To Rebrand is to Rethink and Reinvent. Here’s how RR Media did it.

The following guest post was written by Elad Manishviz, Chief Revenue Officer at Pixellot (formerly CMO at RR Media, acquired by MX1).

Six months ago, RRsat was re-launched as RR Media at IBC Amsterdam following an intense but exciting four-month rebranding process designed to position the company as a global player in the digital media space. The rebrand was a challenging but also massively rewarding journey, so if you’re considering a rebrand for your company, perhaps you’ll find our story and tips useful.

Our rebrand may have been officially announced to the world at an event, but it certainly didn’t end there. Since the launch, we have been working every day to make sure that the new brand filters down across every aspect of our business, both inside and outside the company.

There’s no doubt that it’s had a massive impact so far, putting RR Media on the map and re-energizing the company, but the rebrand wasn’t the starting point, it was a natural consequence of changes that had taken place inside the company and in the industry as a whole.

Here’s an account of the strategic thinking behind the change, some of the challenges we encountered along the way, our process, core brand elements, and some tips based on our experience.

First, here’s a really quick overview of who we are and what we do:
RR Media is a leading global digital media services provider that enables broadcasters and content owners to offer rich viewing experiences, reach wider audiences and generate new revenues. We provide a wide range of digital media services for key clients like FOX International, NFL, MTV, Nickelodeon, Dish Network and Disney. We help to transform original content into globally-valuable media and entertainment products.

We build complete channels in our state-of-the-art media centers, which includes adding graphics, titles, multilingual voice overs and metadata and then transforming them into different formats for our customers’ worldwide viewers.

Why rebrand? The strategic thinking behind the move
The Rationale: Since its inception, RRsat had always been a satellite distribution company, but with our market changing fast – with more viewing alternatives, more channels, the multiscreen experience, the move to HD and other formats, and the globalization of content – the company was also evolving from a distribution company with a focus on satellite to a full digital media services company.

The RRsat brand no longer conveyed an accurate portrayal of the company and its direction, so a rebrand seemed like a logical step after years of progress in the company, including acquisitions, service enhancements, a strong foundation of customers and revenues, and investment in global infrastructure.

The Timing: We had a real opportunity to change how we think about ourselves and the way the world thinks about us. It was time to rebrand, and since IBC Amsterdam is the largest media and broadcast trade show in Europe, IBC2014 was the ideal show to present our enhanced offering, which included:

Scalable media services platform offering a complete range of solutions for effective content preparation, management and distribution;

Enhanced media centers, including hubs in the New York area, London and the Middle East; and

Extended smart global distribution network, covering 95% of the world’s population, with the ability to optimize content delivery across multiple screens and multiple devices.

Our Rebranding Challenges
Although it was clear to everyone that a change was inevitable, first we needed to address some challenges:

1. Maintaining the brand’s legacy. RRsat had been around for a long time, established in 1981, with an impressive track record. By no means did we want to let go of RRsat’s reputation and achievements to date.

2. Changing the mindset of the company’s workers. Most of the company was still focused around its satellite distribution network, with the newly-acquired media companies operating as separate entities. We needed to restructure in order to present our integrated offering, rather than have each person focusing on their own specific area of expertise.

3. Limited timeframe. We only had four months to rebrand the company.

Our first step: Redefining the product and service architecture
The first step in building the infrastructure was to redefine the product and service architecture, which could establish the building blocks for the rebrand. This was essential to the success of the whole initiative. If we weren’t clear about our overall offering, how could we present it to our customers?

We decided to divide our services into four main service groups, listing each service under the relevant group while showing the inter-connection between the different offerings and solutions available to specific market sectors. This made it easier for customers and staff to understand the full breadth of services available.

We started the internal education process early, opening up a dialog with groups of employees on the changes taking place in the company.

The process and timeline

Our Goal: Our aim was to reflect the company’s new direction and strengthen its positioning as a complete provider of end-to-end digital media services, while still leveraging RRsat’s notable achievements and know-how, built on its global distribution network.

Selecting the right branding agency: We selected a top global branding agency, venturethree (v3), based in London, which is also Sky’s branding agency. It was important for us to work with an international agency with proven experience in the broadcasting space, which would help instill confidence in the process from management and employees around the world.

Setting a deadline and creating conditions that would allow us to meet it: IBC Amsterdam was the target date, leaving us little time. However, the short timeframe was actually an advantage. It meant that we needed to be focused on the end-result, ensuring a quick turnaround and fast decision-making. We had a small, dedicated team working on the project, keeping to a tight timeline and working alongside v3 to complete the project on time.

Creating project milestones: The project was divided into specific project phases, including:

1. Research and analysis
2. Brand strategy
3. Core messages
4. The architecture
5. Brand expression and naming
6. Tools

In the initial research and analysis phase, v3 conducted a series of interviews with key stakeholders, including senior management, key customers, partners, investors and analysts. They also carried out research on the market, reviewed our competitive landscape and evaluated the equity of our existing brand. This was all necessary in order to give them a deep understanding of our brand’s world.

