A 12-Step Program
for Re-Branding
a Company
Grant Johnson, CMO Pegasystems March 2012
© 2012, Confidential, Pegasystems Inc.
© 2012, Confidential, Pegasystems Inc.

Step #1: Hire a CMO
2 © 2012, Confidential, Pegasystems Inc.

Step #2: Interview All Key Stakeholders
 Conduct
interviews, including
customers and
executives
3 © 2012, Confidential, Pegasystems Inc.

Step #3: Develop a Process
Phase I: Phase II: Phase III:
Brand Assessment Brand Development Brand Execution
 Information review  Develop brand positioning  Tactical planning &
and brand promise execution
 Brand assets review
 Competitive brand analysis  Messaging refinement
 Visual brand audit
 Customer insights/research  Internal roll out & education
 1:1 interviews
 Brand system development  Web site development
 Competitive review
 Brand guide development  External brand launch
 Review findings
4 © 2012, Confidential, Pegasystems Inc.

Step #4: Audit the Existing Brand
 Gather all assets to
understand how the brand
is being conveyed
̶ Review existing
collateral, including data
sheets, case
studies, whitepapers, annual
reports and advertising
̶ Review all digital
assets, including
web, videos, social media, and
presentations
̶ Review tradeshow booths, logo
usage, naming, and product
nomenclature
̶ Do we touch the logo and/or
tagline?
5 © 2012, Confidential, Pegasystems Inc.

Step #5: Understand the Competitive Landscape
6 © 2012, Confidential, Pegasystems Inc.

Step #6: Tell People Their Baby is Ugly
 Help creators
understand the brand
needs to evolve
̶ Review inconsistencies
and identify areas for
improvement
7 © 2012, Confidential, Pegasystems Inc.

Step #7: Brand Positioning and Promise
Develop, Test, and Refine
 Develop brand position The Heat Map shows how many people
highlight specific text elements – positive or
negative – with color intensity
and promise
Open-ended comments are
 Testing internally and linked to specific copy points
externally
 Refine based on testing
and feedback
̶ Socratic message testing
example:
The Character Map shows frequency
of highlighting, character-by-character
8 © 2012, Confidential, Pegasystems Inc.

Step 8: Select Graphic Elements
 Select color
Primary 1 Primary 2
Secondary 1 Secondary 2 Accent
Pega Blue Pega Aqua
palate, typography Pantone 295
White
Cyan Pantone
3265
Magenta
(include competitive
Support Color Range
comparison)
Pantone 640 Pantone 297 Pantone 290
 Determine look and feel
for all different collateral
materials
 Vet selection
internally, refine, and gain
approval
 Create transition plan
9 © 2012, Confidential, Pegasystems Inc.

Step 9: Review and Revise Brand Architecture
 Determine Brand
architecture (e.g. Master
or a House of Brands)
 Determine naming
convention
̶ e.g., descriptive names vs.
proprietary names
 Work transition plan
̶ What will be grandfathered
in, what will change, and what
is governance process?
10 © 2012, Confidential, Pegasystems Inc.

Step 10: Internal Launch
 Launch the visual brand
internally
̶ Build momentum via internal
webinars, create an online
brand hub to educate and
inspire stakeholders to live
the brand!
11 © 2012, Confidential, Pegasystems Inc.

Step 11: External Launch
 Launch the visual brand
externally
̶ Website
̶ New collateral
materials, signage, template
s
̶ Create comprehensive
usage guidelines
̶ Leverage brand in all
expressions
(print, online, facilities, even
ts, etc.)
12 © 2012, Confidential, Pegasystems Inc.

Step 12: Start Thinking about Evolving the Brand
…Before They Hire a New CMO
13 © 2012, Confidential, Pegasystems Inc.