There are three major categories of communication within a Communication Management Plan – mandatory, informational and marketing. Your project will probably always have mandatory communications and you will want to add information communication as well if the project is large enough. Marketing communication is where the creativity comes in. Many projects have no need for marketing communication. However, if your project is controversial or if it requires culture change to be successful, you should focus on marketing communications.
Branding is a more sophisticated form of marketing communication. The purpose of branding a project is to associate an emotion or a feeling with your project. This is exactly what marketing people try to do when they brand a product. For instance, The Coca-Cola Company hopes that you feel good about its products and that you will choose its products from a crowded store shelf because you like the image and emotion associated with it. Maybe it works. If you throw a party and you provide a cooler full of Cokes and Sprites, you probably feel pretty good about the image you are portraying. On the other hand, if you stock a cooler full of ‘no-name’ cola, you might feel a little embarrassed. If you do, the branding process has had an effect on you.
Branding a project has the same connotation. The purpose of branding a project is to associate a positive image and emotion when a person hears of your project. This is not something most projects need to be concerned about. However, ask yourself some questions regarding the impact your project will have on the organization.
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Of course all of this is contingent on also including a steady stream of informational content as well. A steady stream of information, combined with the positive feeling of the project branding will help the project be successful and should help overcome any negative perceptions about the project.
Why is Branding Important?
Branding a project has definite bottom-line value when it is time to implement your solution. If your project will change how people do their jobs, they may quickly turn negative toward your project. When people are negative, it is much harder to successfully implement your solution. On the other hand, if people have a positive feeling about your project (or at least neutral) it is much easier for you to implement your solution.
That is the value of branding. You recognize that you can influence how people perceive your project and you can make a conscious effort to establish a positive image. This will result in your project implementation being more successful, more quickly, than it will if people have a negative perceptions. The small effort you take to establish a positive brand will more than pay off with a more successful implementation. |
