Three months into a major rebrand, an executive received an email from a board member: “I showed the new logo to my spouse, and they said it looks too corporate. Can we explore some friendlier options?”

The project screeched to a halt. The creative team went back to the drawing board. The budget ballooned. And six months later, they launched with a diluted brand that tried to please everyone and ultimately excited no one.

Sound familiar?

If so, you’re not alone. This isn’t just a small-organization problem. Major brands have lost millions, even billions, in botched rebrands. Gap reversed their $100 million rebrand in 2010 within a week. Tropicana’s packaging redesign lost $30 million in sales within two months. Twitter’s rebrand to X wiped out upwards of $4-20 billion in brand value.

The common thread?

Mismanaged stakeholder involvement that either came too late or invited too many decision-makers.

In our work with dozens of organizations through rebrands, we’ve seen mismanaged stakeholder involvement derail more projects than any other factor including budget constraints and timeline issues. Many organizations struggle with how to engage stakeholders early enough in a rebrand to avoid last-minute derailments. Boards, executive teams, funders, and community members all have valuable perspectives. But when they’re brought in at the wrong time, or given the wrong level of control, they can derail even the most promising brand refresh.

The good news? It doesn’t have to be this way.

When you understand how to engage stakeholders in a way that builds clarity instead of chaos, the entire branding process becomes more predictable and far less political. This guide will show you exactly when and how to involve leadership and key stakeholders in your branding process so you can:

• Gain strategic insights without inviting micromanagement
• Build genuine buy-in that lasts beyond launch day
• Make confident decisions with clarity, not chaos
• Avoid the most common pitfalls that stall momentum

Whether you’re rebranding a product, destination, community, or larger organization, this roadmap will help you navigate stakeholder involvement like a pro so you can launch a brand that’s both strategically sound and widely supported.

Let’s dive in.

Who Is This Guide For?

This guide is for the internal project leaders or project managers who must include folks in a governance or executive role that will not be a part of the ongoing, weekly meetings throughout the duration of the branding process. In our experience that could be roles such as:

• C-Suite members that are too busy
• Board members
• Funders
• Community councils
• Donors
• Key volunteers
• General public

Why Should (and Shouldn’t) Stakeholders Be Involved In The Branding Process?

Boards or other key stakeholders can be helpful to the overall branding process for brand oversight. They serve as the guardians of mission alignment, reputation, and long-lasting sustainability so it’s natural to involve them.

However, it’s important to avoid micromanagement among groups of stakeholders by involving them at the right time so the proper level of guidance is given. While boards should lend historical insights, set the measurement of success, and make the goal clear, they should not be involved in the nitty gritty parts of the branding process like wordsmithing taglines, choosing color palettes, ideating logo options, etc.

When Is The Right Time To Engage With Stakeholders When Rebranding?

We have found the best time to involve a group of advisors is at the start during discovery and strategic oversight. If there’s a need for further buy-in from the public, donors, or volunteers later on, it can be helpful to involve them at the end when deciding between two final concepts.

Opportunity 1: Strategic Oversight (At The Start)

• Invite all key stakeholders (C-Suite, key board members, funders, etc.) to the initial Discovery Workshop amongst the internal team so all perspectives can be heard and accounted for. This also gives an opportunity for historical contexts and future visions to be shared.
  
• Invite all key stakeholders (C-Suite, key board members, funders, etc.) to the initial Discovery Workshop amongst the internal team so all perspectives can be heard and accounted for. This also gives an opportunity for historical contexts and future visions to be shared. This is one of the most important moments to understand how to engage stakeholders strategically so their insights sharpen your direction instead of slowing it down.
  
  

Opportunity 2: Final Selections (At The End)

• Stakeholders advise, but the project lead decides. Once the process has lended two distinct options to choose between, it’s okay to poll both internal and external stakeholders once more to get their final “vote” to validate the choice. However, it’s important to communicate that these are the only two choices to not falsely imply there’s time to go back to the drawing board. This step is a clean and contained way to engage stakeholders without reopening the entire creative process.
  
