The answer to the question of what a branding agency doesis not as simple as one might think. One reason for this is that, just like with digital and PR agencies, there are those that do it all. So, it might be simpler to answer what a branding agency should definitely do, or in other words, what such a service should provide for you.
Do you even know where to start?
Actually, before we dive into what branding agencies do, what they should do, and what they shouldn't, let's take a step back. Who actually needs a branding agency and when?
Quite often, brands and companies face certain marketing problems, or their sales are declining, or they feel that something could be done better, but they can't exactly define what that is. In such cases, most brands either change their strategy, launch a large and expensive campaign, or embark on a rebranding process. None of these tools is wrong, but it can become wrong for you because it came at the wrong time or in the wrong scope. For example, you've decided that you need a complete brand redesign when all you needed was one major campaign. Or when you completely changed your annual strategy when you only needed to change the channels through which you communicate your messages.
Perhaps you have an excellent message, but you're sending it through the wrong channels or to the wrong audience. Perhaps you are paying your social media ads too much and your audience is watching TV. Perhaps your only problem is that the audience doesn't know you. Or maybe the problem is that they know too much.
When exactly and how does a branding agency come into the picture?
For starters, a branding agency should do what's most important - diagnose the situation. Without a thorough analysis and defining weak points, it's hard to set goals and determine a plan. A branding agency should be able to do that - define the strong and weak points of your brand. A branding agency doesn't mean a new logo or a new name or a new slogan. It can mean that, but it's not exclusively that. It's not a place where you go to buy a brand. This is the place that should be able to strengthen what you have or change what can be improved.
And now we come to the main point. Let's assume you have a certain goal. You know exactly where you see your brand in a year and what you want to achieve. What does a branding agency exactly do?
It definitely conducts a detailed analysis of your audience, your business, current results, the state of the market, where you stand in relation to the competition, defines your strengths and weaknesses, analyses trends, where you're lagging behind the competition, and where they're lagging behind you.
Only after that, a few solutions or directions are suggested. Perhaps it will be a campaign, perhaps a change in parts of the strategy, perhaps a completely new strategy, or just a change in communication channels. In any case, your brand gets a diagnosis and possible solutions, and then it's up to you to decide if you're ready for these moves and which direction you want to go in.
Branding agency and strategy setting
Once you choose a solution and the direction you want to take, the branding agency is there to prepare a strategy. This strategy involves setting concrete goals for each phase, determining the dates for each phase, target groups, the channels to be used, the messages you'll send, the budget required, and how it will be allocated. It's up to you and your team to implement it exactly according to the set strategy so that results and effectiveness can be monitored. And that's more or less it. Just remember: A branding agency is not there to do everything,but it's there to offer a solution to a specific challenge you're facing. When you're sick, you first go to the doctor to precisely identify what's wrong, and only then do they prescribe medication. It's the same with a brand.
