How do we include employees in a rebrand?

Employee involvement in a rebrand should begin with structured research across the organisation, not a late-stage launch announcement. Employees can explain where the business has opportunities and challenges, which brand qualities feel credible, what creates pride in their work and what customers struggle with. Include people at different levels and in different locations, from operational and customer service roles through to senior leadership, so the brand strategy reflects how the organisation actually works.

Use the findings to identify common themes, test the proposed direction with decision-makers and create a focused creative brief. This approach gives brand strategy a foundation in employee knowledge while keeping decision rights clear. Employees do not all need to approve every creative decision, but their experience can make the positioning, messaging and customer insight more relevant to the people expected to deliver it.

The right rebrand team combines employee representatives with the functions responsible for customer experience, communications and implementation. Customer-facing employees can test whether messages reflect real customer needs. Senior leaders can connect the brand to business direction. Designers, developers and other teams responsible for digital products or operational touchpoints need early access to the thinking and the assets required to apply brand guidelines.

Employee buy-in grows when people understand why the change is happening, can raise concerns and receive practical materials for their role. A rebrand can create frustration when teams are expected to implement new guidelines without the tools or involvement needed to adapt key experiences. Plan internal communications alongside the identity work, explain what the new brand enables and coordinate the launch so employees receive the news and materials in a consistent way.

We believe employee involvement should give a rebrand both insight and momentum. That means listening across the business before creating the brief, then helping people understand how the new brand supports the organisation and their role in it. A provider should be able to engage stakeholders at different levels, turn diverse views into a clear direction and support implementation beyond the reveal. We have used this approach with First Names Group, interviewing employees and stakeholders before building an identity that featured every employee's first name. We also involved employees in research for Price Forbes and created materials to explain the rationale and future vision. Our cross-functional teams bring strategy, writing, design and development together so the brand can work across its real touchpoints.