against your specific objectives, it’s vital to pass on and share your knowledge.

Documentation

The better the brief to all involved, including suppliers, the better the outcome. Leave no room for doubt – robust documentation results in consistent branding and eliminates the risk of costly mistakes or going over budget.

Create a comprehensive set of instructions that covers:

• Quantities: Guarantees accurate ordering and avoids material waste.

• Technical drawings and architectural plans: Ensure precise construction and alignment with brand vision.

• Detailed artworking: Delivers brand assets in the correct format and size for every application.

• Materials specification: Specifies exact characteristics for consistent brand expression.

• Workstreams: Defines timelines and tasks for efficient implementation.

Prototyping

Particularly for larger branding programs and the branding of physical environments or experiences, a pilot scheme will identify potential issues and pre-empt issues.

Often larger organizations have their own ‘dark’ sites where design concepts are tested, sometimes with customers.

This is your chance to try out options – experiment with different finishes, formats, lighting, layouts, materials and colors.

• Experiment with formats and layouts: Ensures an optimal customer experience and engagement.

• Test the customer journey: Identify touchpoint friction and enhance brand interaction.

• Add the product: Integrate branding seamlessly into product offerings.

• Trial different product solutions: Choose the highest-performing and brand-aligned options.

A pilot also provides the ideal opportunity to engage with key stakeholders. Chief Executives love to be involved at this stage and express their opinion. Getting them on your side at this stage will smooth the way for the next step in your rebrand journey – your national or international rollout program.

Stage 4: Tendering

Your prototype site has turned your information into valuable knowledge – you know what works where.  Now it’s time to share this knowledge with those who can deliver your solutions.

Armed with your guidelines and documentation, it’s time to create your ‘tender pack’ so that you can brief the best suppliers.  Remove any room for interpretation – provide as much information as possible including visualized design concepts, graphic schedules, profile packages and architectural placement plans and elevations.

The process of finding, qualifying and appointing suppliers can be time-consuming. Don’t underestimate the time needed to prequalify, brief, evaluate, shortlist, listen to presentations, visit sites, select, negotiate and finally appoint suppliers.

You may want to involve your procurement team and, of course, require input from the legal team.

The changing face of the workplace

The digital revolution has changed the way we work, enabling an estimated 70% of professionals to work from home at least once per week. The key drivers of change in the workplace:

01 Demographics – millennials now represent over half of the workforce
02 The digital revolution
03  New ‘social contract’ between workers and their employers

The explosion of shared offices, hot desks and co-working spaces stand as a testament to the importance that people still attach to the workplace – put simply, people like to work with other people. No amount of technology – be it Skype or WebEx – can completely replace a face-to-face meeting or a quick chat at the water station. Let’s face it, this is often where deals are struck, positive relationships are forged, and creativity can flow freely. Our fundamental human desire to ‘press the flesh’ and be in the company of other like-minded people and fellow employees, is the number one reason why an investment in your work environment is a wise investment.

Given these changes, why is the physical workplace still so important?

The Millennial Factor

The millennial-dominated workforce asks tough questions of employers – unlike previous generations, they have little expectation of a career for life and are comfortable moving jobs/organizations/countries to find fulfilling work. Accustomed to having the best digital devices in their pockets, they want to work somewhere that offers the same cutting-edge experience. They are also totally at ease with online collaboration or sharing, and like to work in a social, interactive way. For older generations, flexibility is vital. As more and more parents share childcare responsibilities, men and women are looking for opportunities to work from somewhere other than the office. It may be a home, a remote office, or a co-working space.

More Than a Place to Work

When workers are in the office, the priority becomes not sitting at a desk on their own, but instead catching up with colleagues whom they may not see for the rest of the week. They also want to ensure that they cover enough ground to be able to work remotely. As it becomes less common for all employees to be in the office at the same time, your office must create a sense of connection and grounding for everyone – a kind of base camp to which everyone can return, creating a sense of unity and attachment. With so much remote working, an office has become more than just a generic place to work.

How can your workplace deliver to your business?

Workplace design is complex when taking into account people flow, use of technology and availability of space. Branding enables you to make the most of your existing space, without the need for costly and disruptive architectural changes. This can be achieved by focusing on the look, feel and basic layout of the existing workspace.

Your branding toolkit includes:

• Printed Wall Graphics
• Paint and Wall Coverings
• Window Vinyls
• Furniture
• Signage and Wayfinding
• Flooring and Lighting
• Screen Dividers
• Posters and Noticeboards

Effective branding of your workspace will create a deeper connection between you and your employees, leading to measurable improvements in:

• Productivity
• Employee and customer satisfaction
• Unity and sense of community
• Motivation
• Attracting talent
• Retaining staff for longer
• Reducing absenteeism
• Understanding of and alignment with your corporate mission/ethos

Workplace Branding: The Four Key Steps in Delivery

01 Know Your Audience

Where there is a disconnect between your external brand experience and internal employee experience, the result is demotivated, confused and distracted employees.

