How to successfully re brand
At first glance, the idea of re branding your business or brand may seem like nothing but a fun, new and exciting thought. However, if you’ve ever done it before you already know that designing logos, picking colour themes and customising fonts, although fun, only make up the smallest portion of the process.
If you want to re brand and re brand successfully, you’ve got to go the whole way! A logo revamp may seem like a huge brand change, but what good is a face lift that makes you look 50 when you’re still acting 100 years old? Re branding needs to start from within. Right from the visual look and creative feel of your new brand identity, to how your customers will react and feel towards your brand. Effective re branding encompasses a whole number of factors, factors that always require a whole lot of planning and a seemingly infinite number of considerations.
But don’t worry, we’re here to make this often complicated process easier to digest in 3 easy steps:
It’s all in your head
The first, and frankly most important, step in any re branding process isn’t a physical or even customer or company related change. It’s a psychological change of mindset and outlook on the process that lies ahead. You need to view this change in a positive light.
Needing a re brand is not a bad thing, nor a sign of failure or defeat, but the complete opposite! Many of the worlds most successful companies have had a re brand, from startups to Fortune 500’s, re branding is not a negative, so neither should your thoughts towards it be.
If you go into any re branding viewing the changes ahead as your last ditch attempt or your only hope for growth and success, then you can expect your outcome to reflect these views. Positivity encourages positivity, so no matter what the circumstances are that have got you to this place, it’s onwards and upwards from here on out!
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it
The biggest mistake a business can make is to re brand just for the hell of it. If you’re experiencing your first dry patch or even just getting bored, re branding isn’t necessarily the spark of life your business needs and it should never be the first route taken as an answer to your problems.
With any changes that will affect your business, there should always be a clear goal in mind, re branding included. You need to fully understand the reasons for making any change, no matter how great or small.
Saying this, there are 3 key signs to look for that often mean re branding may be the right route for you! The first being your target demographic has changed. As your business grows, so may your audience and it is this broadening in demographic that needs to be reflected in your branding. The most common example of this type of re brand is an already established business making changes to appeal to the highly desirable millennial generation (Lakra, 2017).
The second reason a re brand may be in order is that there’s new competition out there. New trends in consumer taste and choice may be having an affect on your industry, leading to an influx of new brands, all after a slice of the market. With this surge in competitors in your sector, differentiation is key and re branding is a great way to show the consumers out there just why you stand out from the crowd.
A significant business change is the third key sign a re branding is on the cards. Expanding into new product lines or entering the international market can fundamentally change the feel of your business. Your branding always needs to be a true reflection of your current business and this is where a re brand can be used to effectively showcase and broadcast any new or noticeable changes. Keeping the same branding across the board can often means you run the risk of your branding reflecting you businesses past identity.
Understand your story
We’ve touched on this already, but your branding is so much more than just the logo you’re identified by. Your branding encompasses your name, your company’s entire culture and even the story behind it all. At every touch point, your consumers can gather perceptions about your company from the make up of your brand.
No one knows the story and purpose of your brand better than you do and you need to make this story known throughout your business. Dig deep and try to remember the driving causes and factors that lead you to starting your business. Only when you have clarified these can you reflect and check that you’re aesthetics, tone of voice and general feel of the brand can you breath and speak the values and messages you were so passionate about in the first place. If these touch points no longer align, it’s time for change!
Want help with re branding or simply want to find out more, get in touch with our team today.
Lakra, A. (2017). How to successfully rebrand: a strategic and tactical guide. Available: https://99designs.co.uk/blog/logo-branding/how-to-rebrand/. Last accessed 23rd Jul 2018.