How to Introduce New Branding: Refreshing Your Identity
Sometimes, when you walk into a store, you feel something has changed. The logo may look different, or the colours have been altered. This is rebranding – a compelling technique for companies to change their identity.
However, the new branding is not just painting your company with a new colour. It means changing your whole being from within outwards. And trust me, this isn’t easy.
So why should you care? Well, think of it like this – your brand is the face of your business to the world around us; over time, that face can start looking old and tired or no longer represent who we are as people, which means it needs changing!
In this article, we will look at how to introduce new branding: what makes businesses want to do it, how they do so, and common mistakes made along the way. So strap on some safety gear because we will embark on a thrilling ride through brand identity!
Why Rebrand? The Driving Forces Behind a Brand Overhaul
So, why do companies rebrand? I’m here to tell you it’s not just for fun – there are real reasons behind the decision. Here are some of the most important ones:
Staying Current
You remember those oversized jeans from the 90s, right?
Fashion changes over time, and so do brand styles. Something that looked fresh and modern ten years ago may need to be updated.
Companies need to keep up with changing markets by refreshing their image.
Repositioning in The Market
A business can change its focus at any point in time.
For instance, you started selling shoes but have now transitioned into sports apparel.
If this is your case, consider rebranding because your old branding would no longer align with the direction of the business.
When Companies Merge or Acquire Another Company
After businesses merge or one company acquires another, a new unified brand identity will usually have to be created between them, e.g., Dixons Carphone was born after Dixons merged with Carphone Warehouse.
A smooth transition during such periods can be facilitated through an appropriate rebranding strategy, which also helps create a cohesive image for the newly formed organisation.
To shake off negative past associations/ images about themselves, sometimes all that firms like these need might be some good old-fashioned graphic design work done on their logos and other visual elements used across various platforms!
Moving Into New Markets
If businesses want global reach, existing brands may not effectively cut across different cultures.
You must change to make them more appealing to wider audiences comprising people from diverse backgrounds.
A simplification or modernisation and streamlining processes are involved when creating logos fitting multiple environments where they’ll appear online.
The Rebrand Recipe: Key Ingredients for Success
1 – Do Research First
Before you start designing a new logo, you have to do your research. And I don’t mean just doing a quick Google search. I mean fundamental, in-depth study.
- Look at your brand: What works? What doesn’t?
- Look at your competitors: What are they doing that’s right (or wrong)?
- Ask your customers: How do they see you?
- Identify industry trends: What direction is your marketplace heading?
This phase of research is critical. It’s like checking the weather before planning a picnic. You wouldn’t want to get caught in the rain, would you?
2 – Add in a Clear Vision
After you’ve done all this research, it’s time for you to define what your vision is going to be. What do you want the new brand to say about your company? Which values do you want conveyed?
Think of this as a guide throughout the entire rebranding process for every decision, from colour choices down to font selection.
3 – Creativity Must Be Added Generously
Now we’re getting into the fun part — designing things! This includes creating something new visually, such as:
- Logo
- Colour palette
- Typography
- Imagery style
- Brand voice and tone
Creativity doesn’t mean slapping together some neon colours with wacky fonts (unless that fits). It means finding unique but memorable ways to express who this business is.
4 – Season with Consistency
Consistency might be one of those secret sauces for successful brands, but here’s why… Your new brand identity should be applied consistently across all touchpoints:
- Website
- Social media profiles
- Marketing materials
- Product packaging (and more)
- Office decor (and more)
- Employee uniforms (and more)
Think about an orchestra where every instrument needs its part but has to play together harmoniously; otherwise, it will sound terrible!
5 – Sprinkle On Involvement From Employees
Your employees are ambassadors for their brands, so if they don’t understand or accept what has been created, then there could be some significant problems somewhere else within those same organisations — that’s why companies sometimes hold workshops or develop guidelines around branding initiatives.
6 – Serve With Strategic Rollout
Flipping a switch isn’t enough when launching into something new; instead, careful planning must go into rolling out strategies such as:
- Teaser campaigns
- A big reveal event
- Different channels of phased implementation
- Media outreach press releases
Imagine having an opening night at an untried restaurant — people need excitement, not confusion!
The Rebranding Timeline: A Step-by-Step Guide
Now that we've discussed the key ingredients, let’s take a step-by-step approach to rebranding. You can consider this your guide for rebranding:
Assessment and Planning (2-3 months)
- Perform brand audit
- Establish rebranding goals
- Create a budget and schedule.
- Form a rebranding team.
Research and Strategy (2-3 months)
- Market research
- Competitor analysis
- Customer surveys
- Develop brand strategy
Design and Development (3-4 months)
- Create a new visual identity.
- Develop brand guidelines
- Design key marketing materials
- Update digital assets
Internal Launch (1 month)
- Introduce new brand to employees.