Larger organizations are likely to have identified their Employer Brand and articulated their Employer Value Proposition. This concept, first coined by Simon Barrow, helps to create consistency between customer-facing marketing and internal employee experience. Smaller companies may not have specifically created their employer brand, but it will exist – even if it is only in an intangible way through business processes and culture.

Workplace branding offers you the most visual way of expressing your Employer Brand. It creates the ideal opportunity to openly share company values and aspirations, ultimately creating the right culture for your employees. Start by understanding what you want to say, who you are speaking to, your tone of voice, and the level of ‘corporate feel’ you want to introduce.

Case Study: HSBC

HSBC Group has an extensive and award-winning workplace branding program. With operations in 80+ countries and over 6,900 workplaces, they aim to create unity amongst their 300,000+ employees.

• The multi-disciplinary workplace team includes Design, HR, Facilities Management and Marketing A brand blueprint for each workplace type is developed – from call centers to iconic head office buildings
• Using a variety of design options, they strike the right balance between global consistency and locally loved branding
• There are no logos! A central ribbon design theme, a palette of images, colors and designs are used instead
• Everything is documented in ‘best in class’ brand guidelines, ensuring that global standards are met, whilst also remaining easily adaptable

02 Get the Right Team on Board

Remember that employees are your most important brand ambassadors – they hold your reputation in their hands when talking to others. Set up a local team to brainstorm ideas and develop strategies together. For larger projects, multi-disciplinary teams from all functions (i.e. HR, IT, Marketing, Ops, Real Estate, Finance, etc) will help to understand the bigger picture. Engagement plans could even include staff competitions with the winning design being implemented. This level of engagement creates accountability and ownership of the project, meaning that all teams have a stake in its success.

Staff surveys and other metrics play an integral role, helping to establish baseline performance and providing a way of measuring the effectiveness of the rebrand project when it comes to an end.

03 Plan Your Space

01 What is it being used for?
02 Who will use it?
03 Will customers visit?
04 How do you want visitors to feel when they are there?

Office design itself is a specialist skill but a simple rebrand or refurbishment will have an immediate positive impact on your existing space – visually transforming your workplace. Clever design can be used to differentiate between social and work spaces and create different ambiences. Think of your workplace as a giant advertising board – you can be as subtle or overt as you wish with your messaging to promote your business’s culture and values. As well as being aligned to your overall company mission, your workplace should place a premium on meeting and social space, and be well-equipped for both.

04 Development Plan

• Create a clear project plan: Specify objectives, metrics, timings, roles and responsibilities
• Operations downtime: Often installations must be done during off-peak periods or at night to avoid disruption to regular work patterns
• Communication is key: Make sure you liaise closely with everyone affected by the refurbishment
• Celebrate the new space: Spread the word of your new changes on social media. It will show the human face of your business and demonstrate that you care about your employees.

Case Study: National Grid

In 2014, National Grid, owners of the UK’s electricity and gas transmission system, undertook a refurbishment of many of their properties. The results of their head office makeover speak for themselves:

• £20 million generated in increased productivity
• 16% saving in energy
• Staff performance increased by 8%
• 86% of staff preferred the new working environment
• Space for 900+ more employees with a 30% more informal meeting space

Seven Success Factors

01 Start with your employees

Often a work environment can seem sterile and corporate. Make the environment relatable to staff at all levels and allow it to express your culture.

02 Consider your space

Think beyond the obvious meeting rooms and reception areas. Corridors, staff restaurants and restrooms are all key areas. Consider how your space will be used and how branding can be used to differentiate between social and work environments.

03 Identify your desired outcome

Your corporate identity will be the backbone for your design but think about the end result – consider what atmosphere you want to create and how you will do this. In addition to corporate color palettes, color can be used to set and change ambience. This may give you a slightly different ‘twist’ on your visual identity in the workplace.

04 Stakeholder engagement

The most effective workplace branding programs involve a wide variety of staff. This helps with the practical rollout and with the levels of engagement and success.

05 Local sensitivity

If you are branding across different countries and cultures, be aware that certain design elements such as color and imagery may not translate well. They could
do more harm than good. With a global program, it is often wise to inject local influences into the design to help create relevance.