• Note: Branding decisions that carry potential risks, such as reputational risks or legal implications, should be reviewed by the leadership team to mitigate potential negative outcomes.

How Can You Effectively Involve Stakeholders When Rebranding?

If you’re unsure how to engage stakeholders without losing control of your rebrand, these tactics will keep everyone aligned and moving forward. Setting a clear roadmap and clearly communicating expectations can go a long way. Here’s a few tips to keep everyone aligned and energy high throughout the project:

1. Present a clear overview of the process at the beginning of the project so they have clear expectations
   
2. Define roles and responsibilities for this specific project so they know when and how to present feedback. We recommend using the DACI model.
   
3. Keep the board informed with written updates of key milestones to show progress yet refrain from showing in-progress visuals.

If necessary, send reminders of their role, emphasizing that while they will be informed every step of the way, that day-to-day decisions will be made by the project lead/team that’s actively working with the creative agency.

What Are Some Common Pitfalls To Avoid With Stakeholders?

Learn what to avoid from others who have been in a similar position. Here are the common points of contention that can arise if not proactively addressed:

1. Too many cooks in the kitchen. It’s challenging to remove personal bias from branding decisions so when you have 5+ people navigating that together, it can really dilute the brand to find something that everyone agrees on.
   
2. Bringing the board in too late. The main role they play is in strategic oversight so it’s essential to bring them into the first discovery phase so their voice is heard and the creative agency has the ability to adequately implement upon the ideas voiced. If the board isn’t brought into the conversation until after the creative is established, even the “right” brand might be a surprise and cause shock or distrust amongst the group. 
   
3. Treating feedback as consensus. When feedback is treated like consensus, projects can lose direction. Strong decisions come from clarity and focus, not from trying to satisfy every opinion. The goal is to gather perspectives, then choose the path that best supports the project’s vision.

What Are Some Presentation Tips I Can Use?

1. Host an in-person meeting. While emailing for a quick sign off might be tempting, it’s often unsuccessful at getting final approval and misses the opportunity to turn your advisory team into greater advocates.
   
   Brock White, the Marketing & Communications Coordinator for the City of Watford says, “You can’t just drop a PDF file and let your committee or council decipher everything for themselves. There’s too much nuance to what’s been created, and context needs to be provided for the decisions that have been made along the way. It’s best if somebody from the project team presents something and then is available for questions to work through pain points.”
   
   
2. Keep it high-level and outcomes-oriented. As an active member of the project, it may be tempting to share all your hard work and the micro decisions that were made however that invites unwarranted feedback that only stalls momentum. Instead, keep it high-level with a clear narrative and share the outcomes you’re aiming to achieve.
   
3. Confidently express with clear rationale. The confidence you embody when presenting can make or break the response. The tone in which you speak can imply hesitation, uncertainty, and the need for advice OR it can imply confidence, a clear direction forward, and pride in the work you’ve completed. Present with confidence to ensure the group that you are confident in your choice and you’re simply informing them of what’s to come.

When Should The General Public Be Included In Branding Efforts?

While the public may not be a member of leadership, they can often be a key stakeholder when branding a community, destination, or a product. It’s crucial that they receive the new branding with open arms, yet critical to involve them in the right capacity. A huge part of knowing how to engage stakeholders is understanding when the public should weigh in and when they shouldn’t. There are two opportunities to involve them at the right time (see above) and then utilizing a survey can be a great way to listen to large groups of people all at once.

“I think if your project involves taxpayer dollars, the public needs to be notified as soon as the organization/city/etc has approved the project. It’s their money, you’re just the steward of it. I personally felt like a survey to get feedback was crucial, especially since we were contracting the work out. It creates transparency and builds buy-in on the project.” –Brock White, Marketing & Communications Coordinator for the City of Watford

If you choose to launch a survey, remember that there will always be negative nancy’s that will disregard all context and choose to leave negative comments simply because they can. Expect it and be emotionally prepared for it. Change is hard and no matter how perfect the brand is, not everyone will be in love with it.

