There are lots of branding agencies out there, and the field is both competitive and confusing. This presentation helps cut through the noise, while outlining 5 things to consider when choosing a new branding agency.

2. Branding is often a missing
piece of the marketing mix.

3. And branding is a
specialized field that can
be hard to navigate.

4. So here are 5 things
to consider when
evaluating
prospective
agencies…

5. DO THEY (OR CAN THEY)
UNDERSTAND YOUR BUSINESS?
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6. This may be the most
important thing to
discover about your
shiny new agency
candidate.

7. Most branding agencies will
roll out beautiful examples
of prior work.

8. And they will showcase the
logos of their largest clients.

9. But you should look beyond the
exterior and really probe their
business acumen. Its easy to
create beautiful designs. But
beautiful is often not the solution
to your business problem.

10. Do they have the ability to understand
your consumer, your industry and your
position in the market?

11. Will they lead their creative process
with those things, or will they focus
first on creating beautiful and cutting
edge design solutions?

12. (you probably
don’t want that)

13. Not that there is
anything wrong with
beautiful and cutting
edge, but those should
be a few weapons in
the agency’s arsenal.

14. Not that there is
anything wrong with
beautiful and cutting
edge, but those should
be a few weapons in
the agency’s arsenal.
Not the same weapon
they use every time.

15. HOW CREATIVE ARE THEY,
REALLY?
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16. There are no (good) cookie
cutter solutions when it
comes to branding.

17. Choosing a branding agency
that comes up with fresh ideas
and creative solutions will help
you differentiate, stay current,
and optimize your business
positioning.

18. Obviously you want to look closely at their portfolio, and
evaluate how beautiful, unique and on-trend their design
work is. You want their creative to stand out from other
agencies that you are interviewing.

19. While the most creative work is not always the solution,
you want an agency that can always deliver the most
creative work.

20. WHAT ARE THEIR
PAST RESULTS LIKE?
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21. Ask for metrics and client success stories, and take a look at
their measurable results. ROI has become an overused
buzzword, but it is definitely relevant in this context.

22. Ask for case studies where they detail the ROI that a client
experienced in connection with their work.
+45%!!!YAAAASSSS!!!

23. Can they point you to the success of a
past client after a rebrand project?

24. Can they point you to a product that
sold very well after a new branding
project?

25. Can they give you numbers?

26. WHAT IS THEIR
PROCESS LIKE?
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27. Most agencies follow certain processes for
their projects. Many have trademarked or
otherwise named their processes.

28. While these are often cheesy
catchphrases, they at least give
you a look into your prospective
agency’s creative process. If they
don’t offer up details about their
process, ask about it.
THE B.A.M. PROCESS
THE ZOOM PROCESS
THE CREATOLOGY PROCESS
THE TRENDIFY PROCESS
THE INNOVEAT PROCESS
THE SWEEP PROCESS
THE SYNOPTIC PROCESS
THE WHIZ PROCESS

29. And most branding processes start
with some form of creative brief –
ask to see a sample creative brief
that they wrote.

30. ARE THEY A
VERSATILE BUNCH?
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31. Few agencies can solve all
creative problems with their
own in-house staff. Most
rely on freelancers to
complete certain aspects of
their projects (web
developers, photographers,
copywriters, etc).

34. And… that’s all we’ve
got for now.
Give us a shout if you
ever want to talk
branding, design, or
anything else for that
matter.
Bye bye.
W O R K S D E S I G N G R O U P . C O M