How often should I rebrand?
LONG READ
A rebrand, or a brand refresh, is often an essential part to any businesses’ journey, no matter your size or sector.
The best brands are ones that are built to last, seeing you through ever-changing trends, shifts in culture and customer demands. They have strong recall yet allow for flexibility and change – a necessity in today’s climate.
Changing your brand should be a reaction to a particular issue or to fulfil a specific objective: your brand might no longer be effectively communicating your brand strategy, or there has been a change in your target customer demographic.
Nike are a well-known example of a strong, consistent brand that builds flexibility and adaptability into their communications. They set themselves a clear mission and brand purpose from the very beginning, which in turn sets the tone for the rest of their brand and clearly states their objectives and reason for existence:
Mission: To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. (If you have a body, you are an athlete).
Purpose: We’re committed to creating a better, more sustainable future for our people, planet and communities through the power of sport
They have built so much brand equity into their core brand asset, such as their signature tick, it has barely changed since Nike first emerged decades ago. When people think rebrand, they assume a logo change. I’m sure we can all agree that changing the iconic tick would be detrimental to their success (we all remember what happened to Gap when they attempted to rebrand back in 2010), so Nike instead focusses their attention on flexible communications, products and offerings (such as involvement in events and external programmes) to add real value to customers. They are not afraid to be bold and take risks but, more importantly, to learn, grow and adapt.
In the face of today’s challenges – from climate change to inequality to how we unleash the potential of the next generation – I believe we need our boldest dreams yet.
Brands and businesses that resist change risk being left behind. If you can’t keep up with customer needs and demands, or you’re slow at reacting to change, then customers will inevitably look elsewhere. The fall of well-known high-street giants such as BHS, Toys ‘R’ Us and Woolworths are all examples of this. However, a shift in consumer habits was just one contributing factor to their demise.
When should you consider a rebrand?
Regularly evaluating your brand (strategy included) is essential. You should always be aware of where you sit within your market and how your customers interact with your company and your services.
Below are some common signifiers that a rebrand is indeed what is required. If these apply to your business, then chances are a rebrand is the best option for you and your business. If you’re looking to assess your brand health, we have a free Brand Performance Checklist that helps you identify its strengths and challenges.
When the focus of the business, your service, product or offer is fundamentally changing
The first one is obvious. You need to pivot your product offering and, therefore, your brand identity so that it’s distinctly different from the ‘old you’.
When your brand no longer reflects your brand purpose
It’s vital that your visual identity reflects the strategy of the business. Sometimes this is all about looking back and leaning on the heritage of the business. The Co-op, a British grocery store staple, undertook a bold rebrand back in 2016 triggered by a change to their membership offering. They had lost their sense of purpose: Co-op existing solely for their members and pride themselves on giving back to local causes, so decided to revert back to a close iteration of their original logo to visually bring them back to their roots.
When your brand no longer resonates with your customers
I can’t stress enough how important it is to listen to your customers. They ultimately contribute to your business success (and failure), and can offer incredible insights that can inform strategy, brand and design decisions.
Business people are driven by the very same motivations as consumers.
Graham Booth, founder of Movement Research, notes that “Business people are driven by the very same motivations as consumers. When it comes to communicating with them, it’s 100% critical you make it simple, make it fast and take away any friction.
It might be that your brand isn’t attracting the right audience. In this case, you may have an audience in mind but data is telling you that your brand isn’t reaching them. This can be quite nuanced, but we’ve found that often a brands messaging and tone of voice isn’t quite hitting the mark. So it’s not necessarily always a visual disconnection.
When your brand no longer feels relevant within the current climate
If your brand is outdated and struggling to standout in a noisy market you can find it difficult to acquire new customers. There might be a perception that your brand is old fashioned, especially when judging your business alongside your competitors.
Over time, your sector might have become saturated with new ‘disruptors’. On the other hand, it might be that everyone is starting to look and sound similar. In both cases, you need to pivot to ensure standout.
Since their inception in 1998, Google has grown to be the dominant internet search provider. The way consumers use their service has evolved and changed at a rapid rate. Their old logo felt out-dated, irrelevant and unreflective of their offering.
2015 saw a refreshed visual identity and language that not only effectively communicates their purpose (to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful), but also reflects the way consumers use Google. They make sure they use the right design system and style across their product brands, such as Google Maps and their G-Suite to create a strong link back to the Google parent brand. They’ve pushed past just existing online and have cemented themselves as a core part of everyday life. We expect a further refresh is on the cards soon, due to the impact AI may having within search…
When there’s a change in leadership
Any large change within the business provides a good opportunity to step back and assess your brand. If the new leadership has a specific agenda, what better way to demonstrate than a refreshed brand? If you’re merging multiple businesses then you’ll naturally need to consider how to bring everyone together and ensure your customers understand your new offering. Chances are a rebrand will help you unite and clarify this change for customers and internal teams.
When you’ve outgrown your current brand
A change in business size, be it an organic or conscious decision, may mean your visual identity no longer resonates with your customer or communicates your offering effectively. It’s really important to vocalise this change, particularly if this leads to a change in audience.
When internal teams are struggling to implement or use your brand
A brand can become unwieldy and difficult to use because more and more assets have been added over the years. You might have decent brand assets, but if no time has been spent embedding them into the business then teams are unlikely to understand what they’re for or how they should use them.
The opposite could also be true – perhaps the lack of brand assets are proving difficult for marketing teams to implement engaging collateral.
If you don’t want a total refresh…
A ‘rebrand’ doesn’t necessarily mean transforming into a totally new brand – a refresh can be equally, if not more, effective than a redo – so don’t let the phrase deter you. Your reasoning for a change or an update should always be subjective, so use consumer relevance and needs to inform your decision. If you feel the relevancy of your brand start to slip away, then a rebrand, or brand refresh, could well be the key to solving this.
What next?
If you’re looking to assess your brand health we have a free resource that allows you to identify your brands strengths and challenges. And if you’d like a complimentary, no obligation call to discuss your brand challenges then drop us an email and we can book a 30-minute session in.
Related content
Inherited a Brand? How to Evolve It Without Losing Equity
How to talk to the next generation without losing everyone else
How to Write an RFP That Actually Gets You Bold Work
The Riskiest Thing Your Brand Can Do Is Play It Safe
