What is Organic Brand Management?
Have you heard of organic documents, sometimes known as a living documents?
They’re pretty common in the business world and refer to documents that may be continually edited and updated by either a limited or unrestricted group. A simple example of a living document online is an article in Wikipedia, where individuals can modify information to assist in it’s accuracy over time.
In business, a living, breathing document may start as a concept and through evolution, becomes formal documentation within the organization.
We strongly believe that brand management works much the same way. Good brands are developed to be strong and structurally sound, but also need to be flexible and organic. If built right, they’ll have the capacity for growth and evolve over time. Some of the greatest brands in the world have grown this way…primarily because they were built on a foundation that moved with social and consumer trends.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I believe brands shouldn’t be flighty. And they shouldn’t be trendy for the sake of being trendy. But they should respond and adapt to the world around them. And that type of adaptation and fluidity all starts with a brand strategy and guidelines for managing the brand. These guidelines are the living, breathing document(s) that move the brand in the right direction. And every business should have them to some degree. Smaller businesses might have something as simple as a mission and vision statement, while larger organizations have robust brand guidelines filled with logo restrictions, marketing strategies and communication directives.
Regardless of the degree of formality, organic brand management needs rules or guidelines for its modification. Such guidelines allow — and should ideally encourage — the positive evolution of your brand.
