Tag: Branding

This is the second post in a five-part series designed to help organizations navigate the journey of finding their ideal branding partner.

You’ve decided to hire a branding partner, you’ve assembled a list of agencies to include in your search, and now it’s time to write a brief or Request for Proposal (RFP) to outline your project requirements. Not all search processes involve an RFP, but issuing one could be helpful for a few reasons:

1. An RFP will make comparing proposals easier since all agencies are working from the same foundation
2. An RFP will help with internal buy-in so your organization is aligned on the goals of the project and what you’re looking for in a partner

When someone starts a search for the first time, we often get asked what information should be included in an RFP. We find the below topics are helpful to incorporate:

Tell us about your organization

Include the basics. What do you do and why do you do it? Who are your target audiences, key stakeholders and competitors? What makes you special? If you have corporate presentations or materials you are willing to share, we appreciate reviewing these early on to understand how you present your organization to the market.

What are your business challenges

Business and brand are inextricably linked. Your brand should align with, support and reflect your business strategy, while leaving room for growth. What is your current position in the market? What are your growth plans? How do you plan to shape the future of your industry? Are there recent changes in your business, such as expanded service or product offerings or M&A activity? Are you eyeing an IPO or sale? Do you need to attract and retain talent? Have your sales slipped because competitors are encroaching on your territory? Helping us understand what is happening in the business will allow us to build a brand that will make your business successful.

What are your branding challenges

What motivated you to start looking for a branding partner? What are your objectives for the branding work and what are you hoping it will solve? For example, is your brand not reflective of your current business strategy and capabilities? Are your customers confused by how your portfolio is organized? Is your brand expression dated? Do you want to improve and measure brand awareness and reputation? Is your brand being brought to life consistently across touch points? Are employees confused about how to live the brand?

Outline your scope of work and project requirements

It’s helpful to be clear about the deliverables you hope to get from the engagement so you can easily compare proposals from multiple agencies. But also keep in mind being too

prescriptive can hinder an agency’s response. For example, instead of dictating the exact number of stakeholder interviews you want conducted, it would be more helpful to describe the decision-makers, types of stakeholders and customers that should be included in the interview process. It’s also useful to let us know if there is existing research, guidelines or documents that will inform the project. We don’t want to duplicate any of your efforts and can meet you where you are.

What qualifications are you looking for in a partner

Think about how you will evaluate and compare agencies. What are the criteria and characteristics that are important for your ideal partner to have? For example, do they need to be experts in your industry, or are you looking for a partner who can bring a fresh perspective? Is expertise in a specific capability or service offering, agency location or size important? Are there cultural aspects and values you want to align with, such as collaboration or curiosity?

Include timing and budget parameters

It’s always helpful to outline any timing and budget considerations (even if it’s a broad range) so both you and potential partners can determine early on if expectations are aligned. We consider timing and budget constraints when building our approach, as there are several solutions we can recommend to ensure we make the most of the available resources. Knowing this information upfront will allow us to find a solution for you more efficiently.

Establish the process for agency review

You don’t necessarily need to assign strict dates and have all the details figured out, but it is helpful for agencies to know a rough timeline and process for how you plan to choose your partner. For example, will you conduct pitch meetings after you receive proposals? If so, do you want to meet in person or virtually? When do you plan to kick off the engagement? Are there deadlines or milestones for the project work, and if so, what is driving these? Knowing high-level timing will help agencies allocate resources internally and assemble the best team to tackle your challenges.

Make time for an introductory Q&A call

Even the most well-written RFPs lead to additional questions. It’s also nice to meet who we could potentially be working with for several months or years and make sure there is a cultural fit on both sides. More on that in the next post.

For highly visible brands, a refreshed identity can signal something deeper, and truly significant. For Walmart, de-emphasizing the name in favor of a more streamlined and contemporary look reinforces the retailer’s ongoing evolution from physical shopping destination to a universal source for all things—a brick-and-mortar-plus-digital powerhouse that goes head-to-head against competitors such as Amazon.

