Is It Time To Rebrand Your Business?
CJ Haag
May 24, 2022
Summer is almost here! It’s the perfect time to revitalize and reset with this season of new growth and transition. While you’re switching over your closet and throwing open the windows, have you thought about giving your brand that same refresh? There are a few reasons why a rebrand might be right for you. In this article, we’ll help you determine if now is the time to switch things up.
Change in Strategy
Sometimes businesses have to change the way they run their day-to-day operations for a variety of reasons. I mean, just look at the effect the pandemic has had on companies across the globe. Things happen to our economy or communities that force business owners to adapt and change their strategies. Now, this doesn’t automatically require a complete rebrand, but if the change you’re making is central to your existing business model or purpose, it may make sense to complete a rebrand at the same time.
New Target Market
Maybe your business moved out of state where your target market is different. Or, maybe you’ve added a new product or service that now reaches a whole new demographic. Either way, this could justify a rebrand for your business.
Keeping your target market and that demographic in mind when you’re planning a rebrand is essential. A logo should speak to those demographics and communicate a look, emotion, and story that your audience will connect with and relate to.
It’s Time
How long has your business been open and operating? Maybe it’s simply time to update your brand with a more current look and feel. Branding can get outdated quickly when it’s designed with a current fad in mind. Opt for a more classic and timeless design that can carry your brand identity for several years or more.
If you haven’t updated your brand in five years or longer, then it’s a good idea to take a look at possible changes. As a general rule, strive to evaluate your logo, brand, and messaging every five years and make any adjustments that are needed. This should be considered standard practice for your business.
What Does a Rebrand Entail?
- Discussion. Your marketing team should be making plans and having several discussions around a rebrand over the course of time. As mentioned above, take into consideration your target market, demographic, changes in strategy, and any other important factors that would affect the rebrand.
- Planning. Make a plan on when the re-brand will launch and “go live” on your website, social media, email marketing, signage, products, and all facets of your business. Then, work your way backward to figure out how much time and budget is needed to accomplish those goals.
- Execution. When rebranding you tend to discover just how much content contains your logo and brand identity! Making sure that all of your content and materials are up to date with the new brand takes time and effort. The final step is to update the new brand across all materials and channels.
Keeping Equity
There may be elements of your brand that your target audience particularly associates you with. For example, your brand colors, an icon, or aspect of your name might really make you you! You don’t want to lose that equity you’ve built by scrapping everything in a rebrand. Make sure you have an understanding of what aspects of your brand are working for you before you embark on the rebranding process. Start with a strong foundation to build a more updated brand on!
Rebrand Versus Refresh
Refreshing a brand is something we often see with big companies; they tweak their font or simplify their logo. While rebranding is completely overhauling the face of your brand to change the core look and feel of your identity, refreshing is an adjustment of particular aspects while maintaining the same brand. For either approach, the most important thing is to keep it consistent. If you’re making a change, it has to be done everywhere.
What Not To Do
Don’t rebrand too frequently or simply because you’re bored with how your brand looks. If it’s only been a year since your last rebrand, then it’s best to wait it out a bit longer to ensure it’s effective, impactful, and not disorienting to your audience. Again, our recommendation is to review and consider a rebrand every five years.
Conclusion
Rebranding takes time, sometimes a very long time, and should be completed in phases. There are many points of consideration when trying to execute a business rebrand. At Fuzzy Duck, our team helps businesses of all sizes accomplish their rebranding goals every day. Give us a call today to set up a FREE CONSULTATION to start working on your brand strategy. If you’re interested in other aspects of rebranding, like logo redesign, click here to see some of the logos we’ve made over the years.