06 Go green

Consider refurbishing rather than replacing, for example, worn-out furniture that can be re-wrapped to look as good as new. As well as saving money, the environmental message to employees is strong. Use the latest technology: for example, we use theBreath® as artwork, a fabric that absorbs and breaks down harmful fine dust to reintroduce clean air.

07 Project management

A strong central project management team, backed by local implementors, will ensure that the refurbishment is hassle-free and delivered on time and within budget.

Small Budget, Big Impact:

It is possible to update an office space on a relatively small budget. Here are 4 small changes that can make a huge impact:

01 Refurb, don’t replace

Existing furniture and fittings can be refurbished rather than replaced, limiting the cost of the transformation. This approach also has the advantage of minimizing waste.

02 Economies of scale

Keep budgets low by sourcing suppliers and partners who will work with the whole of your estate. By negotiating better prices, economies of scale can be achieved.

03 Keep it local

This doesn’t necessarily mean a ‘one size fits all’ approach. It is often desirable, or even essential, to keep a local ‘flavor’ to a refurbishment – including the use of local contractors where possible.

04 Build on your brand

Build on brand guidelines rather than recreate them. A good supplier will be able to interpret and flex existing brand guidelines to create a unique offering for the workplace. Resist the temptation to reuse or repurpose external branded collateral, as the employer brand is not the same as the customer brand. In many workplaces, there are no logos featured at all, with far more emphasis on colors and imagery instead.

Case Study: Kaplan

Kaplan, a subsidiary of The Washington Post, operates specialist colleges in over 30 countries, reaching more than one million students globally.

• We helped to implement a workplace refurbishment program for their London head office, various colleges across Europe and university halls of residence.
• The overall design reflected their corporate purpose but also embedded local culture to help enhance the learning environment.
• Iconic local scenes were portrayed in the graphics, helping to create and reinforce a sense of place for their foreign students.
• Each element was carefully selected – from big-ticket items such as full-height wall graphics, furniture and flooring to the smaller items such as notice boards and artwork.

The workplace is the most tangible expression of your ’employer brand’. Think beyond the functionality and the bricks and mortar to harness what it can achieve for your employees and your business. By providing a focus on this physical space, you are not only demonstrating your commitment to your team but also creating the foundation for a satisfied and motivated workforce – the backbone of any business.

Key strategic goals:

OPERATIONS

• Retrofit existing rather than new
• Reduce footprint: local manufacture
• Technology replaces need to travel 

ECOSYSTEM

• Accredited global partners
• Raising employee awareness 
• Global framework – local delivery

PRODUCT

• Recycling
• Future proof design
• Materials and specifications 
• Safe disposal
• LED technology

1: Megawind Wind Turbines

An unequivocal first-sight marker that provides electricity. New Elium recyclable resin® in the manufacture of blades of Megawind turbines. 

2. H-Iona® Low Carbon Cement

The first available low-carbon cement on the European market for concrete massifs supporting totems, panels and wind turbines.

3. Material Recycling Programme

Pioneering a recyclable system that is zero waste to landfill or incineration and provides a complete sustainable lifecycle service through utilizing existing materials.

4. Water-Based Latex Ink & Uv-Based Ink

Our use of water-based inks significantly reduces VOC emissions, these most often contain a maximum of 30% solvents in the formula. Not only does this reduction protect our planet from pollution, but it also makes for a safer and healthier working environment for operators.

5. PVC-Free Films

Wrapping for vehicles should be carried out with digital print with laminate (PVC-free solution) from 3M MCS suppliers.

6. Sustainable Solution 3M480

A completely sustainable, PVC-free foil initiative. Through our Global network of trusted partners, we have access to the most innovative cutting-edge, sustainable solutions.

7. Wood Displays & Re-Board Displays 

Our use of wood displays and Re-Board Displays encompasses the increasing demand for natural products over PVC materials.

8. The ‘Breath’ Solution

The Breath is a sustainable solution that allows you to reduce bacteria, viruses, and pollution in the environment and at the same time allows you to communicate.

1. Brand Audits and Surveys

How do you identify and quantify all your brand touchpoints?

A full audit of your assets will provide a bird’s-eye view of your brand landscape.   This provides insights that will help us to plan the best strategic approach to your rollout and to estimate the resources required.

Using a variety of desktop or onsite surveys, we pinpoint exactly the type, location and condition of every branded asset.

This data is carefully captured into a Brand Asset Management system and analyzed to provide the planning blueprint for your rollout.

Our detailed reports provide the foundation for your brand implementation.  They also leave you with a legacy asset management system that can be easily maintained and kept for future use.

2. Project Management

Expert program management ensures your brand is safe in our hands

We act as the single point of contact for your brand implementation program, coordinating with your internal team to manage suppliers, site planning approvals, brand applications and installations.

