Logistics in Branding Programs: 4 Must-Haves

Implementing new brand assets throughout your footprint for a new brand or a rebrand is a significant undertaking.

Hence the need for a strong logistics for branding strategy. Whether you have a few dozen locations or a few hundred, ensuring that your new or updated brand elements — ie. signage, vinyl graphics, exterior and interior finishes, furniture, kiosks, wraparounds, and more — are properly produced, stored, routed, and installed at each location helps to maintain a consistent image for your customers and employees.

This consistency is crucial for a number of reasons:

• Improperly planned logistics for branding assets means location appearance can vary widely, creating confusion and dissonance
• Location branding updates delayed due to logistics shortcomings are eventually noticed and can create negative perceptions of your brand
• Poor planning leads to increased costs across the board and shot program timelines; there is also a cost associated with the above negative perceptions
• In certain industries like restaurants and retail, a poorly planned program gives competitors an opportunity to beat you to the punch

What Makes for a Successful Logistics for Branding Effort

1. Production

First and foremost, a successful brand implementation starts with the brand assets themselves. Everything from interior and exterior signage to lighting assets and building materials themselves all work together to create a truly memorable experience for your customers when they visit your locations. Logistics for branding programs must carefully consider production sources, locations, capabilities, and timelines. This is the foundation of this final phase of your overall rebranding effort, so ensuring the production of all assets is coordinated and managed from the beginning will help you start strong.

• Manufacturing matters: Learn what to consider when it comes to who’s producing your valuable brand assets such as signage.

2. Storage

It’s likely that multiple vendors will be involved in the creation of your brand assets. A logistics for branding program would be wise to centralize all of those assets to ensure that a) production timelines are being met and vendors are being held accountable, and b) those assets are being securely protected and then efficiently routed to their next destination. Additionally, centralizing your brand assets in fewer warehouses allows them to be kitted. Bundling the assets needed for individual locations streamlines shipping and delivery while ensuring that you have complete oversight of inventory and tracking.

• Your partner in the middle: Skip the hassle of coordinating asset storage, kitting, and tracking by using a single partner for warehousing.

3. Routing

Once all of your brand assets have been produced and are conveniently located in the fewest number of locations possible, it will be time to distribute them to your facilities for implementation. This is where detailed planning will be needed to ensure all assets and materials arrive on site, on time, and ready for final installation. Coordinating this properly and with expertise ensures the timely implementation of your new brand assets and reduces callbacks from installers, which helps to save you even more time and money.

• Last-mile masters: Learn how logistics for a branding program requires effective planning to achieve success.

4. Installation

This is it — all your assets have been produced, bundled, and shipped to your locations throughout your footprint. It’s time to get them installed, show the world your new identity, and deliver the experience your brand promises. Working with reliable and proven installers helps you meet your branding timeline goals, ensures that all brand assets are consistently implemented, and avoids all of the challenges outlined above that can come as a result of poor planning and inconsistent follow-through.

• The white-glove experience: Your brand assets are representative of who you are. Learn how we treat them as they deserve to be treated during the installation process.

The Possibilities are Endless — But We’ll Deliver the Ideal Logistics for Branding Solution

At Stratus, we believe there’s more to a brand implementation program than the vision and design alone. It’s about how you make that program happen, and how you make it a success. For decades, our team of experts has been helping some of the largest, most recognized brands in the world implement new and updated brand assets across hundreds and even thousands of locations. We can do the same for you.

Whether you’re looking for a quick-turn refresh program to meet customer expectations or are undertaking a larger cyclical remodel effort, our Refresh & Remodel team will help you bring your vision to life as efficiently and effectively as possible. Our Signage and Energy teams can also assist with planning new brand and energy programs to help you more deeply connect with your audience. As we say, there are unlimited possibilities, but we will find ideal solutions and help you see your brand program through from start to finish.

Connect with us now to bring your brand program to life with unparalleled expertise.