Rebrands are not all built the same. Adam Morgan, VP of Brand at Twilio, reveals how a sharp brand strategy cuts through chaos, keeps teams focused and builds brands that actually last.
In an era where businesses are under pressure to produce results quickly, it’s easy to see branding as just another box to check off. However, a well-thought-out brand strategy framework isn’t just a marketing play—it’s a foundational business tool that helps teams prioritize messaging, work more efficiently and create long-term impact.
During Superside’s Overcommitted Virtual Summit, branding expert and Twilio VP of Brand Adam Morgan delved into how companies can build brands that stand the test of time. Morgan, a veteran of branding initiatives at Adobe, Splunk and Twilio, provided a wealth of insights on how to approach branding with intention, align brand identity with business goals and ensure it connects deeply with customers.
Dive in to learn more about the importance of purpose, audience alignment and strategic execution—all while keeping in mind the challenges of overcommitment and burnout that many creative teams face.
Why branding matters more than ever
There's a common misconception about branding strategies that they're just about visuals and logos. Morgan emphasized that brand strategy is about creating an emotional and strategic connection between a company and its audience.
He pointed out how rebrands often receive harsh criticism, using Walmart and Jaguar as examples of branding decisions that sparked controversy.
Walmart made a subtle brand refresh, tweaking the shade of blue in its logo and making slight adjustments to its font. Critics online dismissed it as insignificant, questioning why they even bothered. A company like Walmart, which serves a massive and diverse audience, often opts for incremental changes rather than drastic overhauls to maintain consistency and avoid alienating customers.
Jaguar, on the other hand, made a bold design change, shifting from a more traditional, luxury-inspired logo to a sleeker, minimalist wordmark. The new branding aimed to modernize the brand for the electric vehicle era, but it received backlash from long-time fans who felt it lost its heritage, elegance and prestige—qualities that had made Jaguar iconic in the first place. This highlights the risk of misaligning branding with audience expectations. A brand refresh needs to balance modernization with maintaining what customers already love about the brand.
Branding strategy decisions aren’t made in a vacuum. Morgan argues that without understanding the business context behind those changes, it's easy to judge from the “cheap seats.” While the public often criticizes rebrands without understanding their reasoning, what matters most is whether a rebrand aligns with the company’s strategy, market positioning and customer expectations. Brands that fail to consider these elements risk alienating their audience, while those that evolve too cautiously may appear stagnant.
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How to reduce inefficiencies by building a brand strategy
Many companies today are stretched thin, and according to Superside’s Overcommitted Report, 76% of creatives feel overworked and burned out. This makes branding even more critical: A clear, well-defined brand strategy helps teams prioritize their messaging and streamline workflows. Without it, teams waste time and energy on scattered efforts that don’t align with the bigger picture.
Morgan outlined how companies that invest in brand strategy can reduce inefficiencies by:
- Clarifying priorities so teams aren’t pulled in too many directions.
- Aligning messaging across marketing and sales to create consistency.
- Reducing decision fatigue by having a clear brand framework to guide creative choices.
As companies scale, brand clarity helps avoid chaos, ensuring that every marketing initiative serves a clear purpose. This, in turn, prevents burnout by eliminating unnecessary work and keeping the focus on what truly moves the needle.
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The 7-step framework for a lasting brand
Morgan shared a seven-step brand strategy framework that can help businesses build and maintain a strong brand identity.
1. Conduct a brand audit.
Before jumping into a rebrand, it’s crucial to understand what your brand currently stands for—both internally and externally. This includes:
- Reviewing current messaging and positioning.
- Analyzing customer perceptions.
- Assessing competitive differentiation.
Key takeaway: Without a clear understanding of where your brand currently stands, it's impossible to build a future-proof strategy.
2. Discover your “why.”
Every lasting brand is built around a core purpose. Morgan emphasized that companies need to narrow their focus to a single idea that defines their mission.