For complex branding programs, our experienced Program Managers draw upon a variety of project management methodologies such as Agile and Prince2 to ensure a seamless delivery.

Our central Project Management Office (PMO) becomes your engine room – a team of professionals who are driven by detail, devoted to quality control and dedicated to transparent and real-time reporting.

3. Manufacture & Installation

How do you implement your brand consistently across the world?

Our global network provides the physical backbone to your rebrand – a scaleable quality-approved network of branding specialists.

Designers, strategists, graphic and digital solutions, uniforms, lighting, furniture, signage (the list is exhaustive!).

We continuously develop the network, to ensure we keep up with the changing demands of your brand.

Our Partners conform to environmental health and safety standards and work to the highest global standards but with room for localization.

With on-the-ground teams, we beautifully blend global expertise with local knowledge to ensure the smoothest implementation, ready for your brand launch.

Our PMO centrally manages your rollout, offering economies of scale and a bird’s-eye view which enables value engineering.

We aim to implement your brand as quickly and efficiently as possible, with full site handover and close-out, so you can concentrate on running your business.

4. Run & Maintain

A global rebrand offers the opportunity to refresh – but how do you keep it fresh?

A rebrand or refresh provides the ideal opportunity to set up an ecosystem for the ongoing management of your brand.

Our systematic approach includes:

• Brand Asset Management system for physical assets
• Vendor Management system for supplier quality and management
• Brand Portal system for brand governance and visual identity management

The data we capture is carefully stored and analyzed, becoming the driving force for your brand ecosystem.

Automation plays a vital role in auto-generating updates – renewal reminders, maintenance program schedules, supplier orders. Our detailed reporting ensures that your team can efficiently manage your brand as you move forward.

With a greater dependence on digital solutions, updates are much easier. Where big-ticket physical items are still needed, for example, signage or wayfinding, we select modular product solutions that are easy to update, rather than replace.  Helping to save the planet and costs.

Prioritising Brand Visibility

Forget the digital echo chamber – in the real world, physical brand visibility is as important as ever. From towering skyscrapers to everyday fleet vehicles, every branded touchpoint is an opportunity to connect with consumers and solidify your presence. Unfortunately, many brands overlook these valuable assets, leaving untapped potential on the table.

But fear not. At GLIMMA, we specialize in revitalizing neglected brand assets and orchestrating comprehensive global brand implementation program that unlock the full potential of your physical brand footprint. With over 15 years of experience and a network of 400+ international branding experts across 200+ countries, we’re your trusted partner in building a globally consistent and impactful brand presence.

Your Path to Brand Visibility Domination

Our process begins with a meticulous global brand implementation program audit. We delve into your existing brand landscape, pinpointing every touchpoint – no matter how big or small. Using a blend of digital, desktop, and on-site surveys, we gather precise data on the type, location, and condition of each branded asset.

This wealth of data feeds into our cutting-edge technology solutions. Our detailed reports not only guide your program but also leave you with a valuable legacy – a user-friendly database that simplifies future brand management and mobilization.

Brand Magic Across Every Environment

No physical brand asset is beyond our expertise. From full-scale global airline projects to bustling retail space refits, we’ve designed and delivered cohesive solutions that optimize consumer experience and amplify brand visibility.

Here’s a glimpse into our diverse portfolio

• Fleet Branding & Management: We go beyond mere vehicle wraps, partnering with clients like DPD and Heineken to develop long-term brand management solutions that harness technology and optimize fleet operations across land, sea, and air.
• Retail & Workplace Design: Our team boasts seasoned veterans from myriad industries, allowing us to craft immersive brand experiences for flagship stores, supermarkets, restaurants, and hotels.
• Global Workplaces: We design workplaces that resonate with local cultures, collaborating with regional artists to create hyper-localized spaces that inspire employees and reflect your brand’s global identity.

Your Single Point of Global Command

GLIMMA is your go-to consultancy for global brand implementation program. We act as the central hub, coordinating with internal teams, and managing audits, suppliers, site approvals, brand applications, and installations. Our global network of local experts ensures seamless execution, navigating legal frameworks, local legislation, resources, and environmental considerations.

For large-scale projects, we go the extra mile. We prototype, create detailed specifications, and manage tender processes to secure optimal quality, compliance, and consistency while diligently controlling expenditures on your behalf.

Beyond Implementation: Maintaining Brand Standards

Our commitment extends beyond mere execution. We ensure your branded assets stay pristine and impactful with our unique approach to brand asset management. Our system automates updates and reminders, streamlining maintenance schedules and program execution. Detailed reporting equips our team with the insights needed to efficiently manage your brand, ensuring long-term consistency and effectiveness.

