Maintaining a cohesive brand personality throughout change

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Digital transformation and organizational change are often met with resistance and reluctance. One of the challenges for marketers when going through change is maintaining a cohesive brand personality.

Change and progression are necessary. Those who fail to adapt face going the way of the dinosaur (or Blockbuster). However, throughout change, it’s important to keep in mind your differentiators and what customers love about you. Where possible, you should aim to keep these constant.

How to keep brand personality cohesive

We speak with Shutterstock’s VP of Brand, Skip Wilson, in the latest episode of the ClickZ Marketing Masters podcast. Skip shares insights on how to maintain a cohesive brand personality throughout change including:

• Identify a brand platform that underpins your brand personalities and serves as a north star throughout the change
• Know when to break your own rules (and when not to)
• Use change as a playground to inspire experimentation

Wilson also goes on to discuss how brands can manage multiple brand personalities, what do when brand perception differs from brand intent, and how brand leaders can communicate internally throughout periods of digital transformation.

He provides useful examples from his time at Shutterstock. Shutterstock has acquired several brands including Splash News and Turbosquid in the past 12 months and is seeking to move away from being recognized solely for its legacy stock images offering.

Timestamps

00.47 – What makes a great marketing leader?

01.25 – What tips do you have for marketing leaders looking to maintain a cohesive brand personality?

04.27 – Dealing with customer perceptions that differ from your desired brand personality.

06.17 – What are the biggest threats to brand personality during a period of brand transformation?

08.41 – What are the benefits of a cohesive brand personality?

10.30 – How can marketing leaders maintain different brand personalities?

12.05 – What tips do you have for communicating what is being prioritized?

14.00 – How may the future marketing landscape evolve and how might it affect their ability to measure brand personality?

15.30 – What have you learned about where and how your customers want to hear your messages?

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As VP of Brand at Shutterstock, Skip Wilson is responsible for leading the company’s global brand and creative strategy and producing results-driven, world-class activations to further build brand affinity and awareness.

He is a proven brand builder with expertise in leading and producing marketing experiences that improve performance, increase value, and drive global brand awareness, and used to serve as the Head of Global Brand & Corporate Marketing at Peloton, with prior experience at Sony, Ralph Lauren and MTV. He has a dual degree in Music and Communications from Vanderbilt University, and an MBA from Tulane University.