To Rebrand, or Not to Rebrand: that is the question?
A rebrand is costly both on your time and your wallet! It is a huge undertaking whilst business must continue as usual. It isn’t a process to be entered into lightly!
How do you know when it’s the right time to rebrand? Over the years, Made by Dave have played a key role in multiple rebrands. We have put together a list of 10 signs and situations that indicate it may be time for a business makeover.
Embarrassment
If every time you go to give out your business card, you feel the need to caveat it with “we’re getting new business cards” or “be warned… the website needs updating” then it’s probably time to rebrand. If you don’t have confidence in your own business, it won’t instil much confidence in any prospective clients.
If you feel that way, likelihood is your employees feel that way too. A lack of pride can lead to low morale and a decrease in performance. If they feel that intensely about it, they may even be looking to jump ship. On that note, you may also be deterring prospective employees as well. Create a brand image you are proud of; one that reflects the quality of your products and services.
Doesn’t Stand Out
If your business is getting lost in a sea of offerings that all look the same, it is time to rebrand. The purpose of branding is to make you stand out from the crowd, not blend in. If you no longer know what sets you apart, neither do your customers.Take a step back and revisit the drawing board.
Carry out competitor research. Are there any gaps that you fill? Define with pinpoint precision what your USP (unique selling point) is. When you have figured that out, shout it from the rooftops through your new branding!
Change in Business Direction
Over time, businesses naturally evolve. Expansion and greater capacity, means they can branch out into different products or services. Advances in technology, changes to markets or evolving customer needs, force businesses to shift direction in order to stay relevant. If your business has changed direction, for whatever reason, your original branding may no longer represent you. This calls for a rebrand.
A great example of a rebrand for this reason is Instagram back in 2016. They started out solely as a photo sharing platform but later entered into video. The old logo was a cluttered polaroid camera. Instagram replaced it with a modern camera icon that could represent any and all types of camera for years to come.
When approaching a rebrand, it is important to know where you want your business to be 5-10 years down the line. This way you can design with the future in mind, catering for any future audiences or new products and services you have in the pipeline. As we mentioned at the start, rebranding is costly, plus you want to build up brand recognition; it is not something to be done regularly!
Attracts the Wrong Clientele
There could be many reasons why a business attracts the wrong clientele. If they operate from a scarcity mindset, shying away from their niche and casting the net too wide, they will undoubtedly get unwelcome interest. If a business doesn’t clearly articulate its values, it could receive enquiries from clients whose values clash, e.g. a vegan copywriter getting asked to write web copy for chicken shops! If the messaging is slightly off, it can attract a lot of “almost-fit” clients.
If you are attracting the wrong clientele, it may be worth revisiting your branding. In any literature you read on how to (re)brand, the advice is almost always to start by doing market research, defining your target audience and honing your values. Both are key pillars of any branding.
Here is a helpful guide by Adobe Express on how to find your target audience. To summarise, first take a deep look at your products and services. What problems do they solve? Who benefits from them the most? What is your USP? Carry out competitor research. What are they doing? Are there any gaps in the market you fill? Create detailed buyer personas so you have a tangible representation of your ideal customer. Have all this clear in your mind, so that when you come to design your branding, you end up with a result that resonates with the right people.
Inconsistent
Without clear guidance and processes in place, a business’s branding can become inconsistent. It could be that as business grew and what was once a multidisciplinary creative team is now several individual departments. Spread across various locations, a breakdown in communication ensued, which led to a divergence in branding material.
Alternatively, it could be that one person was responsible for continuity of brand image. They either moved on or the team suddenly grew exponentially. There wasn’t enough time to make a record of the branding rules before departure or to oversee the work of all new recruits. Whatever the reason may be, if your branding has gotten a bit confused, it is definitely time to revisit it.
Inconsistency in design is costly. Consistent design builds up familiarity and instils trust; you can read about why it is so important in more depth here. Go back to square one and reconsolidate your branding. Once you have, it is 100% worthwhile creating a brand style guide to prevent this situation from recurring. Read about what a brand style guide is, why it is helpful and how to create one here.
