Last week in our Protecting the Brand series, we argued that building and protecting a brand in development demands a process. The process serves as the bumpers on the brand development lane as it takes shape, rooting out weak spots before they distract and bedevil the direction of the identity in the making.

This week, let’s shift the spotlight. The protective process is people. From in-house defenders to outside agitators, brands need dedicated human “firewalls” as much as technical ones.

Enter: the 10th Man, and the mighty Red and Blue Teams.

In Defense of the (Never-Boring) Process

“Process” gets a bad rap. In branding, it conjures nightmares of endless sign-offs, soul-numbing forms, and anything but inspiration. Skepticism runs deep. A framework must mean “creativity killer,” right? Hardly. In reality, it’s the reckless, the seat-of-the-pants operators, squiggling on cocktail napkins and sticky notes, who put brands at greatest risk.

Designed well, process isn’t restrictive; it’s a launchpad. It acts as a safety net and gives decision-making power to those closest to the work. It’s how brands catch mistakes early and spot hidden opportunities. Done right, process produces a brand that has endured friction, distraction, and iteration, not in spite of the struggle, but because of it, honing the idea sharper, truer, and more prepared.

The real safety net? The people in the room who are willing to call foul, flag risks, and defend the brand from groupthink. Ignore their perspective, and the market will hand down its own brutal verdict.

The 10th Man: Defender in Chief

You don’t accidentally protect a brand. You assign someone upfront to be its fiercest protector. The 10th Man does more than play devil’s advocate for sport; this is the person that champions poking holes, demanding proof, and keeping the process honest.

It’s truth-telling as a job description. The 10th Man is the internal sense-checker, pressing for evidence, challenging rose-colored thinking, and ensuring every brand move is grounded in reality, not just wishful thinking or politics. This role isn’t for the faint of heart: it takes guts, persistence, and independence. The reward? A brand actually ready for the real world.

Red and Blue Teams: Stress-Testing the Brand

No matter how sharp your 10th Man is, one voice isn’t enough. That’s where Red and Blue Teams come in. When a brand is ready for a proper test, these teams bring the friction every brand needs before launch:

• Red Teams: Your in-house skeptics, digging for weak links, hunting down blind spots, and running drills with the brand’s survival as their overriding concern.
• Blue Teams: Outsiders, real users, buyers, and harshest critics, whose job is to apply market pressure, forcing the brand to stand up to outside reality.

Together, Red and Blue Teams bring the necessary heat. They clarify, sharpen, reject, and refine until what remains is resilient and worthy.

Conclusion: Process, People, and the Shield

Disciplined processes free people to do their best, protecting against the kind of mistakes that can tank a brand before it even gets going. Structure, transparency, and real accountability are what make serious brand work possible and sustainable.

The lesson? Brand failures aren’t mystical acts of fate. They almost always come down to skipping protections like process and pressure-testers. Building in these safeguards is not extra. It is the work.

Next Up: Protecting the Brand Through Discovery

Discovery is where the magic happens, where guesswork gives way to truth, and a brand takes shape. Don’t miss how audits become the strongest line of stewardship next time in this series.