It’s been entertaining to catch up on the social buzz around the launch of Walmart’s new identity. From the haters to a bit of teasing from competitors like Aldi, it’s certainly grabbing attention!

Having been involved in many large rebranding programs over my career—and being acquainted with the team that did the identity that is the basis of this update—it’s interesting to look at the “before” and “after” and think about what it means for the company going forward. The team at Walmart is framing the new identity as a big launch. I’m inclined to agree.

Change can be consequential, in a good way

The last change to the Walmart brand—the launch of the sunburst logo and a fresh look roughly 20 years ago—was a huge change for the company. In a time when everything around us seems instant, the scale of refreshing a brand like Walmart is noteworthy. Just getting the 80,000 trailers repainted probably took years!

That rebrand recast Walmart’s image, moving it from stodgy shopping experience to a much more vibrant (even fun) expression. That was a big shift, and proved to be a key driver of massive growth over the past two decades. It showed the power of a new identity to reach new audiences and expand the scope of the business.

This time, the rebrand reflects Walmart’s pivot to digital

With this new refresh, something not being discussed much is the new symbol, which no longer has  the word Walmart locked up to it, on applications such as walmart.com. On the surface it seems subtle, but there’s real meaning behind it.

The beauty of moving away from the name is multifaceted. From an identity standpoint, the company is laying claim to its symbol and creating a shorthand for its brand promise. Only a lucky few can achieve this: Mastercard, with its two-circles-only logo, Apple and Nike spring to mind. The ability to de-emphasize, or even delete, the name is a fantastic opportunity that only the most recognized brands can claim. A simpler, more streamlined visual identity performs better in the digital environment across devices and experiences, reflecting the way today’s consumers prefer to engage.

It’s not just about retail sales anymore

I see another major benefit that’s not being talked about at all. Retail media! The rise of retail media is quietly reshaping the e-commerce landscape, and this relatively new space is worth billions to Walmart beyond product sales. Forecasts by the end of 2026 for Walmart’s retail media network exceed $6 billion in ad sale revenue. Walmart’s new brand identity is key to success in this high-growth, highly competitive market.

In retail media, advertisers buy ad placement on e-commerce sites and other high-traffic channels—and in the case of Walmart, even in-store. From Walmart’s perspective, the strategy and refreshed identity clearly play to its advantage. By de-emphasizing the Walmart name and raising the profile of advertisers, Walmart becomes a prime (pun intended!) destination for consumers to discover products and services. Creating a neutral e-commerce identity helps drive both ad spending and retail sales—an enormous revenue opportunity.

Unpacking Walmart’s new identity reveals that it’s about much more than putting on a fresh new face. What might feel like a subtle change in design reflects big, strategic moves that will drive exponential growth and opportunity for the company as it continues its dominance as the world’s largest retailer.

I recently heard an anecdote about a top executive who, upon visiting a client, was asked, “why are you here?” The client was curious that this executive would come out personally, rather than sending a junior employee. He didn’t think his account was “worth” the executives’ time.

Is this the new normal? Working at a) an agency, b) that represents many B2B, service-oriented firms, all of whom aim to deliver service excellence, I find this distressing.

I am very much in favor of the greater efficiencies technology can afford us. Sometimes, a video call can get the job done, and we all know there are certainly meetings that could have been an email. But there is still a time and a place for, quality in-person time. And sometimes, just making the effort to be there is a statement in and of itself—as the anecdote above shows.

A brand consultancy, like any firm, is above all a people business. We need to understand the people behind the brands, to help them articulate those brands in an authentic way. Here at Tenet, we pride ourselves on working collaboratively, ensuring the final product is something we helped our clients realize, not something we dictated to them. All of this takes a level of connection. We can make those connections in many ways, and technology frequently plays a part in that, particularly when working with global, remote teams. But at key moments in any engagement, we still find it invaluable to be there, in person, to feel and feed off the energy in the room.

Does this now count as “concierge” service? Has the highly engaged executive become the elusive phantom of the business world? Based on the many dedicated, invested clients with whom we work, I would say no. But maybe it’s selection bias—maybe, because those are our values, we are engaged by clients who value the same.