- Conduct training sessions
- Update internal documents and systems.
External Launch (1-2 months)
- Implement gradual rollout
- Update all customer touchpoints.
- Launch marketing campaign
- Monitor and gather feedback.
Evaluation And Adjustment (Ongoing)
- Keep track of brand performance metrics.
- Ask for customer as well as employee feedback.
- Make necessary changes
This timeline is only an estimate, so be aware! It may take six months or more, based on how big or complicated your company is.
The Dos and Don'ts of Rebranding
Now, let’s chat about good and bad brand change practices.
Do:
- Remain consistent with core beliefs
- Include essential partners in the procedure
- Try out new branding elements pre-launch
- Be open with your target audience about what’s happening
- Get ready for some resistance or confusion during the transition period
Don’t:
- Hurry things along
- Ignore current customers while chasing after new ones
- Make your new brand identity too complex
- Neglect to refresh all contact points (even that ancient 2015 brochure)
- Look for instant success since it takes time after a rebrand before you see results
Case Studies: Rebranding Done Right (and Wrong)
They say that experience is the best teacher. Well, in branding, it’s valid at two times. Let’s check out some interesting rebranding stories that will make you think, laugh and maybe cringe.
First up is Burberry. Remember them? The fancy British brand with the plaid pattern that suddenly became… not so fancy?
It’s the early 2000s. Burberry’s iconic checkered pattern is everywhere – and when we say everywhere, we mean everywhere! It’s on baseball caps and baby strollers; probably even your neighbour's dog has one!
All of a sudden, things take a turn for Burberry when their once coveted pattern becomes associated with ‘chav’ culture (think trashy but British for our friends outside of the UK).
Sales plummeted faster than lead balloons as they realised they looked less like luxury and more like last season's leftovers. What does a 100-year-old fashion house do in this situation?
Now, here comes the fun part! Instead of running from their heritage, what did Burberry brilliantly do? They doubled down on it! Sure, they modernised their logo but also refocused on what made them great — that quintessential British style.
They teamed up with young and trendy celebs who embodied cool Britannia vibes and revamped everything about themselves, including product lines, marketing strategies, etc., so guess what happened next? It worked.
By 2017, revenues had skyrocketed to £2.8 billion — nearly four times higher than in 2006. Talk about comebacks, right?
Here’s what we learned from this: sometimes you have to go backwards before moving forward because Burberry didn’t abandon its roots; instead, it polished them up for new generations to see shine brightly again!
Now let us switch gears talking about Gap, oh Gap! This story will make any designer break into cold sweats.
It was 2010 when Gap decided enough was enough. It's time for a change; unveiled a new logo… to crickets, actually worse than crickets: an uproar of a beige wall and boring design.
The public reaction was brutal.
What does GAP do? It was either a brilliant move or sheer panic. They decided to revert to the old logo after just four days. Four days!
Gap teaches a valuable lesson. Don’t fix something if it isn’t broken. At least give serious thought to testing first.
But here’s the thing: Gap's quick reversal is pretty admirable. Instead of stubbornly sticking to their guns, they listened to customer feedback.
So, what can we learn from these tales of successful marketing:
- Know your roots. Understand unique qualities.
- Listen to your audience. If the new look isn’t hitting, you might want to rethink
- Admit when you are wrong, be brave enough. Gap’s rapid turnaround spared them a lengthy PR disaster.
- Try, try again. Test it with your target demographic before you bet everything on a rebranding effort.
- A brand is more than just its logo. It’s a promise, an emotion, an experience. Burberry didn’t simply tweak their graphics—they overhauled their entire approach to branding.
Rebranding is like walking a tightrope: If you lean too far one way, you will lose all sense of self; if you lean too far in the opposite direction, people won’t even recognise who you used to be anymore!
The key lies in finding that perfect middle ground between being innovative and maintaining some familiarity for old and new customers.
Next time around, when considering whether or not it might be time for another rebrand, think about what happened at both Burberry as well as Gap during these processes – learn from both successes and failures equally so that someday soon, maybe yours will become known as “the next great success story” within this industry!
After all, there’s always room for one more plot twist somewhere down the line…who knows? Perhaps yours could be next!
The Role of Digital in Modern Rebranding
In our digital-first world, most people interact with a brand for the first time through its online presence. Here’s how rebranding relates to digital.
