When to consider rebranding your company (and when not to)
Branding is what tells the world exactly who you are and what you’re here to do, so when it comes to changing this it can be kind of a big deal.
When establishing your brand, it's important to consider your values, what you want your audience to feel when they think of your business, what you want to offer, and how you stand out from the crowd.
As the market shifts and your business develops, it can be tricky to know whether your branding is doing the most for you and whether it may be time to rejig your visual and strategic trajectory and try something new.
So, here are five key signs it's time to help you identify when it is time to shake off the old and bring in the new by revisiting the direction of your branding…
💡 5 Key signs it might be time to rebrand
1. You Need To Differentiate From Competitors
Does your brand get lost in a sea of your competitors when someone searches for you on Google? Would your brand be easily mistaken or forgotten by a new customer? If so, it's time to consider rebranding in a way that is unique and bold, but still speaks exactly to your values, your services, and your customer.
2. Your Brand Vision Has Changed
Something that worked once, may not work forever. It is the same when it comes to your branding. When you first began your business, or last rebranded, your mission and vision may have been different to what it is now. It is important to make sure your branding reflects who you are and what you have set out to do, so in this case, a rebrand would be highly effective in helping your customers understand who it is they are dealing with on an interpersonal level.
3. You’ve Outgrown Your Current Branding
Sometimes, it is as simple as outgrowing your existing branding to create the need for a revamp. What worked once may not work now, and whilst your branding shouldn’t directly chase popular trends, having the same brand identity and logo for a very long span of time can easily date your business.
In this situation, even small updates can help give your branding the refresh it needs to thrive again.
4. Your Audience Has Changed
As your brand grows, your customers do too. Combine this with the organic development that occurs within a business as time passes, and it is clear that it is totally possible that your customer and your brand are two things that no longer align.
If you establish what your customers want and expect, consider competition in the market, and your values and core pillars as a brand, you may very well have an answer as to the best way to realign your branding to reflect your new audience.
5. Your Branding Doesn’t Reflect Your Values
Thanks to social media and the internet, consumers are able to hunt for brands and businesses that align closely with their values, as opposed to only choosing from the biggest players or businesses local to them.
The digital world has opened up a wealth of possibilities for brands, making it more important than ever for your brand to convey your values and mission visually. If you feel like your branding isn’t telling your story effectively enough, it may be time to consider the idea of redirecting your branding down a new path to ensure that the right eyes are landing on your product or service.
✏️ Rebranding done Right: Burger King
An unapologetic celebration of the fast food chains design history and irreverent personality. Burger Kings first redesign in over 20 years brought back a retro logo combined with a rich, vibrant colour palette, playful illustration and font that simply oozes personality.
The rebrand included everything from the logo and merchandise to environment design and packaging but the biggest shift was adopting a more digital-friendly approach to its material.
“Since 1999 when the previous logo was launched, many things have changed in the world of brands and in Burger King. Today, brands use the digital space as their playgrounds and a photogenic, digital-friendly identity is needed more than ever.” Says Raphael Abreu, global head of design for Restaurant Brands International, Burger King’s parent company.
It plays homage to the brands history in an engaging and relevant way, re-establishing the business with a timeless, emotive brand.
Burger King President Chris Finazzo summarised it well, “this new look is both fun and simple and will take the brand into the future.”
Job done!
💡 5 Key signs you shouldn’t consider a rebrand
Whilst rebranding can provide a plethora of fantastic results, if it is premature or unsolicited, a rebrand can sometimes do more damage than good for your business activities. Here are five signs you shouldn’t be considering a rebrand…
1. You’re Bored Of Your Current Branding
Sometimes things simply get boring - we’re only human after all. You are going to see your branding day in day out, sometimes for many, many years without any change, however, this does not directly equate to the need for a rebrand. If your brand is unique, recognisable to your customer, and reflects the essence, values and personality of your business, things might be just fine the way they are.
2. Your Last Rebrand Was Recent
Branding is what helps your audience identify you as you, so rebranding too frequently can mean confusing your most important asset - your customer. Rebranding too frequently also runs the risk of getting lost amongst your competitors, which can cause serious implications when it comes to the process of finding new customers, or allowing them to find you.
In order to guide your customer, it is most beneficial to only rebrand when you really need to, and in a way that pays respect to the visual identity of what the brand has been throughout its history.
3. You Don’t Have The Resources To Execute A Rebrand Effectively
If you’re going to do something, do it properly. If you don’t have the resources, budget or vision for new branding, it probably isn’t the time to get started. Branding is one of the most important building blocks of a brand, so should be invested into fittingly.
Stick with your current branding until you’re able to rebrand in the strongest way possible with your best foot forward.
4. You’re Currently Attracting The Attention Of The Right Customer
Your current customer aligns with your values, enjoys your products and services, and maintains a relationship with your brand by staying up to date and making repeated purchases. In this situation, your branding is clearly helping you achieve great results, so you should leverage this until the need for change truly presents itself.
As they say, ‘ if it ain’t broke’...
5. New Management But No Change
Sometimes when there’s a change in management there’s a temptation to mark it with a statement — rebranding being one of the most noticeable. As tempting as it is to ‘leave your own mark’ unless you’re changing the direction of the brand itself a rebrand is most likely not the wisest decision.
🙅 Rebranding Gone Wrong: Gap
Along with good rebrands, come the not so good. We’ll take Gap’s 2010 rebranding exercise as an example. Gap’s original logo featuring a bold blue square and serif-font reigned from 1986 until 2020, when it was decided a rebrand would be undertaken.
After only 6 days of becoming the brand’s new identity, the refreshed branding was quickly shelved and replaced with its precursor - but what is it that made this rebrand so ineffective?
A total change to the way that consumers are able to recognise the brand from the logo’s total restructure and swap from serif to sans-serif typeface, the removal of personal connection between consumers and such a longstanding visual identity, and the sudden rebrand without any major catalyst, all played part in the negative response to the brand’s attempt at visual revitalisation.
What we can learn from this is that legacy matters, customers care, and that there is nothing more important than staying true to who you are as a brand when it comes to revisiting a visual identity.
🤔 In short — consider carefully!
Rebranding, when done thoughtfully and effectively, is an amazing tool for brands to breathe new life into existing businesses and reinvigorate their customers to become even more passionate and excited about the brands they care about and trust.
Whilst legacy is important, so is innovation, making it crucial to decide, prior to investing the time, effort and funds, whether rebranding activities are truly going to help you further succeed and reach your goals.
Despite the decision of choosing whether or not to rebrand being one of great significance, there is one thing that will always ring true - when you stick to your brand values, genuinely understand your customer, and have a vision for the future, you have the ability to create visual identities that will stand the test of time.
Chris Thomas is an independent design and branding specialist with over 20 years experience working with iconic brands across a wide range of sectors spanning the UK, EU, US, Middle East, Asia and here in Australia. He is the owner and Creative Director at Founded by Design, and has been awarded both nationally and internationally for his work.
