Your team member is off-brand in their communication. How can you realign them with the brand message?
How do you handle team communication that strays off-brand? Share your best strategies for realignment.
Your team member is off-brand in their communication. How can you realign them with the brand message?
How do you handle team communication that strays off-brand? Share your best strategies for realignment.
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Brand consistency isn’t about rigid rules—it’s about trust. When a team member goes off-brand, it’s usually a gap in understanding, not intent. 1. Have you clearly defined what “on-brand” means? 2. Do they see the bigger picture of how messaging impacts perception? Instead of just correcting, coach them. Show real examples, discuss brand values, and empower them to adapt without losing authenticity. A well-aligned team doesn’t just follow guidelines—they embody the brand.
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Brand Strategy builds Culture. That's why we create Brand Essence. So it makes sense to everyone from your organisation, from the lowest lever to the highest. Most companies have a problem because their 'branding' is created in the closed office of C-suite and top management. Then it's obviously not rolled out properly within the company. So then, how would you expect any alignment or any consistency? You don't realign someone, You include them in the Brand Strategy Development to start off. Then, if someone is not consistent with your strategy, you let them go. That simple. Mechanical skills can be taught, but emotional and cultural skills not quite as quickly.
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Maintaining brand consistency starts with clear guidelines and proactive alignment. I address off-brand communication by providing constructive feedback, reinforcing brand voice, and offering real-world examples for clarity. Regular training sessions and brand playbooks help ensure messaging stays cohesive. Encouraging open discussions allows team members to refine their approach while staying true to brand identity. My experience leading digital marketing teams has shown that consistency isn’t about restriction—it’s about creating a unified voice that strengthens trust, engagement, and long-term brand equity.
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Reps matter—so practice the tone before it counts. I like to host a short writing lab or tone workshop. Give the team real examples of communications and ask them to rewrite them in brand voice. Then compare and discuss. Practicing in a low-stakes setting builds fluency and confidence in using the brand voice authentically.
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Identify gaps between their communication and the brand message. Provide clear guidelines and practical examples. Train them on tone and language. Use immediate feedback and repetition to ensure alignment.
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First, I need to understand the team member's perspective to see why their communication is off-brand. Then, we can collaboratively guide them towards alignment. Here's how: -Understand their perspective: Actively listen to their reasoning. - Provide specific examples: Point out exact deviations in language and tone. -Collaboratively reframe: Work together to align their ideas with the brand. -Reinforce brand guidelines: Offer training and resources. -Offer ongoing support: Monitor and provide feedback for sustained alignment.
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No one wakes up thinking, “Let me completely derail the brand today.” If someone is off-brand, it’s usually because: - They don’t fully understand the brand voice - They’re prioritizing personal style over consistency - The brand guidelines are unclear or too rigid Now, how do you fix it? 1. Check if the brand message is clear (seriously, is it?) 2. Have a conversation, not a correction session 3. Use real examples (before and after style) 4. Encourage personality within limits (Give room for creativity while keeping core messaging intact)
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with creating a fantastic culture in the company, you will encounter a reputable brand in the market. culture codes and planning for branding are the most important structures to create a fabulous brand by core competencies.
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If a team member is off-brand, start by providing clear brand guidelines and examples of the preferred tone and messaging. Offer constructive feedback and training to ensure alignment. Encourage regular check-ins and provide templates or scripts if needed. Leading by example and reinforcing the brand’s core values in internal discussions will help them internalize and maintain consistency in their communication.
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To realign your off-brand team member with the brand message to ensure their communication is cohesive with your brand's other outputs, it's crucial to determine what constitutes properly branded communication so you can clearly define what constitutes off-brand communication. By clarifying the former, you render the latter far easier to detect, pinpoint, and correct systematically.
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