Back in 2012, the city of Izmir in Turkey went through a lengthy branding project, the main outcomes of which were a new logo and a tagline. From research to planning, design, and launch the project lasted 18 months. Towards the end, both the stakeholders and the habitants lost their keenness, causing resistance.

Our task was to prepare a communication plan to communicate the people side of change. Ultimately, we had to identify the level of change-resistance among stakeholders, set feasible objective per group, craft the key messages that the audience needs regarding the change, and finally determine timing, packaging, delivery method, and sender of the key messages.

To assess the situation, we conducted a series of online change management surveys.

We identified and analyzed impacted groups, assessed the impact on each group, and measured their change readiness.

For each key stakeholder, we identified the root cause of the resistance, then recommended actions to overcome resistance.

Finally, we created a resistance management plan to address each stakeholder’s concerns and presented it to the primary sponsor of project – the Deputy Mayor of Izmir.