Outdated
It is definitely time for a rebrand if you think your brand image is outdated. How do you know if it is outdated? A big telltale is your website. One major sign is if your website isn’t mobile responsive i.e. doesn’t adapt its layout for mobile. 58.22% of browsing is now conducted on mobile devices.
Another sign is the quality of your visual content. Advances in technology are being made all the time and cameras are being able to record or capture photos with ever-increasing definition. We have higher resolution monitors and screens such as 4K and now 8K. A blurry image will not suffice!
Even the contents of your photography can date your business. For non-fashion brands, consider what models wear in your photos. Some fashion items are timeless, like a Barbour jacket but even the cut of jean can be “so last year.”
Maybe you’re thinking “but my whole business is based on heritage and legacy.” Ofcourse, feature past photos on your about page or company timeline; it tells a story and builds trust. However, the brands that stand the test of time are the ones that have been able to adapt their image accordingly.
The National Trust was formed in 1895, their properties much older! But their photography shows families from this decade enjoying a great day out. They carry forward the elements that remain relevant and leave those that don’t serve them well firmly in the past.
Negative Associations
Despite best intentions to do everything right and by the book, even a minor oversight could quickly become viral in this digital age and you soon find yourself fighting fires. If you are in the midst of a reputational crisis, a rebrand could be the fresh start you need.
In this scenario, a quick cosmetic or visual makeover (i.e. change of logo) will not suffice. If you are looking to rebuild trust with your customers, change will need to be more than skin deep. Acknowledge the wrongdoing head on. Prove to your customers that you are serious and committed to re-earning their trust through rigorous reform of your brand’s mission, vision and values.
Going Global
A change in branding may be necessary if you want to go global. The current name may only make sense to a specific country or region. Using the same name for an international audience, will not have the desired impact and be a disservice to your product or service.
Also, a company name in one language may not translate well and have negative connotations for a different culture. For example, the well-known American baby food brand Gerber wanted to expand into the French market and they decided to go with the same name. They didn’t realise that the word “gerber” was similar to a French slang word meaning “to vomit.” Safe to say there wasn’t much uptake by the parents in France!
Buyout, Merger or Acquisition
If your business has been involved in a merger, acquisition or buyout, it may be appropriate to rebrand. It is not an exact science and will depend on a multitude of factors.
In some instances a rebrand won’t be necessary. One company may clearly dominate the marketplace and will simply acquire the assets of the other to its name.
There are no rules to say that the branding should assume that of the acquiring company. The acquired company may have a huge legacy behind it: years of experience, a rock solid customer base and excellent reputation. Getting rid of a brand of that calibre, just because it is acquired, would be like throwing money down the drain! It could exist under the umbrella of the parent company but keep its own branding e.g. Laura Ashley or EE.
However, there will be some cases when it is appropriate to rebrand. The different brands may not be a natural fit; therefore, opting for one business’s branding over another may not adequately represent all the products and services that are on offer.
A rebrand is an exciting opportunity to bring together the assets and identities of both companies to create an entirely new brand. That way it also doesn’t alienate either of the existing customer bases and it can also signify any internal changes to employees and stakeholders.
Change of Name
This last one is pretty obvious! You may be changing your name out of choice or forced to change for legal reasons e.g. another company of the same name demands you change yours. A change in name will at least warrant a visual rebrand. However, if there is a deeper, underlying reason for your business name change, a full rebrand may be required.
Conclusion
There you go, 10 reasons why you should rebrand. It is time to be out with the old and in with the new, when your branding causes you embarrassment, no longer stands out from the crowd, has become inconsistent or outdated. A makeover could be needed for strategic reasons: to reflect a change in direction, to attract the right clientele or as a result of an acquisition, merger or buyout. A rebrand may be required out of necessity: to distance your business from negative associations, to translate well when going global or as a result of a forced name change.
If you have decided you need to rebrand, but don’t know where to start, at Made by Dave we have put together a list of Top Tips for a Smooth-Sailing Visual Rebrand. If you are raring to go with your rebrand and are looking for a design partner, we would love to hear from you. Have a browse of our portfolio or get in contact here.