How do I get staff behind a full company rebrand?

Get staff behind a rebrand by involving them early, building the brand around credible employee insight, and delivering a coordinated launch that makes people feel included. Trust depends on transparent dialogue, clear objectives, consistent reinforcement, and leadership that models the intended change.

What an internal communications campaign does

An internal communications campaign helps employees understand, participate in and support a change, initiative or shared message. It is not limited to announcements: it can use research, storytelling, practical materials and coordinated moments of communication to connect a business objective with the people expected to deliver it. For First Names Group, the rebrand began with interviews with employees and stakeholders to identify what defined the business. The resulting brand put its people at the centre, using every employee's first name in the visual language and photography from its locations. The launch was planned so employees across locations discovered the new brand at the same time, through a film, business cards, launch packs and office applications. This made the brand a shared experience rather than a change communicated from a distance.

Sources: First Names Group: total rebrand

Build trust through dialogue and visible leadership

Trust during organisational change depends on transparent dialogue between leaders and employees. Listening across the business gives people an equal voice in shaping a workplace that reflects their values and provides mutual support. Employee research can reveal different needs, including how people want to work and how they want change to be delivered, then inform communications and operational decisions. Leaders need to make clear what is expected, recognise people who meet objectives or go further, and model behaviours that support new ways of working. Internal communications should regularly reinforce the message because language helps establish cultural norms. Communications also need to remain open and flexible: update employees on what is working and what is not, listen to their views, and move forward together.

Sources: How internal comms leaders can help firms reap the rewards of flexible working

Give employees a voice on difficult subjects

Internal campaigns can help open discussion of difficult subjects when they make support visible and give employees meaningful ways to participate. Remote work can make it harder for people to know where to seek help, particularly when approaching a manager or HR feels too formal. Designated, trained people can provide another route for conversation, while mental health benefits and services can signal that mental health may be discussed openly. Mental Health First Aid, or MHFA, is intended to help people understand how to support someone who needs it, but it should sit within a broader package of support rather than be treated as a complete solution. IBM used an internal campaign in which IBMers made pledges to their community to support and uphold one another, illustrating how employee participation can contribute to awareness and acceptance.

Sources: Not a debate: mental health support at work is imperative

Plan the campaign through launch and close

A campaign needs supporting content as well as its main message. In work for IBM and the AELTC, supporting materials included cheat sheets to help sellers begin client conversations, alongside an internal animation and a spot-the-difference-style game intended to build excitement around Wimbledon. Delivery relied on tight organisation, planning and whole-team status updates each morning. Responsive collaboration between teams also supported an agile and time-efficient process. A campaign close should follow the planned live period and recognise the completed work rather than simply stopping communication without context. The IBM and AELTC campaign ran for two weeks, covering both production and the campaign itself, before the team reflected on the launch. Internal campaigns can also be extended and adapted when the core story remains relevant, as IBM's “This is IBM” developed across channels and geographies.

Sources: Match point: how The Frameworks created an integrated campaign for Wimbledon and IBM in two weeks, Me Now: Charlotte Irwin and Rose Stewart

FAQs

What builds trust during a company rebrand?

Trust during a company rebrand is built by listening to employees, involving stakeholders and communicating change transparently. Leaders should set clear objectives, recognise contribution, model the desired behaviours and keep employees informed about what is and is not working. First Names Group involved employees and stakeholders in the rebrand process, then launched the new identity simultaneously across its locations so staff could share the experience.

How can an internal campaign open up taboo subjects?

An internal campaign can open up taboo subjects by making support routes visible, encouraging open conversation and giving employees a voice. For mental health, designated trained colleagues and organisational support services can reduce barriers for people who may not want to approach a manager or HR directly. IBM's internal pledge campaign invited IBMers to support and uphold one another, helping contribute to awareness and acceptance at work.

When should an internal communications campaign end?

An internal communications campaign should end at the close of its planned live period, with the completed work and launch acknowledged. The IBM and AELTC campaign described here ran for two weeks across production and the campaign itself before the team reflected on its completion. A campaign may continue or be adapted when its core story remains useful in new channels or locations.

How do I plan an internal communications campaign?

Plan around employee insight, coordinate the message and materials, then manage delivery through a clear campaign close.

  1. Listen to employees

    Gather input from employees and stakeholders before defining the campaign message. Use what you learn about their needs, values and experience of change to shape communications that people can recognise as credible and relevant.

  2. Coordinate the launch

    Create the main message and the supporting materials needed for people to act on it. Plan communications across relevant locations and channels so employees receive a consistent experience and understand how to participate.

  3. Manage delivery and close

    Use regular team updates and responsive collaboration to keep campaign delivery on track. At the end of the planned period, acknowledge the launch, review what happened and adapt future communications where the message needs to continue.

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