What goes wrong when each branch does its own thing with your brand

What goes wrong when each branch does its own thing with your brand

You're growing fast. New locations, more departments, more people, more initiatives. That's great — your company is alive. But somewhere along the way, things don't go quite as they should: presentations that are just a little different, flyers with the wrong colors, ads you've never seen. And the logo? There are now seven variants of this.

Recognisable? You are not alone!

The situation: rapid growth, multiple locations

One of our customers — a successful SME with now more than ten locations across The Netherlands— did well. Strong branding, a clear corporate identity, a professional look.

But with each new location, so did the complexity. Each location manager had their own approach to local promotion:

• One person had the windows covered with window foil developed by a printer himself
• The other designed flyers himself in Canva.
• PowerPoint presentations were adapted to personal preferences
• Ads appeared without headquarters knowing

Everyone meant well — but the result was a brand that went in all directions.

The risk: from a strong brand to a messy whole

What happens when you don't have control over your brand:

• Loss of familiarity: customers no longer recognize your brand immediately.
• A waste of budget: duplicate or conflicting communications.
• Internal frustration: marketing teams are losing control.
• No scalability: every location reinvents the wheel.
• Loss of trust: with partners, suppliers and customers.

And perhaps the biggest problem: you brand loses credibility because it comes across as very messy and there is no consistency. While that's exactly what you've been investing in all this time.

The solution: central brand control with a digital brand book

When we looked at the brand with this customer, we decided one thing: there needed to be a central place where all brand expressions and guidelines came together — and that was accessible to everyone.

We developed a digital brandbook where everything was:

• Logos (all variants)
• Use of color and typography
• Templates for presentations, social media, flyers
• Tone of voice guidelines
• Examples of correct (and incorrect) application
• Access for all teams, including branch managers

The result? Within a month, the chaos had disappeared. Locations worked more efficiently, communication became more consistent and the marketing team regained control.

What you can learn from this

Whether you have three or thirty locations, multiple departments working independently, or have many remote employees, you need to provide clear guidelines and central tools. Each employee contributes to your appearance. This is not the responsibility of the marketing department alone.

One digital brandbook is not just a handy document, but a strategic tool that protects your organization from diluting your brand.

Ask yourself the following questions

• Does everyone have access to the same corporate identity materials?
• Do your colleagues know what the brand rules are — and why they matter?
• Are local initiatives coordinated with the head office?

Is the answer “no” or “sometimes”? Then it's time to act before your brand slowly falls apart.

See how it digital brandbook from Ambasco keeps your brand central and powerful.

Or schedule an informal conversation — then we'll show you how other fast-growing companies are tackling it.

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