Brand Management in Rapidly Changing Contexts: Why Internal Ownership Matters

During a conversation about organizational change last week, a CEO casually mentioned: "We need to find an agency to build our brand." As the founder and leader of precisely that type of agency for many years, I felt that familiar tension rise. I've been the one they call countless times, commissioned to create transformative brand work only to watch from the outside as our meticulously crafted strategies gather dust without internal champions to implement them.

The Fundamental Disconnect in Brand Management

From my years building an agency that delivers strategic brand work, I've witnessed firsthand the fundamental disconnect: Even the most brilliant brand strategies become expensive shelf documents without internal champions empowered to implement them across departments. The truth that many executives miss: Brand isn't a marketing function – it's the heartbeat of your organization's identity. It flows through every department, conversation, and decision. It's the invisible thread connecting your culture to your customer experience.

In a world where contexts shift overnight (remember how quickly "business as usual" became "unprecedented times"?), your brand can't be something that lives in an agency presentation deck. It must be stewarded from within, by leaders who understand its nuances across all organizational functions.

Brand Experience Extends Beyond Marketing

This goes far beyond your social media aesthetic or tagline. It's how candidates experience your recruitment process. It's the unspoken culture that shapes remote work environments. It's the consistency between what your customer success team promises and what your product actually delivers.

I was reminded of this during a conversation with a CHRO who shared how their careful employment branding was consistently undermined by a chaotic interview process. "We spend millions telling people we're innovative and people-first," she said, "then make candidates jump through archaic hoops that communicate the exact opposite."

Key Requirements for Effective Brand Management

The organizations that thrive today understand that brand management requires:

1. Internal ownership with cross-functional authority
2. Real-time responsiveness to changing contexts
3. Cultural alignment that holds true whether employees are in-office or remote
4. Consistent expression across every touchpoint – especially in service industries
5. Cultivation of brand champions across all stakeholders – employees, consumers, and shareholders

This last point is perhaps the most overlooked yet powerful: true brand resonance happens when your organization actively develops advocates who authentically embody and communicate your values. These champions don't just appear – they emerge when your brand promise aligns with their lived experience, whether they're on your payroll, using your product, or investing in your future.

Rethinking Brand Strategy for Today's Environment

The fundamental question isn't "How do we market our brand?" but rather "How do we live our brand in a way that creates authentic connection in rapidly shifting environments?"

As organizations navigate increasingly complex and rapidly changing contexts, those that succeed will be the ones that understand brand management as an internal discipline that requires dedicated resources and cross-functional authority. Your brand isn't something you outsource – it's something you live, breathe, and continuously nurture from within.

Finding the Right Balance

Let me be clear: partnering with agencies to help shape the direction of your brand can be tremendously valuable. Agencies like my own, Collective Memory, bring fresh perspective, specialized expertise, and creative thinking that can elevate your brand strategy. But without a strong internal leader to champion implementation across departments, even the most brilliant brand work becomes a waste of resources.

The most successful brand transformations I've witnessed have always featured both: expert agency guidance paired with empowered internal leadership that ensures the strategy becomes lived reality.