For example:
- Twilio: Freedom to build.
- Splunk: Helping companies become resilient.
- Adobe: Champions of creativity.
Many brands try to stand for too many things, leading to diluted messaging. Instead, Morgan recommended distilling a brand’s purpose down to one word or phrase.
You have to just stop and say: Okay, what is it that we stand for? Truly? If we were to put a stake in the ground, what is it that we’re all about?
Key takeaway: A strong brand must have a single, clear purpose that guides all messaging and design decisions.
3. Focus on your core audience.
Morgan highlighted the importance of identifying who your brand is truly for. While many companies have multiple audience segments, the key is determining:
- Who is most emotionally invested in the brand?
- Who will become the biggest advocates (even getting tattoos of your logo)?
- Who drives the most business impact?
Once you know what the customer wants and what they stand for—that's the why. Then, you have to go back and think—what’s the emotion that they’re going to feel so that you can connect all of those things together?
By focusing on this core audience, companies can create more resonant and effective messaging.
Key takeaway: Your brand shouldn’t try to be everything to everyone—focus on your biggest champions.
4. Create the right environment for branding success.
One of the biggest roadblocks to successful branding? A lack of executive support.
Morgan noted that companies where leadership doesn’t prioritize branding often struggle to create a cohesive identity. To overcome this, branding teams must:
- Secure buy-in from leadership.
- Ensure financial investment in branding efforts.
- Minimize decision-making layers that slow down progress.
Key takeaway: If leadership doesn’t believe in branding, creative teams will constantly face uphill battles.
5. Build an emotional brand story.
Branding isn’t just about rational benefits—it’s about emotional connections.
Morgan used Twilio’s rebrand as an example. The new positioning focused on builders, appealing to developers' desire for freedom, creativity and control.
Branding is emotion first, logic second—connect with customers on a personal level.
To craft a compelling brand story, ask:
- What does your audience believe in?
- What problems do they want to solve?
- How does your brand make their life better?
Key takeaway: Branding is emotion first. Focus on getting to know your customers and connecting with them in an emotional level.
6. Develop a strong brand strategy.
Once the foundation is set, it’s time to build a structured strategy. This includes:
- Setting clear brand principles.
- Defining core messaging pillars.
- Outlining visual identity guidelines.
- Creating a roadmap for implementation.
Morgan advised teams to study top-performing brands and apply best practices to their own branding efforts.
Key takeaway: A strong brand strategy ensures consistency and clarity across all touchpoints.
7. Execute with precision.
Finally, execution is where branding comes to life. Translating your branding into a consistent visual identity can make or break your strategy. This includes:
- Designing visual assets (logo, colors, typography).
- Aligning sales and marketing messaging.
- Training teams on brand voice and storytelling.
- Ensuring consistency across all platforms.
Key takeaway: A brand strategy isn’t just a document—it needs continuous execution to be successful.
Measuring the success of a rebrand
Marketers always get the same question when rebranding: How do you know if your rebrand is working?
Morgan outlined several key metrics to track:
- Brand awareness: Conduct surveys to measure recognition and recall.
- Brand perception: Assess whether customer sentiment has shifted.
- Engagement metrics: Track website traffic, social media interactions and content performance.
- Sales and conversion rates: See if messaging improvements translate into revenue growth.
Ultimately, the most important sign of success is whether customers feel an emotional connection to your brand.
Why a brand strategy is essential
Branding isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s a business necessity.
When done right, a clear brand strategy framework helps teams prioritize messaging, streamline workflows and create more effective marketing efforts. It also reduces burnout by eliminating wasted efforts and constant pivots.
Today’s marketing and creative teams are stretched to their limits. A strong brand strategy ensures that time and energy are spent on what truly matters helping teams understand how to prioritize their efforts.
For companies looking to future-proof their brand, Morgan’s advice is clear: Find your purpose, connect with your audience and execute with clarity. That’s the key to building a brand that lasts.
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