I recently held an energizing day-long workshop at a major research university. Objectives: Reinforce the brand position, reinvigorate the messaging platform, and map out future campaign evolution and expansion.

It was great fun. Your organization ought to schedule these regularly, too.

We had 68 in-house staff communicators from a dozen different units attend the retreat: Marketing, PR, recruitment, development, extension, distance ed, and the communications managers from half-dozen colleges and schools.

At least a third of the staffers were hired after we developed the brand platform in 2004-05, so they had little understanding of the intense research and consensus-building that was involved in the development process.

To new hires, the brand was just an impersonal framework handed to them as a fait accompli when they signed on. They invested nothing in its creation and they didn’t feel ownership of it, at least not at the level of those who had built the brand identity from the ground up.

So our morning sessions dunked the newbies in brand history and the breadth of faculty/staff engagement in its development. We also took the opportunity to remind old-timers of the research and sweat equity that had gone into its creation. It was a celebration of the brand, acknowledging its strength and rightness.

In the afternoon, we did role-playing games that focused on how individuals could pivot off of the brand drivers to create resonant, timely messages for their own audience segments. Building skills and messaging tools as well as brand ownership.

Toward the end of the day, we took a strategic look at brand evolution and expansion. How fast or slow did the brand need to evolve? Who should manage the evolution? We talked color palettes, messaging, tone and style, personality, design, and photography style in the context of new campaign tactics, Web 2.0, and social networking. Great discussion around why and where they needed to expand the brand, but how to keep it focused.

How often should you hold these brand refresher retreats? Well, a general rule is that it’s essential every 2-3 years, but your campus might need them more or less often, depending on size, staff turnover, and brand leadership.

Just remember that all brands erode over time: people forget, staffs change, priorities shift. Your brand needs constant attention. The refresher retreat is a great – and fun – way to keep the brand fresh and your team engaged.