Building brands wrong

Because organizations are messier than brand models admit.

Brands are often discussed as though they are designed. In reality, they are usually assembled over time through a combination of strategic intent, operational necessity, organizational change and hundreds of practical decisions.

Websites evolve. Reporting requirements change. New channels emerge. Teams reorganize. Priorities shift. Stakeholders demand different things. Over time, organizations accumulate layers of messaging, systems and experiences that were never designed as a single, coherent whole.

The challenge is rarely creating a brand. It is making sense of what already exists and keeping it coherent as the organization evolves.

Building brands wrong is a Bladonmore insights series exploring how branding actually works in practice. Through a series of articles, we’ll examine the realities that shape brands over time: governance, websites, content, reporting, stakeholder communications, AI, organizational change and the often-overlooked role of delivery.

Drawing on our experience across brand, digital, corporate reporting, employee engagement, sustainability and stakeholder communications, we’ll explore the gap between how branding is supposed to work and how it works in reality – and what organizations can learn from it.

If your brand isn’t following the rules, it may be because the rules don’t reflect reality. Get in touch if you have a question or want to discuss any of the themes explored in this series. Email hello@bladonmore.com, follow us on LinkedIn, or check back here on the Building Brands Wrong hub for more insights and perspectives.

“The challenge is rarely creating a brand. It’s making sense of what already exists and keeping it coherent over time. That’s the reality this series sets out to explore.”

Richard Carpenter
CEO, Bladonmore