American Standard:

A solid brand in need of standards to match

Brand Standards 101: Do you really get an ROI?

In–source or outsource? This is where the brand standards discussion usually begins. And when companies sit down to do the math, it seems to make more sense having internal people wristing out flyers, sell sheets and other tactics than paying an agency to do it.

Inevitably, two questions come out of this situation, "How will everything stay on–brand?" and, "What is our brand, exactly?" The response is always, "We need brand standards." Great idea. But how do you make the most out of them, and more importantly, how will they be developed and work in the real world? Can you make sure you're getting what you paid for?

American Standard: Two steps forward, one step back, then a leap

American Standard, known for its high quality toilets, tubs and sinks, had recently gone through a re–brand. As part of the process, their agency provided a brand standards manual. Great! Well, as American Standard's internal team began to implement these new standards, the cracks started to show. Everything looked good in the manual (and by "good" we mean consistent and recognizable). But the system wasn't working in the real world.

Denver–based design and ad agency, LeeReedy, was hired. Here are a few things we helped American Standard consider and implement when re–branding and building a set of standards to use internally.

1. Innovate

Brand standards and brand development are "buzz words du jour." A successful brand identity builds emotional equity for products, brands, etc. This is much different than making everything "look the same." This should be first on the "objectives" list. It was for us with American Standard.

2. Finesse

A design system should have finesse. There should be visual elements executed by top level designers and messaging that is developed by seasoned writers that can be executed easily on an ongoing basis by lower level designers, writers or product people. Adding this type of finesse will provide a higher perception of quality for your product, company or service. You'll find finesse in the marketing elements we developed for American Standard.

3. Battle Test

A design system should stand up to any medium and any application — from website to ¼–page black and white ad. Usually, you need great design talent to realize this fluidity. Put the system to the test.

Bottom line

To get what you pay for from brand development and brand standards, an agency needs to stand behind what they've developed and show how it works in the real world. This means taking it past consistency, to innovation — then to implementation with your internal staff. It's the only way you know whether you've streamlined the process or just created more work.

You'll notice the longer your agency stays in the picture, the more it costs. You'll also notice it was worth it when your tactics are a snap to create and are out in the market doing the job.

American Standard jumped through a couple of hoops to make sure what they got worked. It meant shifting to another agency. It was inefficient. It cost more than it should have. It ended up taking them more time. Ultimately they made the right decision, though. They engaged an agency that could take what they had been given, make it better and implement it in the real world.

If you want to know more about this story or dozens of others, drop me a note anytime kreedy@leereedy.com.