We’re all pretty familiar with the concept of Pandora’s Box. In Greek mythology, Pandora made the mistake of opening a box that contained a lot of bad stuff. You don’t want to open that box!
Undertaking a brand review or brand study can feel a lot like copying Pandora’s mistake. CEOs see it as a distraction, CFOs see it as a waste of money, and your Head of Sales just rolls his eyes and wonders how this is going to bring in more business.
And often they’re all correct. The ad agency comes in with charts and graphs that show how the brand has gone astray and proposes a rebrand, which leads to a lot of distractions, unbudgeted costs and confusion in the marketplace. See Don’t Buy The Myth for more insights on why rebranding is almost always a waste of time and money.
Done the right way, a Brand Evaluation will expose the gaps and strengths in a company’s brand.
And with the right team, a strategy is developed to close those gaps and take better advantage of the strengths to put the brand back into alignment. Rather than distractions, the company has a renewed focus, costs are contained, and customers are reengaged with the brand they initially appreciated.
In fact, this second outcome aligns with the full story of Pandora’s Box – the part we don’t often hear about. In the original myth, Pandora hurries to close the box so nothing else bad escapes. In doing this, however, she traps the one good thing in the box: Hope.
Pandora could have released Hope, too. You and your company are holding a similar box. There might be some discomfort inside—but there’s also the very real hope that you can bring your brand back into alignment and reengage your customers, employees and leadership. Hiring the right team can make your box worth opening.