Michael Palermo

Let’s Talk Pictures: The Importance of Brand Photography

If you’re like most people, you don’t know why you can recognize any given brand. You simply know that you do. In fact, you probably don’t even need to see the company’s name or logo to recognize a given brand’s ads, website, social media, packaging and products. There’s just something about the look and feel. Of course, in the world of marketing and branding, it’s our job to know how a well-crafted brand brings together multiple visual, verbal and tonal components to establish and reinforce a consistent experience at every point of contact. And one essential component of that identity and experience is brand photography.

Every picture tells a story (make sure it’s the one you want to tell)

We’ve all seen companies whose corporate photography consists of formal portraits of leaders, snapshots of products, and stock imagery. But those companies are hard to remember because a generic approach generates generic results.

By contrast, compelling, carefully curated brand photography communicates a specific look and feel. It will tell the story that the company wants you to know. And it will establish and reinforce a specific, visceral, emotional experience. In short, the right photography can and should be a critical component of any successful branding effort.

Here’s a snapshot of how it works

As part of our support for the Columbia Theological Seminary brand, we refreshed the institution’s photographic assets. The goal was to create a collection of brand imagery for a wide range of communications material across multiple electronic and print media — from websites and social media to university signage, course catalogs and fundraising campaigns.

Most importantly, the new photos would have to represent the feelings of warmth, spirituality, inspiration, and beauty that students, faculty and alums have long associated with Columbia. At the same time, the new imagery would also need to reflect the seminary’s diversity, dynamic of exploration, and connection to the future as its leaders embarked on a third century of spiritual and educational leadership.

Together with Columbia’s marketing leadership, we selected a photographer whose work demonstrated artistry and photojournalistic storytelling style. We sought to capture scenes of active engagement as well as images of quiet reflection. And we arranged two separate photo shoots — one in the spring and one in the fall — to show the seminary, its faculty, administrators, students and alums during two times of the year when the campus is most dramatically beautiful.

The first place where most people could see the new photos was in a fresh update to the Columbia Theological Seminary’s website. Jennifer Cuthbertson, Director of Marketing Communications at Columbia Theological Seminary, remarks, “The photos are the perfect highlight of the new website. Students and faculty have told us, ‘The site looks like us.’ And ‘It honors Columbia.’ I have to believe that is in no small part due to our fantastic photos.”

How to choose the right photographer for your brand

It would seem that the first step in selecting a brand photographer would be to review portfolios. There is undoubtedly a time and place for that step. But the first step is to define your brand identity, asking and answering a variety of key questions, which include (but are not limited to):

• How should any point of engagement with your brand make people feel?
• What story does your brand tell? What story should your brand tell?
• Who needs to connect with your brand? What do you know about that/those audience(s)?
• What do they want and need? What do they reject?
• Which other brands is your audience likely to seek — and which brands are likely to seek your audience?
• When are they likely to engage with your brand?
• How and where are they likely to engage with your brand?

Once you’re armed with the answers to these questions, you can start exploring portfolios. Keep in mind that while it’s great to find imagery that could be part of your photo library, you’re also looking for a photographer who knows brand storytelling. Look for a portfolio whose images don’t all look the same. Seek a photographer willing to take creative risks to capture the right images. Talk to photographers about your brand — and listen not only for how well they repeat what you tell them but how well they extend the conversation and share ideas that demonstrate true understanding.

It’s a hefty effort, we know. This is why — full disclosure — we provide this kind of brand photography support for our clients all the time. It’s true that we have a few “favorite” photographers whose creativity, productivity, reliability and responsiveness consistently deliver results. But it’s part of our process to continually look for new talent who can elevate our work — and help our clients’ brands to shine.

by Michael Palermo

When is the Right Time for Rebranding? Don’t start that brand update before you read this.

One of the biggest questions clients ask us at Relish is whether and when it's time to do a brand refresh. However, knowing that branding is one of our core offerings, you might be surprised to discover that sometimes, our most strategic answer is, “Not yet.” Which is why we’re sharing some best practices and lessons learned about the right time for rebranding.

Are you rebranding too soon?

