Let’s Get Dirty: The 2009 Oneupweb Rebrand Process (Week 2)

Welcome to week 2 of Let’s Get Dirty: The 2009 Oneupweb Rebrand Process.

I’m still your host, telling it like it is and bringing you the true view from the inside of our complete rebranding process. It’s the good, the bad, and the ugly. Uncensored (for the most part).

This past week was absolutely crazy. Our writer must have broken at least four pencils in an effort to get the copy just right (if he used pencils – in reality, he probably just pounded on the space key extra hard). His mission was to nail the true Oneupweb voice while explaining to the world just who we are, what we do and how we do it.

So in true 007 style he downed a martini (shaken, not stirred), kissed a dashing young girl, jumped into his Alfa Romeo and sped off to get the job done. Or in reality, he poured a cup of coffee, sat down at his desk and began typing furiously. Either way, it’s Mission: Accomplished.

Now, if my CEO reads this, she’ll probably tell me that’s not enough information. Alright! Alright! I’ll give you all the details (just take that shiny light out of my eyes). And let me start by saying, it really wasn’t that easy.

Who we are, we know. It’s been decided. But how to explain that in a voice that is uniquely our own, with enough information so that we don’t have people calling and asking, “Just what is it exactly that you do,” took a little bit of time. And some old fashioned hard work.

Should the copy be funny? Should the copy be straightforward? Should we reference He-Man (I Have the Power!)? In the end, we decided it should be written in the exact way we communicate to our clients-straightforward and to the point, with just a little bit of humor.

Spoiler Alert: He-man got axed. But Godzilla and the Incredible Hulk are in.

I myself was completely engrained in case studies. Researching, writing, rewriting, getting testimonials, rewriting again. As weird as it sounds, they’re something I’m passionate about. Anytime I ever consider suggesting a company to work with, I always go to their case studies first to see what kind of results they’ve achieved for others.

The designers have been busy flexing their creative muscles. Management didn’t really want their photographs displayed on the website, but it’s always nice to put a face with a name, so a unique solution had to be found. And what we came up with is quite a Marvel.

Did I mention that the original site map we have been working from got completely redone late last week? How could I forget! I lost a few strands of hair thanks to that. But I have to admit – it was for the right reasons.

During a rebrand process, you may find yourself headed down a path that made sense in the beginning. But something causes you to pause and ask if it’s really the right thing to do-or just the easy thing to do. In the words of Robert Frost, we took the road less traveled by. And I think that will make all the difference.

See ya’ next Tuesday!

But wait? Did you miss last week’s Let’s Get Dirty post where we pondered the age old question: are we crazy? Check it out to discover our new color palette, learn about the Oneupweb personality and be sure not to miss any of our Julie Andrews goodness.