Website Redesign
Your website is your e-storefront. You often have to rebuild your site when you change your brand completely. This might mean:
- Different colours and typefaces
- More current content that reflects your new voice
- Better UX and navigation
- Mobile-friendliness
Social Media Makeover
Make sure to refresh your social media accounts too:
- Profile photos and cover images
- Bio/About sections
- Content style/tone
Digital Advertising
Immediately update all digital ads, including:
- Google Ads
- Social media ads
- Display advertising
- Email marketing templates
SEO Considerations
Changing names or domains during rebranding can affect SEO, so remember to:
- Do proper redirects
- Update Google My Business listing
- Tell Google about changes via Search Console
Measuring the Success of Your Rebrand
You may be wondering how to measure the success of your rebranding campaign. These are a few critical indicators to consider:
Brand Recognition
- Social media mentions
- Search volume for your brand name
- Media coverage
Client Perception
- Net Promoter Score (NPS)
- Customer satisfaction surveys
- Social media sentiment analysis
Financial Impact Assessment
- Sales figures and revenue growth
- Market share percentage increases over time
- Stock prices for public companies listed on exchanges like NASDAQ or NYSE, etc.
Employee Involvement in Company Culture Change Initiatives
- Employee satisfaction surveys
- Internal brand adoption rates
When Rebranding Goes Wrong: Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
No plan ever goes perfectly. Below are some common mistakes made during rebranding and how to avoid them:
Becoming Unconnected with Your Roots
During the excitement while rebranding, it is easy to go overboard and completely change yourself, But if you go too far away from what made you successful in the first place, you might lose your loyal customers.
What to do: Always remember core values and USP during the entire process of rebranding.
Underestimating its Size
Rebranding is a huge task that touches all parts of an organisation. It should not be treated as just changing a logo.
What to do: Plan, include all departments, and allocate enough time and resources.
Bad Timing
Starting a rebrand can be dangerous when your industry faces an internal crisis or significant challenges.
What to do: Be very careful about timing. Consider internal factors, like company stability, and external ones, such as market conditions.
Not getting internal support.
If employees don’t understand or support the brand change, then it will surely fail because they are the people who will live with this new identity every day.
What to do: From the beginning, involve staff members. Communicate clearly so that everyone understands what is happening around them, plus provide training sessions aimed at helping workers adjust.
The Future of Branding: Trends to Watch
Let’s take a look at some emerging trends to watch out for in branding before we end this extensive discussion on rebranding:
Logos That Change
As different digital platforms grow, brands are starting to create logos that can be recognised even if they change size or form.
Honesty and Openness
Brands that are honest about their values and practices have become more popular among consumers who appreciate such transparency.
Customised Experiences
Big data coupled with artificial intelligence has enabled businesses to give their clients personalised experiences, which will also reach branding.
Focus on Sustainability
With the increasing concern for our environment, many companies now include sustainability as part of their core identity.
Interactive Branding
Brands can use AR alongside other engaging technologies so customers feel fully involved in what the brand offers them through these experiences.
Conclusion: Embracing Change, Staying True to Your Core
Starting new branding is like remodelling your home. It’s fun, it’s tough, and if done well, it can bring new energy to your company. However, just as you wouldn’t tear down walls that support the house's structure, don’t eliminate what makes your brand unique.
The secret sauce for successfully relaunching a brand is finding that sweet spot between innovation and tradition, new ideas and tried-and-true strengths. Think evolution rather than revolution.
Remember that your brand goes beyond logos or colour palettes — it includes promises made to customers, values held dear by the company and experiences offered throughout every touchpoint with stakeholders. A rebranding should amplify this promise instead of hiding it deep inside.
So, while you are going through a transformation process within yourself as an organisation — look where we want to go but stay grounded in our roots below us here on Earth! Be daring yet imaginative, always staying true, though only ever being original anyway.
And who knows? With some thoughtful foresight into what works best for our situation combined with artistic flair sprinkled here, there, everywhere, and everything else involved, people may start talking about how calm things have gotten around these parts again soon enough! At least within certain professional circles near you.
Now, off you go! Happy rebranding!
Frequently Asked Questions
When should a company rebrand?
There are no fixed guidelines, but typically, every 7-10 years, companies do major rebranding. However, minor brand refreshes can occur more often.
What is the typical cost of rebranding?
Prices vary widely depending on your business size and the re-branding project's size. It could be tens of thousands for small businesses or millions for large corporations.
Should we hire an agency to handle our branding needs or go with in-house workers?
This largely depends on what resources you have available as well as expertise within your team. An outside agency can offer new ideas and specialised skills, but it will cost more than doing it yourself, and you might have less control over the process because there may not be any experts involved.
How long does a usual rebranding take?
Most comprehensive brands take about six to twelve months from start to finish, although this varies depending on the size and complexity of your organisation.
What happens if customers don’t like our new brand?
Initial resistance is expected, so closely monitor feedback and adjust if needed. Explaining why changes were made usually helps people accept them better.
Do we need to change everything at once when we rebrand?
Not necessarily; many companies prefer the gradual introduction of new elements, which tends to reduce disruption and save costs since they won’t have to do it all at once.
How do we legally protect our new brand?
Trademarking logos, names and distinctive features is one way. Consulting legal professionals ensures that the newly created trademarks differ from pre-existing ones.
