For every business in every sector, keeping costs down is vital.

This is especially true when you are considering a rebrand of 100 sites, where every decision is multiplied 100 times. There is also a big difference between making smart financial decisions and cutting corners or dissolving the design intent of the rebrand.

Lower cost and maintaining design integrity do not often go hand in hand, however with the right strategies you can have the best of both worlds.

Here are three expert strategies to reduce costs and create efficiency in any rebrand.

Treat the Pilot with respect

With a geographic spread of sites, diversity of building footprints and business priorities with differing store formats, building a strong plan and using a refined approach is key to ensuring that any rebrand is carried out efficiently.

The pilot phase is often played down or done with a handful of sites and this can bring down the entire plan if the right mix of sites are not reviewed at the outset.

It is essential for any rebrand that a diverse group of sites are reviewed. This process allows for an understanding of context, the identification of additional brand enhancement opportunities and the uncovering of each of the brand touchpoints. Each of these elements provides an essential platform for the rebrand and should always be considered prior to any design or specification.

During the audit phase, each of the brand touchpoints need to also consider aspects such as standardised sizes, scale and placement. Building constraints should also be captured to ensure that each of the elements are considering the implementation, as this will have an impact down the line.

Design – the silent hero

Smart design is often overlooked, but it should be the hero of any rebrand.

By developing a suite of brand touchpoints and standard sizes, coupled with consistent application, the ability to optimise the design and implement bulk procurement strategies is maximised.

Specification of materials can also be done in such a way that you can balance the design and costs to a point of satisfaction. Materials should be considered for cost, durability and finish and when coupled with the right manufacturing processes will provide the best outcome.

Bulk – not one by one

The integration of bulk procurement strategies will provide both time and cost savings.

Building a strong procurement approach in the early planning stages will ensure that the rebrand is optimised. Rolling out the rebrand in groups of sites and by procuring batches of standard sign types is the most efficient model.

When planning for bulk you should always consider; minimising the number of standard sign types, optimising the batch size for rollout, grouping in tranches and geographic spread, and designing for efficient manufacture.

Applying each of these strategies will help streamline any rebrand and build a platform for success. You will not only see a reduction of costs but greater brand cohesion.

Maintaining the integrity of the brand is what we do at The Blueprint.