Time to rebrand?

July 2011 - Dan Abeledo

As much as you would like to avoid it, most brands will become lacklustre and less relevant over time and need a revamp, or even a complete overhaul.

Looking at your brand objectively is undeniably tough for the majority of us, especially if you were heavily involved in its creation, but you know deep inside when it’s time for change.

It’s like moving out of your parents’ house for the first time. You know the day will come when you have to ‘fly the nest’. Yes, you may have some trepidation, an affinity for the familiar. Sure, you might miss it for the first couple of weeks, the convenience, the familiarity. But you’ll never want to go back permanently.

When you look at your brand image, does it look old-fashioned or ‘retro’? (Not in the ‘cool’ sense of the word either). Does it still reflect your ethos, products or services? Has the market moved and you need to change direction, image or strategy?

If so, here are our top tips to rebranding:

Keep up with the times

That Comic Sans, Papyrus or Brush Script font you thought looked amazing back in the day is incredibly dated. Remember, your taste may not appeal to your customer so put yourself in their shoes. How does your brand represent your company or service? Let go of the old and embrace the new.

Future proof

Equally, try to avoid trends. It’s easy to follow current fashions but these will date before you can say “shoulder pads” — try to future proof your brand as much as possible. Think about your growth strategy; will this brand reflect where you are heading in the future?

Get your team onboard

Successful branding starts inside a company – you and your team deliver the message to your customers. Put a rebranding strategy in place well in advance and get people on board.

Research and testing

So you can get a broader perspective on the rebranding process, look at a cross section of other businesses, not just those in your field. Ask team members for input, consult customers, hold focus groups to test ideas.

Choose a great name

If you are changing name, make sure the new one is easy to remember and accurately communicates the nature of your business to others. Don’t be fooled — what you think sounds fantastic may have the reverse effect to your existing/potential customer base.

Go easy on the strapline

Don’t get carried away with your strapline. Good straplines are usually three to six believable words that match your core services and have great appeal. Any more than this and logos won’t work at smaller sizes. Keep things short and succinct.

Don’t let your marketing materials go stale

Don’t go for the cheapest option and order 10,000 copies of your corporate brochure when it will take you eight years to get rid of them. Order smaller amounts of marketing materials and refresh or redesign them more frequently. When your materials look tired, your customers will think the same about your organisation.