Brand Builders Part 29: Is it time for a rebrand?

I often hear people say, “Hey, we think it’s time for a rebrand”. They call us and at the agency, they want us to rebrand them. What they really want is not a rebrand; that’s an emotional connection between their target audience and the company. What they really need is a logo evolution. They need an updated brand identity, but I hate to see companies waste money on a frivolous reason to make a change, so there’s some really good reasons to make that change.

One of the first reasons that people should think about making that kind of change, (because it can be very expensive), is if your audience has changed. If when you started the company, 10, 20, 30 years ago, your audience was this group, but you’ve grown, you’ve evolved, you’ve over time, you have an entirely different audience now. You used to try to sell to everybody, but now you sell to a very specific set of people. Or, maybe it used to be a really small group, but as you’ve added products and services over time, you’ve got more and more groups.

I find this often happens with names being outdated. The name of your company, when you first started represented that one little thing you did at that time but now you have all of these things that you do, and your name doesn’t nearly say it. So, yeah, I would tell you, it’s time for a new name, a new logo, and evolution. When your audience changes, you’re gonna have to change with them. I also find that it’s a good time for people to make those kinds of changes, when their business has plateaued. They’ve existed for decades, you’ve been around the block, and you grew and grew and grew, but now you’ve kind of just plateaued.

You need something to get that spark going, again. An evolution of your brand identity is a great way to do that. It’s not a frivolous waste of money, it’s a way to change with the times. It’s a way to show people you’re climbing back up that mountain again. So, it can be a really good investment. because it’s going to help you get more new business. It’s going to help you get back in front of your customer base, and it’s going to help them recognize you for the new company you’re becoming, not the old one you were.

Now it might be that you have an outdated image, and that goes one of two ways. Either it’s just old, it’s tired, it’s from the 70s, your typefaces out of date, your colors are bad at best. Or you have an outdated image that’s so outdated, it’s become offensive. Don’t just cross your fingers and hope that no one notices, because trust me, they will notice. Instead get ahead of it, make the changes that need to be made to show people that you care about their feelings, that you are sensitive to the modern times that we’re in, and that you’re not stuck in some old time where it was okay to have those outdated images, in your logo, your name, your packaging, whatever it might be.

Now, it might be that you need to make some changes because of a merger or an acquisition. You’re not the same company you used to be, literally. You’ve bought another company, or another company has bought you. Now more than ever, you need a new name and a new logo to represent that new entity. These can be really challenging, but fun. I find oftentimes, people are very rooted in what they used to be, and especially what theirs used to be. And so, they try to make it where they keep everything that was there before, and it becomes almost this kitchen sink logo. You know, it’s like everything in the kitchen sink. Those aren’t going to work for anyone, we’re going to find something new and better for you that really allows people to see who this new entity is and what it’s about.

Now, it could be that your company’s identity is mismatched. You’ve grown and changed, and you’ve gone here and you’ve gone there and along the way, this has been picked up and that’s been picked up in somebody’s tried to make a name and a logo that tells everyone everything you do. That would be like 100 year old law firms still naming every partner. That is a bad, bad idea. So, you want to have a new name and logo that really works with who you are today. One of the biggest reasons is because of your competitors. No, no, not that you want to be like them. It’s because they’ve been spending a lot of time becoming like you. Really, they’ve borrowed liberally, from your design. From your colors, from your font, from your layout, from everything. You look around and realize everybody’s kind of starting to look like a copycat of you. Well, you can go sue them because they’ve infringed upon your trademark, or you can just evolve.

You can get fresh and new and leapfrog right over them. They’ll be back in your rearview mirror again where they belong. And of course As last but not least, because you’re launching a new product or service. And so to really make sure that new product or service is incorporated into the overall corporate image, either the entire corporate image needs to change, or you’re now becoming a family of brands. And as part of this family, you have a new offshoot, it has to be connected, but not too much of a duplicate. It’s got to stand on its own, and yet still tie back. Those are great times to do a refresh. So, if you find yourself in any of these places, it’s time to seek out some assistance. Usually, an outside third party can come in with fresh eyes, fresh ideas, and really help you get to that next level that you’re heading to. So, is it a time for a rebrand. I don’t know. But if you answered yes to any of those questions, then absolutely. It’s time to build a better brand.