Ready to Step onto the Global Stage?

A compelling global brand implementation program is your passport to unlocking international success. Don’t let valuable brand assets go unnoticed – contact GLIMMA today and let us orchestrate a program that propels your brand to new heights across every corner of the globe.

We enjoy immersing ourselves in each sector, developing a diligent understanding of the competition and the bases of competition. We’ve commissioned, briefed and analyzed consumer research with leading research agencies to make sure we know our customers, how they live, think and what they need and what they want.

We are practiced and familiar with most models and frameworks your marketing teams will deploy and have worked with most media formats and multiple agencies. We relish the opportunity to bring creativity to the strategic table, from ideation, innovation and implementation perspectives.

It doesn’t matter is we whether we are team contributor to your global positioning strategy or leading your creative social and influencer strategy implementation, we are guaranteed to bring creativity, innovation and collaboration to every single strategic mission.

WE CREATE CAMPAIGNS

You will have determined who you are talking to, when and how, so it’s now about delivering a range of dynamic brand stories that are engaging and authentic, championing your products and celebrating the benefits your products and services will bring to your customers.

Working with your product, marketing and brand teams we will develop compelling creative campaigns, honed to places, tailored to people and loaded to perform, enabling your brand to have multiple mission campaigns running simultaneously, dialing them up and down, being everywhere you need to be, always elevating why you are the better brand.

With our network of production partners we will create hyper-localized and hyper-personalized campaigns, creating high quality, engaging content for all your audiences. We can create campaign content across the full spectrum of media, from TV, digital, press, OOH through to video vignettes of internal company champions and external brand influencers.

Our media partners can help plan how best to land these stories to maximize awareness and optimize engagement and we can work with your marketing and sales teams to ensure that the campaign objectives are planned to deliver the right level of economic performance at the right pace.

The campaign for a better brand begins here.

CREATING CONTENT THAT CONNECTS

We understand that the majority of consumer decisions are intuitive, so we aim to provoke emotional responses that open the gate to considering the brand and acting upon the message.

And as we dive into developing compelling creative content from our design studios we regularly partner with research agencies that can bring behavioral, demographic and socio-economic insights and specialist media partners to guide and develop the optimal integrated media plan that will hit all the right notes.

We generally work with market-based media partners who know the cultural nuances and consumption preferences in each region, ensuring our creative is hyper-localized and personalized, being global doesn’t mean you can’t be intimate and influential on a localized basis.

Digitally driven, but weighted and integrated media programs are the best way to reach and engage. Programmatic offers such a good opportunity to mix in TV and OOH with more opinion driven influencer, social and consumer advocacy tactics and a focus on building communities.

Working in partnership with your public relations agency, we are likely to also advocate taking an editorial style to your content strategies, enabling richer formats and styles to tell your stories to your audiences, both inside and outside your organization. 

How will you measure success? We will work with you from the outset to clearly define measurable strategic and campaign goals through the critical path from advertising to income and measure them on the way through to ensure we are engaging effectively, positioning for performance and being the best- brand you can be.

WHY BRAND PURPOSE IS IMPORTANT?

Let’s start with Brand purpose.

1. A brand must deliver a product, which achieves business goals and benefits society as a whole. In this new era, customers, investors and executives know that a brand must have purpose. It must have a reason for being beyond making money.

1. Brand purpose can help build better relationships between a brand and its consumer and investors. Understanding your brand purpose is a key part of our strategic immersion services and developing it through brand communications is fundamental to your future success.
2. A unique brand purpose can differentiate your brand from competitors. It’s part of everything you do, so will be woven into your visions, values, culture and company missions.

Working with your Human Resource, Brand and Marketing teams we can help weave a brand purpose tapestry that people truly believe in, want to be part of and champion, by ensuring it is embedded within your brand language and part of your everyday conversations with everyone.

86% of B2B companies recognize purpose as important to growth, but they are still working out how to implement their purpose so that it influences business and social outcomes.

Only 24% said purpose is embedded into their business to the point of influencing innovation, operations and their engagement with society. (Carol Cone 2020)

CREATING A DISTINCTIVE BRAND IDENTITY

In an increasingly complex and competitive global marketplace it’s increasingly important to create an identity that is distinctive and representative of your values and purpose to enable your company to cut-through the mass of advertising, be recognized for being the purposeful better brand and ultimately convert and retain consumers, better than your competitors can.

