Getting your rebrand right

1. First of all, what is a rebrand?

A rebrand involves changing a company’s image, identity, or positioning. This commonly includes a new visual identity: The logo, colors, messaging, and even name are all candidates for change. As you would expect with such a large undertaking, it’s imperative to have an effective rebranding strategy in place to maximize the impact of your efforts on customers and stakeholders, increase brand awareness and loyalty, and, ultimately, drive business growth.

2. Why would a rebrand be necessary?

Rebranding can breathe new life into your company by revitalizing its image, staying relevant, and driving growth. A successful rebrand can differentiate you from competitors, enhance customer perception, and foster trust. It's a chance to communicate your values, mission, and commitment effectively.

Lastly, a rebrand (when done well) can also reinvigorate employee morale, instilling pride in the organization. It's an investment in the future, offering opportunities to attract new customers, retain existing ones, and, ultimately, boost your bottom line.

3. When should you rebrand?

Simply put, a rebrand is essential when your current brand is struggling to resonate with your audience or when your business evolves, expanding into new markets or offering different products and services.

Another cause to rebrand is when your business changes in some way. Major mergers, acquisitions, or expansions make for great rebranding opportunities to unify differing identities. Regularly assessing market trends and customer preferences is key for large companies to decide when it's time for a rebrand that aligns with business objectives and maintains industry leadership.

4. How do you execute a rebrand?

Executing a rebrand involves a comprehensive approach, especially for global or multi-national brands:

• Begin by defining clear objectives and aligning them with your business strategy.
• Conduct market research, competitor analysis, and customer feedback.
• Develop a new brand identity: This can be as extensive as necessary, from a visual refresh to a fully redesigned identity.
• Build a new brand home for your digital assets and brand guidelines to live.
• Ensure your internal teams are trained and aligned with your new direction.
• Launch your new brand identity to the world!

5. Who is involved in a rebrand?

When undergoing a rebrand, multiple parties carry out important functions. As a first step, executive leadership and senior management set the strategic direction for the process, while marketing professionals oversee the creative aspects.

For global brands, an external agency of branding experts is often brought in to offer advice, insights, and research findings to the journey. Legal and compliance teams ensure all changes adhere to regulations. Additionally, customer and employee input is invaluable for a successful rebrand, and internal communication teams ensure all-important staff alignment.

6. Where can your new brand live?

The last question is actually one of the first you should consider when undertaking a rebrand.

Creating a brand home for your new brand assets and guidelines is an essential step to ensuring a smooth transition into your new identity. It’s imperative that your teams have somewhere to explore and familiarize themselves with the new digital assets they’ll be using and to get to grips with the new visual and tonal languages you’ve created.

Even outside of your team, having a robust DAM and brand guideline hub can help external stakeholders access and use your assets without getting lost in a chain of confusing emails and PDFs.