Brand effectiveness comes in many guises!
The Design Business Association (DBA) urges design companies to measure the commercial value of branding
“How many projects have you worked on where your client has praised the commercial impact of the design, but you've never actually sat down and explored the full extent of the creative collaboration? Were sales targets outperformed? If so, by how much? Was company turnover affected, or a share price rise recorded? Did the new design influence print and production savings, impacting the margins of the business? Were there social implications of your design? How long did it take for the design work to deliver a return on investment? What other factors might have influenced the results?
As a professionally run design business you should be asking these questions as a matter of routine. This not only allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of your work, but to cement existing client relationships and conduct confident conversations with potential clients on the value you can add.
It will also enable you to put forward a clear and convincing case for the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards which assess the true commercial impact of great design. Judged by a panel of leading business figures, these Awards provide independent acknowledgement that your consultancy can deliver to a client's bottom line. As a winner this acknowledgement will provide a beacon for clients and provide differentiation in a crowded market place. In short, a fantastic new business tool”. Design Business Association. August 2007.
Business engagement of brand does ensure that new design delivers sustainable and measurable value. The Labovitch Organisation led the growth, restructuring and brand engagement of Acergy's offshore engineering business in Asia. As a result, Acergy's share price doubled after rebranding.
If that's not commercial value, then what is?
