B4B readers ask, our industry experts from the region answer: “External agency or your own marketing department – who should companies rely on?” Marco Trutter, our brand expert, knows the answer.
The much-cited “Gretchen question” but fortunately not the “chicken and egg principle”. Basically, the question is also incorrectly worded, as it cannot say “either or”, but “one like the other”. Because in order to successfully realize a brand building project and / or a cross-media launch campaign, for example, both actors have to work hand in hand without taking the butter off each other’s bread.
In the case of fundamental repositioning in particular, the willingness and courage to cut old braids are greater within management if the impulses for this are provided by external agencies or experts. True to the motto “pink glasses versus external perception”. Consequently, the solution lies in the middle, or rather in cooperation.
External agency for an objective view
If companies want to further develop or realign their brand image, they need an external branding agency that provides an unbiased, unfiltered and objective view of the brand and all associated aspects (brand architecture and communication, company values, sub-target groups, customer experience, responsivity, brand appeal et cetera), these are analyzed and validly assessed.
The clients benefit from the agency’s diverse experience from similar projects in other industries as well as the strategic expertise and approach that are often accompanied by market researchers and communication psychologists. This “in-depth know-how” and specialist knowledge is not available within most marketing departments, because there a generalist orientation is required, which is also essential for the basic day-to-day business and processes as well as internal company communication activities.
That is the silver bullet
But without the consistent support of internal employees, complex and far-reaching brand projects cannot be implemented. Among other things, you have a high level of product expertise and valuable insights into the company, the special market environment and the corresponding target group – all priceless. As a result, the ideal solution is the close cooperation between these two elementary actors – and please be at eye level!
“Onboarding” is crucial
Since in most cases the agency will not be able to monitor brand communication permanently and 24/7 in the future, it is important that it – in the spirit of quality assurance and investment protection – appropriately qualifies all those involved in communication in dealing with the optimized brand . This “onboarding” is one of the most crucial measures and is ideally carried out over a longer period of time, but at least during the so-called fragility phase (6-12 months). This ensures that inconsistencies and profile fuzziness do not arise after a short time, which then have to be ironed out again with a lot of effort and resources. “Help people to help themselves” is the motto and rounds off a fruitful and successful collaboration.
Do you have any questions for Marco Trutter or would you like more in-depth advice? Then contact us directly now.
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