A sensible starting point is understanding how you are currently perceived and how visible and resonant your brand is compared to your competitors. Your consumer research agency may have already conducted these perception audits as part of your strategic reviews and your marketing team will have provided analysis of marketing campaigns to understand consumer response to current brand campaigns. Your HR team will have polled employees on their views on whether the brand reflects their values and is engaging and inspiring.

The combined outcome of your analyses is that we are able to develop a visual, statistical, sentiment and physical assessment of how your brand is perceived, performs and its place compared to your competitors. When combined with your business and beliefs objectives, we have the basis for a solid brand design brief.

From this brief we will design the visible elements of your brand that identify it and distinguish it from competitor brands. A cohesive identity that wholly reflects the personality and purpose of your organization, which will enable you to build a positive brand image. And a language that encourages audiences, from customers to investors, to buy-into your brand image.

We develop the brand design through multiple media formats, create future campaigns and compare these campaigns to the visual benchmarking exercise. This enables everyone to see the brand in comparable real-life scenarios. We also advocate that brand design routes are tested internally with employees and externally, if the project scope allows, with consumer focus groups or even in some online campaign activity. 

We will produce a full suite of brand guidelines to enable all partners to understand why and how the brand is implemented. We can help deliver those onboarding sessions internally and externally. 

There are many brand agencies and many brand implementation agencies. There isn’t one agency that does both as expertly as we do. So, once your brand identity is developed, we are very well placed to support the delivery through marketing and mobilize its physical implementation, across the globe.

CAMPAIGN PRODUCTION

You know your place. You know your purpose. Now, let’s campaign, engage your audiences and compete to win and own that place.

Working with your product, marketing and brand teams we will develop compelling creative campaigns, honed to places, tailored to people and loaded to perform, enabling your brand to have multiple mission campaigns running simultaneously, dialing them up and down, being everywhere you need to be, always elevating why you are the better brand.

You know your place. You know your purpose. Let’s campaign and engage your audiences.

With our network of production partners we will create hyper-localized and hyper-personalized campaigns, creating high quality, engaging content for all your audiences. We can create campaign content across the full spectrum of media, from TV, digital, press, OOH through to video vignettes of internal company champions and external brand influencers.

Our media partners can help plan how best to land these stories to maximize awareness and optimize engagement and we can work with your marketing and sales teams to ensure that the campaign objectives are planned to deliver the right level of economic performance at the right pace.

The campaign for a better brand begins here.

MANAGING YOUR PHYSICAL BRAND

Visibility matters. In a hyper-digitalized world, real world visibility is often over-looked and opportunities to position and promote brands are missed.

We can conduct a full audit of your current brand, where it is and where it isn’t, making recommendations on how to optimize visibility on a sequenced, efficient and economical basis that fit with your strategic brand programs.

We blend digital, desktop and onsite surveys, pinpointing the exact the type, location and condition of every branded asset. This data is carefully captured into a Brand Asset Management system and analyzed to provide the planning blueprint for your rollout.

Our detailed reports provide the foundation for your brand implementation.  They also leave you with a legacy asset management system that can be easily maintained and kept for future use in brand management and mobilization.

If we’ve developed your brand, we will have created this legacy asset management system for you. 

In some client cases, the master-brand has already been developed and our role is to then work from the guidelines and extend the brand into new product services and new markets.

This immersive approach varies from project to project and can range from orthodox project management to embedding a team member into organizational operations through to the full outsourcing of a strategic department to us for the duration of a strategic initiative.

For more expansive strategic projects, our team will typically develop a detailed understanding of four cornerstone areas: Business Strategy, Competitive Marketplace, Customer and Culture, to provide the insights and intel for more detailed discovery and greater clarity on how we can build responses that create value for everyone

Taking Your Place: Strategic Positioning

In an increasingly complex and cluttered global market, achieving commercial business plans and meeting investor expectations requires a sophisticated and differentiated approach to consumer communications to ensure that brands engage, connect and ultimately convert and retain consumers, better than their competitors can and attract the talented teams to enable these goals to be realized.

Our role is to enable organizations to unlock their brand power, discover their purpose and drive their performance. Our teams have extensive experience contributing to the development of blended and balanced strategic commitments to people, profit and planet and translating those pledges, tactics, and operational drivers into action-oriented communication strategies.

RIVE GAUCHE BRAND STRATEGY & DESIGN

Working with Rive Gauche’s brand and marketing leaders, our G CREATIVE team in London helped to define a new brand hierarchy. Following in-depth analysis – market and brand position, target audiences, tone of voice and extensive retail benchmarking – we developed a new brand identity and retail concept.

Retail needs innovation. It’s the blend of physical and digital that will enhance experience and optimize operational efficiencies. And once conceived, tested and honed, concepts need to be rolled, market-by-market, efficiently and economically.

