On 1 March Nabarro Nathanson rebranded and shortened its name to Nabarro. The time had come for the firm to express its identity more clearly.

The strapline 'Clarity Matters' was chosen to represent the firm's traditional strengths in cutting through complexity and getting the job done. The clarity message would demand appropriate high standards, but no behaviour change. Partners could immediately see how the message could be applied to good effect, both internally and externally. What the new branding promised was a unified and engaging way of articulating a shared belief of what the firm offers.

To ensure partner buy-in, the branding project involved the whole partnership right from the start. It began life as an internal study on how we perceived ourselves and how we spoke about ourselves.

By the time we approached Identica, our brand consultancy, we had already spent 18 months or so on the project. We had sought internal and external views on the firm. We had studied the myriad ways our partners had found to describe the firm and its attributes. We had accumulated a wealth of information and some fairly clear conclusions about the constituent parts of the Nabarro Nathanson brand, such as it was.

The brief to Identica was to help us articulate the brand proposition. Renaming was not on the original agenda (although considered an improvement, the shift from Nabarro Nathanson to Nabarro is rightly regarded as secondary in importance to the development of a unified brand message).

In the run-up to launch we worked hard with partners and support group representatives to prepare to suffuse the brand message quickly and effectively through the firm. About 40 individuals across the firm took responsibility for learning about the impact the brand's demands would have on their teams. They also fed back information on existing practices that were recognised to be off-message.

This enabled timely corrective action to be taken. At the same time, brand guidelines were being written, drawing in part on the views and experience of the team of 40.

On launch, these individuals held team briefings to elaborate on the message given to staff at the main launch party. They hold a continuing role in promoting the brand, and its requirements, internally.

Launching the branding required us to synchronise a host of communications – to staff, to clients, to regulators and to the world at large. There is a huge amount of planning. We were determined that everything should happen at once – only the remodelling of our London reception was pushed back to the post-launch phase. An increasingly large team inevitably became involved; confidentiality was important to ensure that we achieved maximum impact on launch.

The visual manifestation of the new branding – the shortened name, the 'Clarity Matters' communications tool, and new graphics – have created a distinctive look and feel for the firm.

A great benefit for the firm is the impact of the new branding on our people. This was not our original motivation, but we worked on this intensively in the pre-launch period and we came increasingly to realise its power. Everyone in the organisation likes to know what the organisation stands for; they like to see the firm achieving greater prominence and they like the focus and direction it gives to their work.

In this post-launch period, we can take stock of the achievement. All the constituencies that count appear to have understood and welcomed the move. Clients, interestingly, approved the initiative, recognising the serious intent behind the branding and endorsing our view of ourselves.

However, there is more work to be done. We wear the Nabarro brand and its underlying ethos easily, but it needs work to keep it fresh – and keep people challenged.

Guy Heath is a partner and Guy Bigland business development director at Nabarro.

Tips to consider before a rebrand

Research

It is important to conduct research with clients and other relevant target audiences to help form a picture of the organisation as it was and, even more importantly, what it could say about itself in the future. So while asking partners what they think about the firm (past, present and future) has some value, the real value comes from those who have experience of the service (or product) – clients and customers.

Priority is brand promise, not name change

Remember the priority is the brand promise rather than any name, font or colour-way changes.

Benchmarking

Conduct benchmark research prior to the launch to ascertain pre-rebrand perceptions in order to be able to judge and monitor how the brand promise changes perceptions over time.

External support

If you want to outsource the final solution, pick your brand agency carefully. Give them a clear (and written) brief, timeline and budget.

Committees

Ensure there is one brand leader and that only four or five people are involved during the development stages. When it comes to presenting the findings and solutions do not ask opinions – sell it as persuasively as possible.

Sample of one

Stamp out 'samples of one' comment whereby someone's friend or a client or customer 'once said…'. Go for quantative data, wherever possible: it is more reliable and robust.

Credible promise

Ensure the brand promise is credible while at the same time being aspirational. A promise of future behaviour is essential if the organisation is to move forward and not be stuck in the past or present. It needs to be distinctive and is a bonus if it truly differentiates.

Road test

Road test the proposition. Market testing can save you making a terrible mistake and the extra time and cost is negligible compared with the cost of getting it wrong.

Communicate

Communicate, communicate, communicate with all relevant stakeholders, especially the organisation's own staff – if
they do not buy it they cannot and will not sell it. And for a service business, making it a reality through those that deliver the service is the difference between success and failure.

Life beyond launch day

Launch day of the rebrand is only the beginning. Delivering on the brand promise in a consistent way throughout the organisation is the ultimate acid test.