Your Guide to Brand Workshops

Your brand is your organization’s most valuable asset. It sets you apart from your competitors and shapes how customers perceive you.

Surprisingly, many businesses don’t clearly understand their brand, why it matters or how it impacts the bottom line.

So, What Is a Brand Workshop?

A brand workshop is a facilitated session in which stakeholders come together to discuss their company’s brand as a whole. The goal is to develop a shared understanding of the business—what it stands for, its mission and values, and where it should be heading in the future.

Most workshops usually involve brainstorming sessions and group exercises. The crucial part is that everyone has a chance to contribute so they feel ownership over the final product.

A brand workshop is different from a marketing or advertising brainstorming session because the focus is on developing the company’s overall identity – not coming up with ideas for specific campaigns or individual pieces of content.

Want to tackle this project later, or share with a friend? Download our rebranding guide:

What Is the Purpose of a Brand Workshop?

While young startups often rely on a professional branding workshop to solidify their identity and support a go-to-market strategy, more established organizations also benefit from holding a workshop to better define – or redefine – their brand and help the organization stick to standards.

There are several reasons you might want to run a brand workshop, including:

1. Launching a new business: A brand workshop will help you define your business’s purpose, values and positioning in the market so that you can start on the right foot.
2. Rebranding: If you’re planning a rebrand, a workshop will help ensure everyone is on the same page about the changes and why they’re being made. This is especially important if you’re making significant changes to your positioning, messaging, or visual identity (logo, website, etc.).
3. Feels like something’s off: If you can’t quite put your finger on it but feel like something isn’t quite right with your brand—whether it’s how customers perceive it or how employees feel about it—then a brand workshop can help get things back on track.
4. Experiencing internal disagreements: If there are conflicting opinions about your brand within your team or organization, a workshop can align everyone so you can confidently move forward.

No matter the reason, a brand workshop is a great way to get everyone excited about the organization’s future. Done well, a brand workshop facilitates breakthrough thinking and increased buy-in from all stakeholders.

Related: Tilley Distribution’s B2B Rebranding Success Story

How to Prep for Your Brand Workshop

To get the most out of your brand workshop, prepare in advance. Here are some tips for preparing for your workshop:

1. Define the objective – What do you want to achieve with this workshop? Be clear about your goals, both qualitative and quantitative, so you can create an agenda and choose activities that will help you meet that goal. See the next tip for information about defining quantitative goals.
2. Gather data – Do some research beforehand. Which competitors do you admire, and what is it about their brand that’s appealing? What are your current benchmarks for overall brand awareness, and what are your goals for growing or maintaining this? 
3. Choose the right people – Who needs to be in the room? Include a mix of key stakeholders and representation from different departments and organizational levels who can influence the brand’s direction. Every voice matters and brings a unique perspective to the discussion!  
4. Give participants something to do before the workshop – To get everyone thinking about the brand before they walk into the room, send them a pre-workshop questionnaire or have them review specific materials in advance.
5. Create an agenda – An agenda will help keep everyone on track during the workshop. Be sure to leave time for both group activities and individual reflection.
6. Add structure but leave room for creativity – The best brand workshops balance structure and creativity. Plan activities that will allow participants to share their thoughts and ideas in an open and structured way.

How to Conduct a Branding Workshop

Get people involved by bringing some excitement to the workshop. We always start with some fun, no-pressure exercise to get the creative juices flowing!  

1. Do your homework. Take time to evaluate any existing brand materials to get a feel for how the brand communicates and the assets it may have. Take careful note of any existing terms the brand does or does not use and be prepared to challenge those concepts, if constructive.
2. Decide on your structure. Confirm how stakeholders will join the session. All-in-person, all-remote and hybrid branding sessions each demand different tools and exercises, so nail down not just who but how they’ll be attending.
3. Call the ball. In many cases, it works best to have a single moderator to keep participants on track. For larger groups, we may have a second moderator available to answer questions during short breakout sessions. No matter how many leaders you go in with, know who’s responsible for what and designate a “driver” to transition between exercises.
4. Follow the agenda. Participants feel much more comfortable and creative when they know what to expect. Try to deliver an outline of the day’s exercises, a list of participants and any materials stakeholders should have ready throughout the session.
5. Strike a balance. One of the hardest parts of the branding workshop is knowing when to push the discussion, when to take a big step back and when to move things along. It’s hard to know when a conversation or idea stops being constructive. Trust your intuition, keep things respectful and encourage everyone to improve on ideas rather than say “no” or “that doesn’t work.”

For workshops that are being done in-house, know that it can take a workshop or two for new moderators to find their groove – but they will play an important role in the discussion!

Branding Workshop Tools and Rules

Whether you’re leading or participating in a workshop, put everyone in a position to succeed. Explore brand workshop tools like FigJam, prepare insightful brand strategy workshop questions that challenge your team and keep things moving by changing the discussion format.

1. Encourage participation: Get everyone to participate and share their ideas, even if they seem unconventional. This will help generate a range of creative ideas and ensure everyone feels valued and included.
2. Use creative exercises: Use creative exercises to encourage participants to think outside the box and develop unique ideas. For example, you could use visual brainstorming techniques or role-playing exercises.
3. Set ground rules: Establish a framework for the workshop to ensure everyone is respectful and stays on track. This will help to create a positive and productive environment.
4. Follow up: Follow up with participants after the workshop and thank them for their contributions. Use the ideas generated during the workshop to create a brand strategy and share the results with everyone who participated. This will help develop a sense of ownership and ensure everyone feels invested in the brand’s success.

No two brand workshops look, sound, or feel the same because no two brands are identical.

Get Ready to Level up Your Brand

Brand workshops are an important way for new and established businesses to define their purpose, values and positioning in the market. Make time for important discussions and align your values with your message.

We can help. With over 25 years of experience, Oneupweb has the branding expertise organizations to create or reshape brands in any industry. Get in touch or call (231) 922-9977 today to get started.

FAQs About Brand Workshops

How long does a brand workshop take?

This is entirely up to you and how you want to structure your workshop. Brands that feel they need more time will do best working in three- or four-hour sessions over a few days. Other brands may feel they’ve covered it in a one-day, eight-hour workshop. Don’t be afraid to read the room and roll with the energy you’re working with.

Is there a format I should follow? 

There is no strict format to follow. You’ll need to think about all the above aspects and how they relate to your business and decide what your brand needs most right now.

Do I need to have all the answers beforehand?

Absolutely not! Part of the fun of workshops is the discovery that occurs during the time you spend with your colleagues. Don’t go in thinking you must have all the answers, or you’ll never get started! Trust emergence and let the creativity flow.

How much does a brand workshop cost?

This varies depending on if you choose to partner with a branding consultant, purchase a pre-made branding kit or enroll in a professional workshop. Costs can range anywhere from $2,000 to $20,000+. At Oneupweb, we’ll provide a personalized estimate based on your needs.

Can I do it myself, or do I need to hire someone?

While it’s possible to go it alone, it may be difficult to see the results you want. Having an outside expert lead the workshop removes hierarchical barriers that may discourage honest and valuable perspectives. An experienced professional brand consultant will know what questions to ask and how to guide important conversations. 

Should everyone in my company attend the workshop?

It’s not necessary to have every employee at the workshop. Take time to select your participants, ensuring they are invested in the company will lead to better outcomes for your branding exercise.

Do I need to hire a facilitator?

A facilitator can bring a passion for the branding process that may be missing from your meeting. If you can afford the cost, a trained facilitator is worth it.