A Brand In Motion: 5 Key Learnings From A Year Of Change And Transformation
Terrie Tweddle, Chief Brand Officer at Rogers Communications and Brett McIntosh, President of Publicis Canada recently sat down with Edith Cloutier, Présidente Régionale Rogers Communications Québec & Région de l'Atlantique at the prestigious C2 conference. With Edith moderating, an interesting and informative discussion highlighted 5 key takeaways for brands that want to embrace change:
Be bold and optimistic: There are inevitably bumps in the road. Sometimes very big bumps. Any plan for change must anticipate as many pitfalls as possible and there will be surprises along the way that need to be managed. But without positivity, energy, and a big spoonful of optimism, transformation will not happen. Question everything. But cynicism is the enemy of progress.
If you don’t lead the change, the change will lead you: Rogers have taken a planned strategic decision to transform their business, evolving from a telco to Canada’s communications and entertainment leader. The communications category remains challenging, and Rogers recognised the need to change. And it’s a lot more than words, with a number of key acquisitions and executive appointments across the business that are already impacting how they connect to customers and setting up the business for the next phase of growth and success.
Connect to culture: Easier said than done. And not every brand executes at the scale of Rogers. But brands can find their role in culture if they execute strategically and authentically. Choiceful use of celebrities in key campaigns (John Krasinski and Keanu Reeves), sports partnerships with NHL teams and star players, let alone bringing the world's biggest star, Taylor Swift, to Canada for a series of iconic shows to close her Era’s tour demonstrated to customers that Rogers is serious about its commitment to bring the best entertainment to the country. And the evidence is borne out in the brand health metrics that they brand are seeing.
Break down silos: Rogers is a big brand. However close collaboration across teams means that when a campaign activates, across product, sport or partnership, then all the opportunities to connect to audiences are maximized. It’s only through an agile and collaborative structure that this is possible. Without teams working in lock-step together, and on a brand of this size and scale, the wheels would come off very quickly.
Activate your internal culture: Rogers have been innovating for 65 years. Innovation was at the heart of how Ted Rogers built the business. Whether that’s anticipating new products and services, making bold moves in the market or finding new ways to communicate and connect to customers, innovation is at the heart of how Rogers behaves internally and eternally. Understanding the culture of the brand is key to executing authentically and effectively.
Change is hard. But as Rogers has shown that by being bold, optimistic and recognising their own culture they can create transformation for their business and their customers.
