Brand Strategy: Why “Yes” Designers Kill Innovation and Murder Your Brand

Many growing companies say they want something “different, new.” And why not? The reason they are talking to a brand strategy/web designer in the first place is they are looking for a change. But once they begin the process, discomfort kicks in, and they want their designer to just agree to what they had before, which puts them back in their comfort zone.

But here’s why—in brand strategy—“YES” designers kill innovation and murder your brand!

Very often, sales are on a plateau. Maybe a competitor upleveled their brand and yours looks stale. Perhaps a startup introduced a new version of your product. Lousy marketing has become an obstacle to business growth.

Innovation becomes a necessary goal at last.

Or so they say. But actually being innovative takes purpose, direction, creativity and grit. It is uncomfortable at first. Leaders must take a leap into unfamiliar territory and bring the entire company with them. But isn’t that exactly the idea?

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” ~ Steve Jobs

Pitfalls that slow down growth

1. Often, website copy is “me-focused” and boring “…We’ve been the leader in ABC industry for over 25 years, serving the tri-state area with a wide variety of services and quality products blah blah. Does that sound like a leader?
2. There are no stories in their blog (if they even have one) demonstrating their knowledge, company culture or expertise. Does that sound like a company that is on top of their industry?
3. In meetings, salespeople say things like “I’m so and so from so and so company and we do (list services here). Does that make you want to work with them?

An experienced brand strategist understands the problem and knows exactly how to address it without losing valued traditions. They also know when to say “NO.”

It’s not about tweaking what is already there. It’s about rethinking the purpose, values, history, expertise and culture that define the company and talking about it in a new, compelling way. That is how reputation is built.

So the designer dives in and engages the leadership of the company to reshape the purpose, language, design, technology and strategy of their marketing.

“Innovation requires an experimental mindset.” ~Denise Morrison, CEO of Campbell’s Soup Corp.

In the beginning, everyone is all excited about the new ideas, fresh design and uncommon copy the designer/writer brings. Wow! They feel new energy and purpose in their brand. They are experiencing an experimental mindset.

But then a funny thing happens.

We see it especially in companies that have been in business for a long time. Old habits begin to pull them backward.

Here’s why. It’s uncomfortable.

“We are willing to suffer the discomfort of change in order to achieve a better future.” Barbara Jordan

• It’s much easier to keep doing the same old thing.
• It takes energy to learn to consciously speak in new, customer-focused language.
• It also takes practice. It’s awkward at first.
• It takes time and a commitment to change to gain traction in new direction.

“Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.” ~ William Pollard

The brand strategy team needs to continue its involvement to fight alongside leadership.

They won’t yes you to death just to make you feel in control. Their job is to push innovation forward.

They know the enemy is the status quo, not the company down the street. They will say no to poor design, generic copy and lousy presentations. That is not easy for them to do, BTW. It is very risky.

Think where Disney would be today without “Imagineers” to dream things up and carry them out. Where would Apple be without Steve Jobs?

Sometimes they challenge you. Mr. Jobs was certainly not known to be pleasant. He disrupted the status quo all the time and took plenty of heat. He was pretty annoying. But compromise was not in his vocabulary.

Here’s a lesson from a brand design where compromise was not an option. And the founder was only 12!

Bosses are used to people agreeing with them.

People fear losing their jobs if they don’t agree with you. As a leader, is that what you really want?

Over time, the brand strategy team/designer will show you how the work they did can be applied to new projects, sales presentations, ads, landing pages flyers, emails, articles—even phone calls. They can guide the execution and get the job done.

This creates momentum. New habits begin to form through practice.

When salespeople see the results, they are surprised, delighted and encouraged! They now want to move even further in the right direction.

One of our medical practices had the staff answering the phone. Being nurses, their sales techniques were resulting in zero appointments. Zero. Intervention was needed.

We wrote new language and practiced with them to answer calls in a value-driven way. They resisted at first but tried it on anyway. (Showing courage and a willingness to innovate.) After that, they got appointments in 4 out of 5 calls. They felt new ownership in the success of the business! How great is that?

It took time, practice and feeling uncomfortable to get there. But then it became a habit. The discomfort turned into confidence.

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” ~ Stephen Hawking

People will naturally resist change. Sometimes with a vengeance.

Leadership and staff often make decisions about marketing without the design/brand strategist who created innovation in the first place. They make design choices that take them backward. If leadership can’t see where they are derailing and there’s no one with the vision to steer the ship forward, they slip back.

Involve the innovators at all times. They’ll be the ones to fight against slipping backward. They will support your company in the transition and be your cheerleader and watchdog…if they are not “Yes Men”. It’s risky for them to do this because they might lose you so treat this with respect.

“For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.” ~ Margaret Heffernan

If you exclude the designer who created your brand, next thing you know, bad design and generic copy creep in.

• The design becomes inconsistent
• The new, uncommon language begins to sound more generic, just like it used to.
• They continue to create presentations that read like yesteryear and cram the slides with me-focused bullet points.
• They write new materials that look and sound like they always have.
• When they meet with prospects, they use the same old me-first sales techniques.
• They write a few articles then fizzle out, unwilling to pay an expert to do it.
• They give design projects to unsuspecting interns then tell them how to do it…their way.
• Worse, they take the new language and toss it, replacing it with their own, which didn’t work in the first place.
• They hire new people who say yes to what they want, which is what they always had. They feel comfortable now. They are back in control!

“In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield.” ~ Warren Buffett

Even worse than that, the brand strategy team/designer loses interest and enthusiasm for their work. Then you really lose out. That’s the kiss of death to innovation.

We understand learning to speak about your business is a new way is a big commitment and it feels awkward at first. If you could have done it yourself, you would have done it already!

But the result of not doing it is very high.

A YES designer kills innovation, murders your brand and sends it straight to the grave. Hire one that to say “no” when it is necessary.

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” ~ Lao Tzu