Lastly, if you do expect public outcry and the situation is more delicate, lean into your leadership team for advice on how to create a PR campaign that ensures the public feels heard. Being proactive about announcing the project beforehand can be a great way to ease the public into the change that is to come. Ultimately, most people simply want transparency so do what you can to offer them that.

Not Sure Where To Start With Your Rebrand?

Don’t worry, we have your back! The Good Kids have led countless projects with various involvement with leadership teams so not only can we be a guide along the way, but we’ve also created a Leadership Briefing Template to make communications smooth along the way.

FAQs

Q: How many stakeholders is too many for a branding project?

There’s no magic number, but a good rule of thumb is to keep your core decision-making team to 3-5 people maximum. Beyond that, you move from collaboration to “design by committee,” which dilutes brand impact. Larger leadership groups (boards, community councils, etc.) should provide input at specific phases rather than ongoing decision-making authority.

Q: What if our board insists on approving every design element?

This is where setting expectations early is critical. Share examples of failed rebrands (like Gap or Tropicana) that happened when too many people weighed in on creative details. Frame their role as strategic oversight. They set the destination, but the project team navigates the route. Use the DACI framework to clarify that they’re “Consulted” or “Informed,” not “Approvers” for day-to-day creative decisions.

Q: Should we involve our community or donors before launching the rebrand?

It depends on your organization type and stakeholder expectations. For taxpayer-funded projects or community-focused brands, early transparency builds trust. However, involvement should be structured (surveys, focus groups) rather than open-ended. Reserve detailed presentations for after strategic direction is set, typically during the final selection phase when you’re choosing between two concepts.

Q: How do we handle a board member who wants to restart the process late in the game?

First, acknowledge their concerns and ask clarifying questions to understand the root issue. Often, resistance comes from feeling surprised or uninformed. Review your communication trail: Were they included in discovery? Did they receive milestone updates? If they were properly involved, gently remind them of the process and rationale. If necessary, schedule a dedicated presentation to walk through the strategic thinking behind decisions. Stand firm on the timeline while showing you’ve heard their perspective.

Q: What’s the difference between a Discovery Workshop and an Input Session?

A Discovery Workshop involves your core team and key decision-makers (C-suite, select board members) in deep strategic work defining brand positioning, identifying differentiators, and setting success metrics. An Input Session is broader and lighter gathering perspectives from external stakeholders (donors, volunteers, community members) on specific questions without giving them decision-making authority. Think of Discovery as “setting the strategy” and Input Sessions as “validating assumptions.”

Q: How often should we update leadership during the branding process?

Provide written updates at major milestones (discovery complete, strategy approved, initial concepts ready, final selection made). Avoid sharing work-in-progress visuals, which invite premature feedback. Aim for monthly high-level updates for projects lasting 3-6 months. The key is keeping them informed without inviting micromanagement. Focus on outcomes and next steps rather than process details.

Q: What if we don’t have the budget for a creative agency?

The principles in this guide still apply whether you’re working with an agency, freelancers, or an internal team. The key is separating strategic decision-makers from creative executors. If you’re managing everything in-house, consider bringing in an external facilitator for your Discovery Workshop to ensure objectivity and prevent the loudest voices from dominating.

Q: Can we skip the board involvement if we’re on a tight timeline?

Skipping leadership involvement entirely is risky and can backfire spectacularly at launch. Instead, condense their engagement: hold a single intensive Discovery Workshop and commit to a fast turnaround on final concept approval. Make it clear upfront that the compressed timeline requires trust in the project team’s execution. A rushed but inclusive process beats a fast process that gets rejected at the finish line.