Jack & Jones Store Concept and Implementation

We were asked to manage the rollout of JACK & JONES’ latest window displays in over 450 stores and to create a compelling and consistent retail experience across Europe, the Middle East and Canada.

With more than 1,000 stores across 38 countries, they are one of Europe’s leading men’s fashion retailers.

Our brand technology enables retailers to have real-time brand visibility, enabling retailers to see what their customers see, across every store worldwide and ask themselves whether visibility and perception can be improved. Our technology can assist in that assessment and audit.

Moscow Jewelry Retail Concept

To develop a new modular retail design concept which can be scaled to fit any size store. This concept is to design and implement the retail space in Moscow Jewelry’s flagship stores in Moscow.

With over 300 stores across 104 cities, Moscow Jewelry is one of Russia’s leading jewelers. Selling more than one million items in-store every year, their retail network is critical to their success.

It’s this combination of knowing retail, creating competitive communication programs, innovating the consumer experience and optimizing brand visibility that enables us to support your brand elevation and engagement strategies.

Shoppers Stop Stores Brand Experience

We were commissioned to deliver new brand experiences within Shoppers Stop department stores through the design, manufacture and installation of their lounge and promotion display areas in prime stores across India.

These include dedicated and targeted concepts, such as the ‘Personal Shopper Lounge’, the ‘Show Stopper Zone’ and the ‘Suits & Jackets Zone”.

Shoppers Stop is one of the largest department store chains in India, selling international and national brands for clothing & accessories, cosmetics & fragrances, as well as home décor and furnishings.

Global Fleet Visibility

We have expertise across all forms of fleet: from EVs to 747’s, we have designed and implemented global brand strategies, working with clients such Delta, DPD, Verizon, AT&T, Heineken, C&A, DPD, Alitalia and Gate Gourmet. 

Our brand technology and expertise, enable us to provide clients with a single-point-of-contact service and an efficient, consistent, high-quality service. Our unique approach to Brand Visibility ensures that our clients benefit from a legacy asset management system that ensures the brand can be maintained efficiently and economically.

DPD Brand Implementation

Aura Brand Solutions represents our operation in the UK. Commissioned by DPD to rebrand their entire fleet in the United Kingdom, our team also drew upon its international expertise, as part of the GLIMMA network, to develop a specification for the rollout of the rebrand across the rest of the European fleet.

The rebrand was prompted by the need to consolidate the branding of 4,500 vehicles across multiple markets.

Fleet Branding Technology

Our central PMO acts as the single point of contact for your brand implementation program, coordinating with your internal team to manage suppliers, site planning approvals, brand applications and installations.

The platform enables transparent communications and budget visibility throughout the entire project.

Alitalia Implementation

We were asked to help with the global implementation of Alitalia’s new brand identity across 22 international locations. A wide variety of brand touchpoints were identified and replaced across different locations such as ticket offices and airports, helping to create a consistent customer journey.

The Brand Team

We assigned a global team to Alitalia to support their daily needs, offering technical advice, in addition to project managing the implementation program. Our team very quickly became brand gurus!

Our role also included detailed site surveys which ensured that every element was designed and specified correctly and subsequently, produced and installed to the required standard.

Transparency and Control

With 24/7 access to our project management tool, real-time updates were available throughout the rebrand, helping the Alitalia brand team to track and monitor progress at all times.

By setting up standard procedures and adhering to a structured approvals process, we ensured that all sites and brand touchpoints were delivered on time and to the right specifications.

Fleet Brand Maintenance

Our brand technology platform ensures You will know the exact location, size, age and style of every single branded asset across your operations and estate and includes a brand Asset Management system for physical assets, a Vendor Management system for supplier quality and management and a Brand Portal system for brand governance and visual identity management

To ensure your brand is maintained, automation will play a vital role in auto-generating updates – renewal reminders, maintenance and program schedules. Our detailed reporting ensures that your team can efficiently manage your brand

Rebrand Across Avanti Trains

Avanti West Coast provides the principal long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland. Its services connect six of the largest cities in the UK: London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh, which have a combined metropolitan population of over 18 million. Watch how our brand partner delivered a comprehensive rebrand across the trains. See a video of the rebrand process here.

We understand the value chain and can add innovations at any point in your destination strategy: from diagnosing challenges, creating a vision, developing a masterplan to creating new brand identities, commissioning and analyzing consumer research, creating and overseeing marketing programs and enhancing environments through lighting, navigation and place implementation programs.

We Make Places & Move People

We have a comprehensive understanding of the current flux in real estate markets and how to revitalize our clients’ real estate destinations in readiness for a new era for places, through more purposeful, performance-oriented communications and placemaking designs that encourage occupiers and customers to enjoy that place.