Good brands are built to help organizations predict and thrive through change. Often times, that change is external and at a market level. The healthcare industry is no different, and is currently experiencing a series of shifts that not only impact businesses, but brands.

Admittedly, when we speak of the healthcare industry, we reference a broad ecosystem of people and organizations that include clinicians, payers, patients, medical device companies, pharmaceutical companies, hospital systems and more. So while there are trends that are exclusive to individual players, in a connected ecosystem like healthcare, a change to one stakeholder group often impacts the others. Here’s what we believe are the pervasive trends in the industry:

• Increasing costs for labor, supplies and equipment

• A significant labor shortage, especially in rural hospitals and networks

• Consolidation of hospitals and networks leading to a smaller pool of decision-makers with outsized influence

• The rising frequency of direct patient care, a seeming response to patients demanding quality, affordable care

• Value-based care isn’t new, but it is becoming a more prevalent conversation year-over-year

• The exploration of how evolving technologies, such as AI, have a role in areas including patient care, facility management and medical resources

• Regulatory bodies and governments continue to look at drivers of healthcare companies and are poised to impose big change on things like technology, reimbursement, and drug and treatment affordability, among other key areas

Amidst the backdrop of these trends, long-standing dynamics continue to impact what makes a brand successful in healthcare, strategically and creatively.

Strategically:

• The ever-growing role of VACs and administrators in decision-making requires suppliers to make a compelling case around value—and care using benchmarks that speak to these groups (e.g., improved outcomes, reduced risk, shorter LOS)

• Regulation also has impacts on brand development as it can create guardrails that limit creativity, extend approvals and require unexpected collaborations

• Outreach to clinicians must be done with the knowledge that clinicians “own” the patient and any messaging and marketing should respect that boundary

• Clinicians, many of whom are also members of VACs and have an administrative role in decision-making, are very literal; high-concept messages and campaigns do not connect

• Arming the patient is increasingly important; with the advent of technology, they are doing their own research and becoming their own best advocates. Along with caregivers, another key influencer, patients are no longer looking to be disintermediated. Even those organizations who haven’t traditionally gone DTP (medical device and pharma, for example) must adapt

Creatively:

• Visually, cooler tones are more popular and appealing because of their calming and positive nature. However, they are not ownable and need to be combined with other palettes, patterns or graphics to create distinction

• Lifestyle images with patients and families are more relatable and approachable, but are also very common. Abstract/conceptual imagery does not connect well, but is another way to complement and create distinction

One last thought

And last, but certainly not least … like many other industries and organizations driven by product revenue, many healthcare companies are debating the value between performance marketing and brand marketing.

Which will prevail? Which is more impactful for healthcare organizations? The answer is… both.

Within healthcare especially, it is imperative that companies invest in both performance and brand marketing. While product marketing is undeniably a lifeline of an organization—be it drug, therapy or device—trust is even more vital in healthcare. And that trust is embedded at the brand level, serving as an umbrella that enhances equity for all the products and services beneath it. Equity at the brand level gives you goodwill, higher familiarity, a shorter sales cycle, permission to expand beyond your core and possibly, permission to make a mistake. Most importantly, brand marketing can be measured as well as performance marketing. Want to learn how? It’s one of our favorite conversations here at Tenet. We look forward to chatting.

When thinking about your brand, it pays to consider what’s truly at its core.

The strongest brands are built on fundamental truths that have to do with what they actually do and why, rather than the surface details that first spring to mind.

There’s a seemingly simple, yet surprisingly deep, question to ask: What business are you really in? The answer can profoundly impact both brand and business strategy.

Two examples show why this question matters: Apple and Amazon.

Apple isn’t really a technology company

In the mid-1990s, Apple was going to market as one might expect. It cast itself as a computer company, making technologically superior hardware and software. Its entire marketing strategy was built on the products themselves.

