A senior executive wants brand changes last minute. How will you maintain the brand's identity?

...this is a nightmare. How about we stop normalizing 'last-minute brand changes' because it's just not a thing. It's just impulsiveness without strategy.

Stick to Key Elements Ensure core brand elements like tone, colour, and messaging stay consistent, even with changes. Prioritize Consistency If possible, make small tweaks instead of big overhauls to keep the brand recognizable. Get Team Input Involve your team to ensure that the changes still align with the brand's overall identity. Use Templates Apply brand-approved templates to incorporate changes without losing the original style. Test Changes If time allows, do a quick test or review to see how the changes fit with the brand. These strategies help you adapt while keeping the brand consistent.

Don’t freak out in times like this. Senior execs love to throw curveballs, but that doesn’t mean you toss the brand out the window. When those last-minute changes hit, your mission isn’t to panic—it’s to protect the brand’s DNA. How? You filter their requests through the brand’s core values. Keep what aligns, and tweak the rest so it doesn’t feel out of place. Remember, you’re the guardian of the brand’s identity—don’t let a few late changes shake that. So, make it work, and make it seamless. You’ve got this!

As an in-house copywriter, you’ll often face last-minute changes. Most of these changes are minor, but it’s important to first understand why the change is being made. This helps ensure that the adjustment still fits within our brand guidelines. For example, if there's a suggestion to tweak a headline just before a campaign goes live, consider how it affects the overall message and brand tone. If the change is more significant, discuss it with your team and then clearly present the pros and cons to your executive. Make sure to explain any potential downsides, such as confusing the audience or straying from our brand identity.

My first instinct would be to ask why? Changing a brand's identity isn't something you should decide on at the very last minute and if there's a very good reason for that, I'll like to know. With a clear understanding of the why, the next thing would be impact accessment. We're known for X and we suddenly switched to Y. Something's definitely going to change in the data we receive as feedback. From the data, we're then better able to make informed decisions to balance innovation with consistency