Ilot Brand Implementation

We were commissioned to revitalize this 1990s mixed-use city centre destination in Liège, Belgium. The refurbishment program was driven by a strategic repositioning exercise that aims to attract a new tenant mix, and increase footfall and time and spend per visitor.

Caledonia Park Branding & Marketing Programs

Following on from our success at resuscitating and revitalizing the commercial performance and positioning of this designer outlet village, we were commissioned by the investors to rebrand the destination to further accelerate its competitiveness and commercial trajectory.

Almaly Branding

We were commissioned to develop a full brand identity and environmental concept for this super-regional real estate destination in Kazakhstan.

Borough Yards Branding

Borough Yards is the capital’s most exciting cultural and retail-focussed regeneration. This unique social, cultural and shopping hub is woven from historic urban fabric. A lost medieval street system has been revived. Once-forgotten warehouses and railway arches house dramatic, double-height retail spaces, all embodying the district’s unrivaled feel of intimacy and welcome, regardless of size.

We were asked to brand this vibrant new London destination to inspire and provide a unique experience for visitors and retailers in a beautiful raw-brick, cathedral-scale spaces.

Mander Centre Brand Implementation

We were asked breathe new life into the Mander Centre, a 1960s retail destination in Wolverhampton, UK. To create a new tenant mix that will attract a different profile of shopper and encourage them to stay longer.

At 52,500 m² gross leasable area, the Mander Centre is the largest shopping centre in Wolverhampton, a lively city with a catchment of over 584,000 residents and attracting over 17 million visitors a year.

M&A Volumes Are On the Rise

Amid a blazing hot M&A climate, CEOs have a responsibility to ensure their brand remains one of their most valuable assets during – and after – the acquisition process. So, smart marketing management, underpinned by technology, must be high on the agenda.

2021 was a historic year for mergers and acquisitions activity with global M&A volume hitting $5.9tn, shattering previous records. So far, 2022 looks to be just as robust. The red-hot market brings with it a host of challenges for the C-suite– from driving value for stakeholders to ensuring cultural compatibility internally. However, while navigating the M&A maze CEOs can often lose sight of the most critical factor in ensuring success: the value of their brand.

The Value of Brand in the M&A Process and Beyond

A target company’s brand is often a key consideration of attractiveness to management, shareholders and investors. In a post-Covid-19 world, brand is ubiquitous. It touches everything within a business. There’s also the prevailing theory that ongoing brand investment is the only way to weather economic storms. As per the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), brands that invested in growing excess share of voice by 8% during the 2008-9 downturn grew their market share by an average of over four times more during the recovery phase.

To Rebrand or Not to Rebrand?

With Bain and Company predicting that M&A is expected to spur 45% of revenue growth over the next three years (up from 30% over the past three years) modern CEOs must learn to balance the needs of commercial success alongside long-term brand building and management. Effective and efficient brand management, by those who understand all aspects of it during these transitions, should not be underestimated.

The CEO Brand Challenge

Decisions relating to a merger or acquisition can be very complex; one huge one is to rebrand or not to rebrand.

For Ross Haxton, Commercial Director at GLIMMA, a full-service global brand management agency, this means brand and business strategy are inseparable, with the future success of any union reliant upon selecting an appropriate model for managing the brand’s key M&A objectives.

Haxton says that in M&A situations it is vital that brand is considered early in the integration process. “This will help to speed and smooth the acquisition process, protecting the value of investment.” He argues that when the branding and corporate values of so many take-over targets are developed quickly in “startup mode,” there is a risk that buyers are working with “inherently flawed” brand blueprints.

“CEOs often need to bring it back to basics, audit their new purchase to establish the core brand offering and key positioning. From that, they can develop marketing and physical branding that will drive success.” The CEO, he states, is the driving figure in this whole process, working with HR and the marketing department to involve the whole business in an internal brand engagement program.

Driving Efficiency

For some clients, this can yield a 20 to 30% saving in efficiency. By switching from manual to automated processes, introducing global specifications and seamless ordering and payments, GLIMMA can work quickly and with large volumes, significantly reducing the costs and even the environmental impact typically associated with global brand management.

When it comes to branding and rebranding post-M&A, Haxton says companies often need additional support and specialist expertise, as well as resources, to effectively manage their brand. Failure to do so carries a huge risk to the success of not only the union but the business too. “The brand is the North Star for the full organization, led by the CEO. We can help CEOs work top-down and create impetus for a big brand push or rebrand, but also bottom-up – using data to inform key decisions and drive success.”