In 1997 Steve Jobs returned as CEO and embarked on a radical transformation of the brand that ultimately yielded the Apple we know today. While on the surface the push had to do with product innovation, arguably the underlying big idea behind it all was that Apple isn’t really a computer company at heart: it’s a lifestyle company. The products are simply the means to an end.

Looked at through this lens, the entire arc of the Apple brand for the last quarter century snaps into sharp focus. Every product, from the iPod and iTunes, to the iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and the MacOS, contributes to a deeply intertwined, increasingly seamless and incredibly sticky digital lifestyle.

The brand has been carefully curated to play into this big idea. With every new product release there’s talk of the latest features, performance improvements and innovations, but at the heart of it all is the experience that Apple products deliver: the lifestyle.

Amazon isn’t really an online retailer

Another great example of a counterintuitive big idea driving a brand is Amazon. To most people the Amazon brand is synonymous with online retail, even though its online retail business brings in less revenue than B2B offerings such as Amazon Web Services and support for third-party merchants. But despite the public perception, at the core Amazon isn’t a retailer: it’s a distribution company.

Domestic competitors like Walmart and overseas outlets such as AliExpress have tried to replicate Amazon’s retail success, but haven’t really made all that much of a dent. Amazon is somehow different, and that difference is the smoothness and ease of doing business with the company.

The success of the Amazon brand is driven by the big idea of hassle-free, fast delivery. It’s easy to find what you need, easy to buy it, and delivery usually happens with incredible speed—sometimes within hours. Contrast this with Walmart’s price-centric approach, building its brand and business on “Every Day Low Prices.” It has also used slogans such as “Always low prices. Always.” and the current “Save money. Live better.” Walmart is at heart a retailer.

Amazon’s whole brand—even the business operation itself—is built around the big idea of getting people what they want as quickly as possible. The reversible logo is both a smile that hints at delight and a swooping arrow that communicates motion and speed. Even the small details, such as the ability to get delivery at Amazon lockers instead of your home and the ease of returning goods by dropping them off at partner retailers, all contribute to that central thought.

Amazon’s clear understanding of the true nature of the company and why it matters to its customers makes executing on the big idea possible. It could promote low prices and wide selection, but that would lose the essence of what makes Amazon unique.

What drives your brand?

The takeaway from high-profile examples such as these is that there may be an opportunity to elevate your brand above your competition by breaking free of conventional thinking about your category. Both Apple and Amazon, in a certain sense, asked the same questions: What’s the big idea behind what we do?

Both of these examples show the value of taking a step back and asking what your organization is all about. Doing so can bring clarity and purpose to your brand and marketing strategy—and even provide a north star to guide business strategy going forward.

This is the first post in a five-part series designed to help organizations navigate the journey of finding their ideal branding partner.

You’ve decided to hire a branding partner—congratulations, we applaud that choice! But now what? Starting an agency search from scratch can be a daunting task, but finding the right partner to help take your brand to the next level is critical. As you begin your search, it will be helpful to think about the below areas:

Determine who needs to be involved from your organization

Map out the stakeholders that should be included in the selection of your agency partner, as well as throughout the course of the actual project. Who should be a decision-maker, who should have a voice and who should be kept informed along the way? Also think about the teams in your organization that a branding engagement will directly impact. For example, you might have internal marketing, creative or production teams that should be brought along throughout the process to give them a sense of ownership and buy-in.

We have found the most successful projects build excitement and gain consensus from all stakeholders from the start. One of our clients even produced a 10-minute inspirational video to sell in and excite management about their upcoming rebrand project. This resulted in both positive anticipation, as well as assurance that all stakeholders had similar expectations for the process and the outcome.

Establish your process

Every agency search journey looks different. There are several steps you could include (or not) in evaluating potential partners. The process could start with issuing a Request for Information (RFI), to scheduling a capabilities presentation, then issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP), and finally inviting agencies to an in-person or virtual pitch meeting. All steps have merit based on what works best for your organization and how you make decisions. We’ve experienced everything from a phone call that leads to a partner decision in a few days, to a multi-step and meeting-intensive process that lasts several months.

