What is a Brand?

A brand is a promise
It isnt a physical thing (i.e. a logo)
Its not your product
Its the culmination of every experience your customer has had with your
department
Your brand only exists in the minds of your customers
In the simplest terms, a brand is a promise.


What is a Brand?
A brand helps establish a partnership, and together with strategic
communications, can:
Mold users perceptions of your department, your services and any major
initiatives you undertake.
Branding attracts internal customers with a promise of reliability.

VS
Why Brand IT?
Defining a departmental brand and building a strategic
communications program around it:
Educates and elevates expectations of what information technology could
and should be doing as a business game changer.
Improves delivery and user adoption
Aligns IT resources behind departmental strategies.
Why Brand IT?
Steadily improves the reputation of information technology among;
Enterprise Leadership
IT Leaders
IT Employees
Enterprise Partners
Enterprise Employees
Customers


Why Brand IT?
Serves as a guide for the way we behave and make decisions.
Helps attract and retain the right talent.
Unites employees around a common story and enables them to talk about
technology in a consistent way.
Aligns with how we want to be perceived externally



NOT
Branding Plan Fundamentals
Dynamic Key Questions, Information Needs & Activities
Climate / Consumer
Ask: What are the macro issues and trends impacting your industry overall?
Do: Review, search and synthesize
Customer
Ask: Who are our customers and what do they need / want from us?
Do: Talk with key customers
Category
Ask: What business is our IT shop in? What are the issues and trends
impacting that business?
Do: Talk with key customers
Competition
Ask: How are our peers using and talking about technology and
operations? What can we learn?
Do: Talk with key stakeholders; develop a benchmark
Company
Ask: What is the current and future role of your technology shop? How
well is it positioned to deliver against that role? What are the key
opportunities and threats? How do we measure our success within the
broader organization?
Do: Talk with key stakeholders