Key points:

• There isn’t one way to rebrand, and you need to do what’s right for you and your brand. It’s not a one size fits all approach.
• A rebrand involves revisiting your brands strategic foundations. It’s more than just a facelift and shiny new logo.
• One of the keys to success of a rebrand is ensuring if you do it, that you do it properly. Make sure you consider what your current brand equity is and then weigh up the pros and cons.
• A clear vision, purpose and proposition will guide your internal and external messaging on why you’re doing the rebrand and where you’re headed.

Whaddya call this love? Rebrand.

It’s beautiful!

Oh, everyone can rebrand love.

Yeh... but it’s what you do with it...

So how do you know when to stick to your guns, avoiding the noise and pretty distractions, vs. when you actually need to consider a rebrand.

What is rebranding and why is it important? 
Let’s start with what a rebrand actually means. Domain names and licenses aside - a rebrand is a pretty big deal. A rebrand involves revisiting your brands internal and external foundations and returning to market with not just a new and improved look and feel, but most importantly, a solid strategic foundation and clear purpose. It’s more than just a facelift with a shiny new logo and a different colour palette. To be successful, a re-brand must articulate your vision, clarify your purpose and define the values that underpin your organisations culture and DNA.

One of the keys to success of a rebrand is ensuring if you do it, that you do it properly. So, before you commit, it’s important to consider the pros and cons:

Let’s start with the pros:

• Rebrands are like a fresh start. You can shed old images and revitalise yourself with a fresh and updated identity. Perhaps you could be seen in a new light with a new demographic, or right any wrongs you'd made from previous mistakes, appealing to your strengths and what did work.
• A successful rebrand can increase your brand recognition and visibility in market. They can help generate attention and exposure, expanding the brand’s reach and ultimately attract new customers.
• They also give you the opportunity to refocus on who you are as a brand. Somewhere along the way your messaging may have been diluted or your brand may have become inconsistent. Rebrands can allow you to do a bit of an audit to see how you are currently communicating your brand.

And consider the cons:

• Whichever way you cut it, rebranding is simply a risk because you may lose some great traction that the original known and trusted brand had built. No new brand can compete with the time, effort and trust you had already built with the previous brand.
• It’s also important to weigh up how much equity exists in your current brand and how to transfer this to your new brand. A well thought out comms strategy for your internal launch is key.
• Rebranding may also lead to customer confusion, especially if the changes are drastic or not communicated properly. Your customers may have built strong brand associations and loyalties with your existing brand, so shaking it up may impact your credibility.

Your brand strategy forms the solid foundation that will underpin everything you do moving forward, building equity through connection and consistency. A clear vision, purpose and proposition, will guide your messaging on why you’re doing it and where you’re headed. It’s extremely important to do the work upfront and ensure your team are clear on the strategy internally, so that your external brand matches your insides - sounds simple, right?

Types of rebranding + examples

Okay, so now we have the basics down pat, and you’d be able to join in on any rebranding discussions around the water cooler. But wait, there’s more! It may come as no surprise, but there is no one size fits all approach to a rebrand. There are four main ways you can break this down. A question we often ask, is it evolution to revolution? Here’s some different options on that re-branding scale:

• A brand refresh – think of this like giving your brand a fresh coat of paint without tearing down the walls, or replacing that old, lumpy couch in your living room with a new, sleek one. It’s all about sprucing up your brands look and feel, while keeping its essence intact. It’s a mini-makeover to reflect what is happening in your target markets world and help you stay relevant.A recent example of this type of brand evolution is NIB. They were seeking transform their brand to match their business ambition, in becoming a trusted health partner to their members. They wanted their brand to be fresh, warm and ultimately human, but didn’t want to lose their overall brand feel.Their transformation included an updated logo, colour palette, photography style and illustrations. This helped them demonstrate how they provide a genuine and personalised experience tailored to each members health journey.

• A full rebrand – we’re knocking down the walls here and going through a significant transformation. Hitting the reset button and reinventing yourself to make a bold statement and capture the attention of your audience. This is a comprehensive revolutionary overhaul of your brands identity from its name, logo and other visual elements to its purpose, mission and values.A local example of this is The Australian Open, one of the most anticipated sporting events on the calendar. Getting bigger and better each year, their branding was stale and out of date. It was not reflective of the brands playful and modern persona, rather one that was bland and traditional.They wanted the brand to transcend the event itself, so that’s what they did. The ‘A’ and ‘O’ are the key components for the new brand, with the brand now commonly known as just AO. The simplicity and flexibility of this helps the brand dynamically live across every part of the AO experience, from large activations through to event tickets.Through finding new and unexpected ways to engage with tennis, AO transformed themselves into more than just an event, but an experience.

• Brand articulation – keeping the exterior of the house the same but spring cleaning the inside. This may not even be a huge visual change, it may just be a tidy up and a clarifying of your brand strategy to help you define who you are as a brand, what you stand for and what your values are.Probably one of the largest rebrands in recent years, with an entire name change to boot, is Facebook to META.Redefining the offering and adapting to a VR world that is progressing exponentially, Meta is an example of a re-brand with an adapted offering at its heart and objective of remaining at the forefront of the industry.

  Whilst Facebook very much still exists as the social media platform we know and love, it sits alongside other offerings under Meta’s broader ecosystem like Instagram and WhatsApp. It’s a great example of developing a new brand architecture, effectively communicating product integration, and leveraging the synergy between individual products within a larger brand ecosystem.

• Brand merger - the magical mashup of two worlds coming together to create something new and exciting. It would be as if Batman and Spiderman came together to join forces, combine their power, resources and market presence to create a stronger, more formidable entity.There are many ways that brands can merge, but one of the best examples of all time is when Disney acquired Pixar.Their merger is what is known as a ‘vertical’ merger. They are in the same field, but operating at different ends of the production process, so they can work together to create synergy together. The best of both worlds.

  The merger benefited both parties too. Disney benefited from Pixar’s technology and innovation, and Pixar benefited from having support from Disney.

  This is an example where both companies stayed true to their original values and kept their names but this isn’t always the case.

So now you’re in the know when it comes to what rebranding actually is. When tossing up whether you should or shouldn’t rebrand, make sure to consider these top three things:

• Conduct a brand audit to see how you are currently communicating your brand. Somewhere along the way your messaging may have been diluted, your brand may have become inconsistent, or your goals may have changed. If your strategy and brand is misaligned, a rebrand might be for you.
• Think of the equity and traction that you and your brand have built. If there is no compelling business case to evolve, a re-brand may not be something to go ahead with.
• Think of your customer, their needs and how a rebrand will impact them and their consumer journey. It might be a great way to right any wrongs you have made previously and increase loyalty, or it may confuse them especially if the changes are drastic or not communicated properly.

The best way to understand whether a rebrand is right for you or not is to have a chat. Get in touch, we would love to help!