Make a list of criteria

Think about the qualities and characteristics that are important for your ideal partner to have, such as:

• Agency size: Big, small or somewhere in between. There are many tradeoffs with agency size. Maybe you prefer a large firm with a renowned reputation and global presence, but you might risk being a small fish in a big pond. Or maybe a smaller, lesser-known agency is a better fit, as they can be more nimble and dedicate senior-level attention throughout the partnership.

• Industry or business challenge expertise: Do you want a partner with deep experience in your space who can speak your industry language or an agency that will bring a fresh perspective with out-of-category experience? Perhaps you want an agency with expertise in navigating situations such as branding after a merger or acquisition, preparing for an IPO, or capitalizing on growth after private equity investment. While specific experience relating to your situation can of course be beneficial, don’t necessarily count an agency out because they don’t have it—they might just be the ones who find that differentiating nugget to build your brand around.

• Service offerings: Agencies vary in their scope of offerings. Some tout a full range of capabilities from brand insights to implementation, while others focus on specific practice areas such as packaging design or brand name development. Identify the combination of services that are most important given your branding needs. If you are undertaking a rebrand, look for a full-service branding firm.

Find agencies that match your criteria

Now it’s time to start searching for potential partners that could be a good fit. There are several resources you can use to build your list:

• Referrals: Ask your colleagues or others in the industry if they have recommendations based on a good experience. We receive most of our new business leads from word of mouth and referrals.

• Ranking sites and lists: Ranking sites such as Clutch allow you to filter agencies based on several criteria. Other organizations like Gartner or the 4A’s publish lists and provide customized recommendations to members.

• Search consultants: Alternatively, you can hire a search consultant to run the process for you. This option typically requires a significant monetary investment, but the consultant will do the heavy lifting in shortlisting potential partners that match your criteria. The 4A’s publishes a list of search consultants if this route makes the most sense for your team.

Make a list for outreach

Determine how much time and effort your team can dedicate to a search. Keep in mind if you move forward with a long list of agencies, reviewing a multitude of proposals could be cumbersome and overwhelming for your team. But alternatively, if your list is short, you risk not all agencies responding which would significantly narrow your field. If your team is wavering on the ideal agency characteristics (for example large versus small), you can include a few from different categories to determine what feels best during the pitch process.

And finally, remember to be open-minded throughout the process. You might be surprised what types of agencies and people click with your team.

Stay tuned for the next post in this series about how to craft a productive RFP.

While consumer brands can lean on the experiences their products deliver to tell their story, services firms don’t have that luxury. They must build their reputation on expertise and relationships. The way forward isn’t found in flashy campaigns or clever taglines—the creation of a successful professional services brand comes from understanding, and addressing, what truly drives client decisions.

In the push for growth, many professional services firms lose sight of what matters to clients. Selection isn’t made solely on the basis of cost or capabilities. Today’s clients want to know what makes your firm tick: what you value and what gets your people excited to come to work each day.  A strong professional services brand is grounded in what makes you, you—the people, understanding of client priorities and purpose behind every engagement. This will drive an approach that speaks to your market in an authentic and tangible way.

People

Your brand lives and breathes through your people, leadership, as well as employees. Without genuine and enduring buy-in at every level from the corner office on down, even the most vigorous branding effort can fade into little more than a short-lived marketing exercise. Senior leaders need to do more than simply approve: they must set the tone by actively championing the brand development process and weaving it into their strategic thinking and internal messaging. Knowing that leaders are personally invested in the brand inspires and motivates those on the front line every day, selling and delivering work. It’s also a two-way street—when you tap into and value your team’s insights, experiences, and contributions, you get better solutions while also naturally creating champions who will deliver on your brand promise for years to come.

Understanding

How well do you really know your prospective clients? A key challenge many firms face is the lack of comprehensive market data. Unlike consumer brands, professional services don’t have extensive syndicated research to rely upon. Each firm must build its own fact base, but the effort and investment can be well worth it. While qualitative insights help identify issues, quantitative research becomes critical to truly understand what drives client decisions. Demonstrating an in-depth understanding can be the crucial point of differentiation that wins a contract.

