Branding: Does Project Image Matter?

“Image Is Everything!”  That was the branding/marketing message for Canon cameras back in the early 90s.  Tennis star Andre Agassi was their spokesman for TV and print ads.  In writing this second part of my blog series on branding this branding message immediately came to mind.  Why?  Because more often than not the approval and success of a project depends on its image—whether inside or outside an organization.

Think about the times when the organization you worked for came out with new projects.  Did some have a buzz about them?  Did some naturally generate more interest from you, from your colleagues compared to others?  The answer is most likely yes.  Why was this?  It probably was due to the fact that the project had a great image.  You may or may not have been aware of the “image” at the time but if you reflect and look back on those projects you will find some image commonalities.

These commonalities or factors can be thought of in four primary areas.  The first is strategic importance.  Projects that are aligned with the strategic goals and objectives of an organization will automatically rise to the top and generate greater buy-in than those projects that aren’t clearly associated with the goals.  People naturally will volunteer their time and talents for projects that are important to the company and their boss.  The saying, “If it’s important to my boss, it’s important to me” is very true when planning a project.  From the front line employees on up to the VPs, if the project isn’t important to their direct report, it won’t easily generate attention and support.   This can work for or against ergonomics projects.  People’s perceptions of ergonomics and the benefits it will bring may not reflect its true value within the company.  If this is the case then project branding becomes even more important.

The second factor of involved in branding image is the project manager/leader.  Essentially this involves the reputation, talent and skills of the leader.  Does this person have the ability to create a clear vision of the project, energize the team, set goals and has the ability to remove obstacles during all phases of the project?  If yes, then the project has a higher chance of success than if the project leader lacks these abilities.  People will naturally want to be associated with those they respect and know will lead the team to a successful project completion.

The third factor involves the feasibility of the project, i.e. the chance that the project will accomplish its goals.  One can brand and market a project all day long but if people don’t believe it has a snowballs chance in a hot place then it doesn’t matter as no one will devote their energy and time to the project. The project leader should assess the data, benefits of the project and the probably of success prior to bringing the project forward.  If there isn’t a compelling problem and subsequent result then the project either won’t get off the ground or its image will suffer.

The final project image factor involves the customer.  Every project has a customer, someone or a group of people inside or outside an organization.  If the customer is highly valued then people will naturally want to be involved in the project.  On the other hand, if the customer isn’t well thought of or not that of as important to the organizations success, then people will naturally shy away from being involved.

Questions to ask regarding ergonomics projects:

• Is it related to strategic initiatives of the organization?
• Are you (or whoever is leading the project) a good project leader?
• Is the project viable?
• Is the customer highly valued within the organization?

If you can answer yes to all of the above your project has a high chance of success with or without much branding.  However, the more no’s you have to the above questions means that your project will definitely need and benefit from having a branding image.  As the Canon commercial stated, “Image is everything!”