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Brand Book
A brand book is a lasting document intended to guide future decisions. This document is not a graphics standards manual, but provides a thorough description of the strategic intent and pillars ofthe brand. The more powerful examples use a visual vocabulary (i.e., pictures that reinforce the brand) and a message map (i.e., words that reinforce the brand) and organize content in a question-and-answer format.
Contents of a brand book typically answer the following questions:
• How did we arrive at this decision for our brand?
• What promise are we making to customers?
• How can employees fulfill this promise?
• Why are we changing?
• How will our customers recognize the change?
• What’s in it for employees
• How will we measure success?
The second reference to brands (i.e., visual representations) includes names and logos. These are the visual representationsfound on signage, in communications materials, and onuniforms. Tackling this naming issue before defining the brandpromise is a mistake. Until you define the central tenets of the organization, it is often useless to address hospital names, logos and location designations.
All of these pieces must reinforce or roll up to the overarching brand promise. For example, if part of your brand experience is to provide seamless access, then this should be reflected in the branding conventions used by each program, center and institution. Furthermore, since many employees have high levels of emotional attachment to their respective divisional names, logos and location designations, they are often unwilling to initially embrace change. Overcoming these attachments is much easier with the overarching brand or “promise” in mind first. Doing this serves to build consensus around a common idea, from which implementation decisions are made.
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