Purpose

Clients today look for firms whose values and approach align with their own. They’re looking to hire a team of experts they can trust and work with. This is why strong professional services brands aren’t built through marketing campaigns—they’re built through countless small interactions between your people and your clients. When you align these moments with a clear sense of purpose and strong leadership support, your brand becomes more than a logo: it becomes a true competitive advantage that drives growth and attracts both talent and clients. This means moving beyond capability statements and credentials presentations to reveal what truly sets your firm apart. When you can articulate not just what you do, but why you do it, you create deeper connections that lead to lasting relationships.

The path to a stronger brand starts with honest conversations—with your leaders, your people, and your market. It demands recognition that your brand isn’t something you create once and finish. It’s something you nurture and strengthen constantly, through every aspect of your firm’s operations.

Your brand. My reputation.
My reputation. Your brand.

In late October, David and I got to talking. Despite one of us living in a Blue state and the other living in a Purple state (with not near enough electoral votes to be a swing state), we were seeing similar things.

It was the time of year when an abundance of signs began appearing on neighborhood lawns, street corners, down highways and even near government buildings. There were also spooky pumpkins, skeletons and purple and orange-colored Halloween strand lights (who ever thought those would become a thing?) As scary as those were, we’re referring to something more frightening: the political signs.

It wasn’t about politics. It was about brands. And it made us think. The brands you choose tell others about you … whether or not that’s your intention. It’s called the self-expressive benefits of a brand—how your choice to use or associate with a brand reflects your larger personality or preferences. Or in other words, what your association with a particular brand says to others about you.

Aligning brands with values

But it’s not only about what people think about you. It’s about what’s important to you. The brands we associate with reflect our values and beliefs. In fact, a statistic from the IPSOS Global Trends Report confirms customers want to do business with companies who have purpose. Further, more than two-thirds want to purchase from companies who align with their values.

We with our wallets (and our yard signs), tend to select brands who align with our values. Whether Hobby Lobby, Target, Bud Light or Chick-fil-A —we often choose to do business with companies who we believe, think and act like we do. And that says something to others as well.

Just a few weeks ago, in fact, I overheard two men pleased when the supermarket shelves were full of Bud Light but empty of other beers. It took me a minute, but I finally caught on. Or I think I did. In their minds, people were disagreeing with Bud Light’s decision to feature a transwoman in an advertisement. Wherever you stand on the issue, your perception of these men is likely informed by their reaction. 

A virtuous circle

Let’s take it one step further. It’s not only about consumers and users wanting to purchase from brands who align with their values, but also about brands self-selecting customers who align with theirs. It’s a virtuous circle. And it seems to say as much about us as individuals as it does about those companies that sell to us. 

Take for example, Patagonia. The company’s vision is to “save our home planet.” It is known for its passion and action for environmental causes, including its One-Percent For the Planet initiative. Several years ago, Patagonia decided it would no longer allow co-branded embroidery on its apparel. The reason cited was that the co-brands shorten the lifespan of the garment and limit its re-use. The more subtle message was the Patagonia wanted to disentangle itself from the finance and tech companies whose employees are renowned for their Patagonia branded vest “uniforms.” The decision both promoted the company’s values and distanced itself from customers who did not share those values.

Lululemon is yet another example. Over the years, the company  has made decisions regarding sizing inclusivity and the models it has selected for its promotion and advertising that have made it clear, Lululemon prefers a specific (thin) woman to be wearing its clothes. While the most vocal representation of these decisions has been from Chip Wilson, the former CEO, the brand remains associated with the beliefs (despite admitted changes in action). And the former CEO does not deny his intention; he has instead stated “And I think the definition of a brand is that you’re not everything to everybody … You’ve got to be clear that you don’t want certain customers coming in.”

Agree or not, Wilson is correct. We choose brands. And, they choose us. So, next time you make a brand selection, you may think about what it says to others. Or it may be more important to you to understand whether their values align with yours.