They then presented their feedback and tested some brand ideas with Avi Cohen (our CEO), myself, Koby Huberman (strategic consultant) and the marketing team. They presented a strategic framework that outlined the brand purpose, proposition, values and what they mean for our internal and external audiences, including initial naming recommendations and the foundations on which to build the brand.

Although it wasn’t easy to hear some of the feedback, it reinforced our understanding that RRsat and the existing brand no longer reflected who we were as a company.

At key stages in the process, v3 presented their ideas and recommendations to the full management team.

With the new brand strategy in place, v3 started to explore our brand architecture, reviewing the different layers of the business. Having our four service groups in place was key to the success of this phase – we had already established the basis for creating a streamlined brand architecture. V3 recommended a clear service naming system for our four groups as well as principles for naming future products and services.

During the process, Avi and I briefed individual Board Members, before asking v3 to present to the full Board. This was a key stage in the approval process. The Board had major reservations about the new name and v3 was asked to come back with other options, and their new proposed name and tagline were finally accepted.

It proved crucial to have buy-in from management and the Board during the process rather than waiting until the end when it would have been too late to implement any changes, given our tight timeframe.

With final agreement, the marketing team worked closely with the agency to prepare the assets needed for the brand communications and finalize the brand toolkit.

Here’s a SlideShare presentation that summarizes the process that led us to the new branding concept:

The launch plan: External and internal communications
The launch plan was divided into external communications around the IBC show and after, and ongoing internal communications.

For the IBC trade show, the external communications focused on:

• The PR launch
• New booth
• Advertising
• Mini web site
• Brand movie
• Corporate presentation
• Marketing collateral
• Stationery
• Business cards
• Social media and
• Newsletter

It also included two customer events, with a reception in our suite at the show for key customers, and an evening VIP event.

A video clip was also prepared during the show itself, showing the new booth, demos and customer testimonials.

Post launch, our external communications activities have been focused on the new website, ongoing PR, advertising, marketing collateral, social media and more. We’re now gearing up to the next major broadcasting show, NAB 2015 in Las Vegas, in April.

Internal communications have been critical to the success of the rebrand. As well as presenting the new architecture and services inside the company early on, we worked closely with HR around the launch itself, organizing company meetings and a series of roundtables with employees to present the rebrand, explain the rationale and initiate a dialogue on the change. We prepared for the launch day itself with a letter from Avi, Q&As, on-site celebrations, and personal launch packs. We also trained key employees to create a leadership forum which would help to drive the change in the company.

Post launch, we’re still conducting roundtables and training for internal buy-in and input, meeting with the staff and reinforcing our messages.

People inside the company are finally coming to understand that the change is much more than the new name and logo and that the fundamentals of the company have changed. The rebrand is finally being imbued in the company’s DNA and employees are seeing the brand’s impact on their day-to-day life.

Rather than focusing on their specific line of business, our staff understand the wider range of services on offer to our customers. They also have a better understanding of the dynamic industry we’re operating in.

We’ve also been conducting a series of interactive games for every department, letting managers and employees explore the brand values and discuss them internally.

It’s clear that our employees feel a new energy in the company, seeing it now as a “whole” rather than as separate segments.

Industry feedback
IBC2014 was the most successful trade show appearance in our history, having attracted significant traffic from some of the industry’s leading broadcasters and content owners throughout the show.

Customer feedback about RR Media’s offering and strategic positioning was extremely positive and we experienced increased interaction with prospective customers following the show.

Here’s just some of the positive feedback we’ve received from customers around the world, as well as partners, shareholders and analysts:

RR Media at IBC2014 from RR Media on Vimeo.

And we also impressed the press! Here are just a few samples:

• “The change taking place at RR Media is much deeper than the name alone, started much earlier and seems to be promising enough to create significant value for shareholders going forward”. (Seeking Alpha, Sept. 16 2014)

• “Digital media services provider RRsat has rebranded to RR Media, reflecting what it described as a significant expansion in its global service offering.” (Digital TV Europe, Sept. 9 2014)

• “With the new branding of former RRsat to RR Media, I think it’s a good idea, they are expanding beyond traditional broadcasting.” (Julio Sobral, Fox TV Networks USA)

• “The new branding of RR Media is very good because it shows more than before the 360 degrees commitment RR Media in the media business.” (Metteo Castelli, iConcerts)

• And for the icing on the cake, we ended 2014 with a bang, with Forbes magazine naming RR Media as one of the 10 companies changing the TV industry.

Tip Summary

So to sum up, here are some of the rebranding tips we learned and used along the way:

1. Show substance and proof of the strategy behind the rebrand (not just marketing fluff).

2. Identify the challenges and address them in the rebranding process.

3. Prepare the building blocks and start the internal education early on.

4. Work with a professional branding company that’s familiar with your space.

5. Maintain tight project management to deliver the project on time and ensure buy-in at crucial stages.

6. Build a comprehensive external and internal communications plan to maximize exposure and ensure that everyone in the company is on board.

7. Continue the process post-launch to drill down the change within the company.