Rebranding hardly ever happens in perfect conditions. But it's those challenges that grow us into leaders who can push through and win. For example, in my Remarkabrand podcast conversation with former client Jaimi Koechel—an award-winning marketing director with deep experience in accounting firms—we covered branding for accounting firms, rebranding during transitions, and what a successful, inside-out brand build looks like. 

Jaimi’s approach to demonstrating the value of branding to her firm's partners reminded me of a few things.

https://youtu.be/nfJdZkyioY4 Podcast Thoughts As I am wont to do, I’ll bring in my first point with an illustration from a TV show—the historical drama series "Chernobyl" that came out a few years ago. After the Chernobyl nuclear reactor melts down, the secretive Soviet government meets in Moscow to discuss what happened. 

One scene in particular puts us right in the shoes of Valery Legasov, a nuclear physicist who figures out that the reactor's core exploded. But at the table with Premier Gorbachev and his top advisors, Legasov realizes that his country’s leaders have no idea what happened. They don’t understand that millions might die from lethal radiation if they don’t act fast. This gives him no choice but to speak up—and risk his life and career in the process. Fortunately, Gorbachev hears him out, and after telling the horrifying truth no one wants to hear, Legasov finds himself advising the entire containment effort.  

It’s a far stretch from nuclear meltdowns, but the problem of preoccupied decision-makers not understanding something’s critical importance is one we can all relate to.  

Herein lies a branding point that’s really worth looking at: 

• A firm’s leadership may not see or fully understand the value of authentic brand building. 

Someone, perhaps even you, might need to demonstrate that value before the branding effort can begin. As Jaimi, a longtime branding advocate put it on my podcast, “They won’t know they need you at the table until you show them that they need you.” 

My second takeaway goes something like this: 

• Accounting firms should be no strangers to the branding process. Instead of assuming a killer logo will just do the trick, accounting firms that want to build relationships with their clients need to put the work in on the branding front, to the point of owning their authentic brand identity. 

Neglecting, misunderstanding or undervaluing brand identity makes for thorny problems: diluting brand and reputation or confusing the audience, to name a few. 

Outside of building out a true, authentic, consistent brand identity, how will everyone else know how remarkable they are? 

With these takeaways and Jaimi’s story as a starting point, here are my quick thoughts on what every accounting firm should know about branding, branding advocacy, and how brand identity helps firms build remarkable, lifelong relationships. 

Let’s dive in.  Every Firm Needs a Brand Advocate  First, I’ll pass a little more of Jaimi’s advice to anyone who might be in this position. If you have a seat at your firm’s leadership table, or if you’re simply making the case for some kind of branding effort to your firm’s team members, you probably need some wind in your sails. 

Hopefully, this will lend you some. 

As you think about how to show your firm’s partners the value of brand building, don’t forget…

To play the long game. Building trust takes time. 

Even with Jaimi’s marketing background, adjusting her rebrand proposal to suit her firm’s needs took time and persistence. Eventually, as she won trust and got to know the firm’s specific needs, her firm’s partners saw the value in what she was proposing. After partners warmed up to the idea of a complete rebrand, Jaimi led the way.  

To always put the firm first 

Even if you majored in graphic design and have the perfect new logo ready to go…remember that a firm’s branding efforts are...