The concept of brand identity may be a relatively new concept to some, but there are world class organizations who have understood for decades that maintaining a consistent look and feel over multiple channels is the lifeblood that keeps their enterprise growing.
And how do companies achieve that lofty goal? Well, some employ advertising agencies, PR machines and a league of brand managers internally to make sure that the logo and the identity are used appropriately. They concoct style guides that are used every time a new piece of content is created.
But what about you? If you are not a multi-billion-dollar brand, how can YOU achieve the same objective of brand integrity?
With a collateral management system, also known as a CMS.
And what, pray tell, is that?
Collateral management is an order fulfillment method where items are printed as soon as an order is made without order minimums. Every order is unique. Every item is placed in a repository of on-line content to be accessed by only those that you choose.
So, what do you get when you decide to employ a collateral management system for YOUR brand?
- Visibility – The ability to grant access to any stakeholder can in and of itself create a broader and better understanding of who you are and what your brand means.
- Control – If you are concerned about HOW your logo and other collateral are being used by anyone with access, you can implement an approval system that will give a chosen user or users the ability to approve projects before they deploy.
- Efficiency – having all the collateral in one place and produced by one vendor will ensure that your colors and standards are always maintained at the highest level.
- Cost containment- Having a closed system in which only approved items and approved users with a contracted pricing structure will make sure that your investment can be measured and controlled.
- Measure and test – The ability to place more items in the system can allow you to utilize multiple versions, produce items in multiple languages, or even test a particular campaign to determine which designs and offers re the most effective.
- Agility – Flexibility and chance are key in a CMS so that you can add or remove items easily and quickly.
- Scalability – as your company and product offering grow or change, your CMS can change with it, allowing you to keep what is working, remove what is not.
There is no company in existence today that is NOT a good candidate for a CMS. If marketing flexibility and brand identity are crucial to you and your company, consider exploring whether a CMS could be a tool that will help you take your organization to another level.