Don’t get us wrong – a strategic, creative rebranding effort can address issues and jumpstart ambitious plans for growth and development. But the effort is probably premature if it’s driven by either of these common circumstances:

• Your executives are bored.
  Yes, that sounds a bit crazy – who would rebrand in response to boredom? But here's how we've seen it happen: A company launches a fresh brand identity, and everyone embraces it in a flurry of excitement and energy. Then, living and breathing the brand every day, it becomes ordinary. And, missing the thrill of the brand launch, some executives lament that the "new" identity feels stale and needs updating. This would be a serious error. Our experience and research have shown that it takes about a year (sometimes longer) for a new brand identity to become firmly established in the minds of customers, investors, the media, etc. In other words, when internal stakeholders tire of a recently updated brand, that’s the time to build on brand equity. It is not the time to change to something new.

• You hope rebranding will fix internal problems.
  An organization shouldn't seriously consider rebranding if team members are not ready to embrace and reflect the new corporate identity or if the company is experiencing dysfunctional, divisive behavior. Rebranding won't fix any of that. And, serious issues like these are likely to undercut new branding efforts. That said, an organization like Relish can offer strategic workshops designed to help struggling teams discover common ground and inform a rebranding effort that everyone can support.

Have you waited too long?

There are three times when companies should engage in a branding update. And, if you see your organization reflected in any of them, take heed. By the time most companies in these situations recognize the need to rebrand, they’re under pressure because they should have started sooner:

• The existing brand is out of step with your business.
  When an organization's existing identity feels outdated, too generic, or otherwise out of step with the reality of the business, that's a sign that a rebranding effort is overdue. For instance, a company's brand says, “small, mom and pop company” but they've actually transformed into a sizable business. Maybe a brick-and-mortar business now conducts most of its business online (or vice versa). Or perhaps the owner's nephew developed the original logo, and the company has outgrown it.

• You're penetrating a new market space.
  Sometimes, business leaders recognize that the company is well-positioned to serve a new market – and needs to look like it belongs there. The right brand architecture approach can guide sub-brand development and differentiation while continuing to build and reinforce the primary brand.
• You’re acquiring or merging with another company.
  When a large company acquires a smaller one, the smaller company almost always adopts the larger organization's brand. When two competitors merge, however, they may want to create a new company name and brand to reflect the new, united entity. Likewise, when a company acquires a business with significant brand recognition, it might be wise to leverage that equity.

How to rebrand right on time

The best way to hit the timing sweet spot for a rebrand is to plan ahead. Take time to explore your brand in the context of a potential market expansion or possible change in corporate structure, leadership, or ownership. You may find ways in which minor yet strategic adjustments can provide differentiation and possibly pave the way for a more extensive future rebrand – all while continuing to maximize brand equity. For instance:

The Greeley Company came to us during its acquisition by The Chartis Group. Both companies' leaders sought to communicate Greeley's offerings in context with Chartis' larger suite of hospital and health system services. We conducted a combination of competitive analyses and brand messaging research, which revealed significant insights and opportunities. By updating Greeley's messaging and making minor adjustments to their fonts and color palette, we distinguished their services in the context of the primary Chartis brand, reinforcing the Greeley-Chartis relationship.

Likewise, the Taylor English law firm built its brand on serving the needs of small to mid-sized companies. However, when leaders embraced a new opportunity – election law – they realized the need to visually reinforce their market fit. Relish helped them do it, providing competitive research, strategic insights, and creative design. The resulting Election Law Group branding reinforced the firm’s legacy identity while communicating concepts of patriotism, government, and public service.

And when the Lenbrook senior living community began planning its Kingsboro at Lenbrook residences, leaders recognized the need to distinguish the new expansion in the context of its overall brand. Our solution for Kingsboro communications and environmental graphics stuck closely to existing brand guidelines, emphasizing key colors while stripping away others. This approach reinforced the overall Lenbrook brand while elevating the feel of the new expansion.

The decision to rebrand can have a significant impact on any organization. Whether that impact is positive or negative depends on your timing – as well as your strategy and creative. Full disclosure: this is where we at Relish Marketing shine – and deliver significant value to our clients. If you’re thinking about rebranding, tell us more about it and let’s see where our experience can be your advantage.

by Michael Palermo