All throughout history, we have seen major rebranding and refreshing campaigns without fully comprehending what they signify for the public and the company itself.

Sometimes, the change was not registered by the public eye and, in other cases, the public had lots to say about it.

But what does it mean to do a rebrand? What is the difference between rebranding and refreshing? And why is it so important for companies to still be doing them?

Jané Rossouw from media update clears the air between a rebrand and brand refresh with Stefan Maritz from blackbear here:

What is the main goal of rebranding and refreshing?

A rebrand and a brand refresh are two distinct approaches to updating a company's brand identity — each with its own goals, scope and level of change.

Rebranding
A rebrand is a much more comprehensive and transformational process, which involves redefining the companies:
  • core identity
  • values
  • messaging, and
  • visual elements.

This approach is usually taken when a company wants to signal a significant shift in its:
  • strategic direction
  • product / service offerings, or
  • target audience.

A rebrand is like undergoing a personality transplant, where an individual changes their core beliefs, values and the way they present themselves to the world.

This transformation results in a completely new identity that signifies a departure from their previous self.

A rebrand may be prompted by:
  • changes in the competitive landscape
  • company mergers or acquisitions, or
  • a desire to shed a negative image or outdated positioning.

A rebrand typically involves creating an entirely new:
  • logo
  • colour palette
  • typography, and
  • other visual elements.

Brand refresh
A brand refresh is a more subtle and incremental approach, focused on updating and revitalising the existing brand identity without altering its:
  • core values
  • messaging
  • positioning, or
  • strategy.

A brand refresh is often undertaken to keep a brand relevant, modern and appealing in the face of evolving market trends and customer preferences.

The goal of a brand refresh is to maintain brand recognition and continuity while injecting new energy and life into the brand to make it more appealing to its target audience.

On the other hand, a brand refresh is like getting a haircut or a wardrobe update; it's a subtle change that freshens up a person's appearance without fundamentally altering their personality or character.

It may involve:
  • tweaking the logo
  • updating the colour palette or typography
  • refining the tone of voice, or
  • enhancing the brand's visual language.


What is the extent of the changes made in rebranding versus refreshing?

Rebranding
All of the following, or a combination of:
  • comprehensive transformation of brand identity
  • redefinition of core values and messaging
  • a significant shift in strategic direction, target market, or product offerings
  • creation of a new name, logo, colour palette, typography and visual elements
  • a new or updated tone of voice and overall market positioning, and
  • a possible response to changes in the competitive landscape, company mergers / acquisitions, or a desire to shed a negative image.

Refreshing
All of the following, or a combination of:
  • subtle updates to the existing brand identity
  • retention of core values and messaging
  • incremental changes to keep the brand relevant and appealing
  • tweaks to the logo, colour palette, typography, or visual language
  • refinement of the brand's tone of voice, or
  • adapt to evolving market trends, consumer preferences, and industry changes without losing brand recognition and continuity.


How does rebranding differ from refreshing in terms of messaging and communication to the target audience?

Rebranding
It involves a complete overhaul of the brand's messaging, which may include changes to the brand's mission, vision and value proposition.

A rebrand requires a new narrative to explain the reasons behind the rebrand and the benefits it brings to the target audience.

A rebrand always signals a significant shift in the company's strategic direction, product / service offerings, or even core target market, which may attract new customers while potentially deliberately alienating some existing ones.

A rebrand almost always goes hand-in-hand with a comprehensive communication plan — including PR campaigns, advertising and social media efforts — to introduce and promote the new brand identity and narrative.

It oftentimes requires educating the target audience about the new brand and its offerings, as well as rebuilding trust and brand equity.

Brand refresh
Focuses on updating and refining the existing messaging without changing the brand's core:
  • values
  • mission, or
  • vision.

A refresh aims to strengthen and clarify the brand's communication with its target audience, making it more appealing, relevant and engaging. It strives to maintain continuity with the existing brand, ensuring that current customers continue to recognise and feel connected to the brand.

It requires more limited communication efforts and less education, focusing on presenting the updated brand identity and highlighting the improvements made.

It aims to allow the company to build upon its existing brand equity and customer relationships while adapting to evolving market trends and consumer preferences.

We oftentimes see big brands hit the refresh button simply to have an excuse to run a massive campaign and grab PR attention and create some buzz around them.


What are the potential risks and benefits associated with rebranding versus refreshing?

Rebranding

Benefits:
  • Rebranding provides an opportunity for a fresh start, shedding negative associations, or an outdated image.
  • It enables alignment with a new strategic direction, target market and product offerings.
  • Rebrands can help the brand stay competitive in a changing market or industry landscape.
  • It can also attract new customers by presenting a more relevant and compelling brand identity.

Risks:
  • Loss of brand recognition and loyalty among existing customers due to the significant changes made.
  • Possibility of alienating some existing customers and fans who may not identify with the new brand identity.
  • It's potentially even alienating internal stakeholders, partners and employees.
  • Time, effort and resources need to be deployed to rebuild brand equity and trust — oftentimes from scratch. This is never easy and never cheap. The bigger the brand, the bigger the task and the greater the required budget. This is why it often-times comes at the cost of millions of dollars.
  • The risk of a negative reception if the rebrand is not well-executed or does not resonate with the target audience.

Refreshing

Benefits:
  • It enhances the brand's relevance and appeal without losing its core identity and values.
  • It allows the company to adapt to evolving market trends, consumer preferences, and industry changes.
  • It builds upon existing brand equity, customer relationships and loyalty.
  • It’s a more cost-effective and less disruptive approach to updating the brand.
  • It usually attracts a lot of exposure, buzz and engagement in the press and on social media.
Risks:
  • The possibility of not addressing deeper issues or significant changes in the market if the refresh is too superficial or narrowly focused.
  • The risk of confusing customers if the refresh is not well-executed or communicated effectively.
  • There is also the potential resistance to change among internal stakeholders who may be attached to the current brand identity.


What are the generally-unstated outcomes of rebranding versus the ones for refreshing a brand reputation?

One of the biggest ones is the absolute misalignment of the difference between a rebrand and a refresh.

The press is super guilty of leading this misperception, as they almost always report on it as a rebrand when most of the time we are actually dealing with a refresh.

When big brands update their identity and / or strategic direction (rebrand), it always attracts widespread exposure — the press will help spread the message, but often do more harm than good — despite the "fact" that all exposure is good exposure.

Reporting that a rebrand happened sets certain expectations in the market, and especially when it is met with strong negativity and criticism, the media will latch on to the negativity and report on that element.

Another big thing is that most people only judge a rebrand by what they can see and evaluate — logos, visuals and colours. Where most brands fail (and where it becomes really costly) is if they fail to land the narrative and educational part of 'why' they made the shift in direction.

Most brands splash on showing off the new look instead of educating the market, helping them understand and embrace the new.


What are some examples of successful rebranding and refreshing efforts, and what factors do you think contributed to their success?

Rebrand
Airbnbs' shift from AirBed & Breakfast was one of the most successful rebrands in recent history. Why?
The right timing reacted to changes in demand and the market — and it came in with a strong concept and brand strategy.

My personal favourite is Total — Total Energies. The colossal brand made a strategic decision to get itself out of the big oil game before it burned itself to the ground.

Future generations will know Total as the company that pioneered renewable energy, and the negative perceptions around the oil giant will be long forgotten.

Why? Because it was a great strategic decision with perfect timing and a radical rebrand that sheds everything it once was.

Refresh
MTN did a great job of modernising while keeping its strongest identifiers in place, without alienating its audience. They also did a great job of explaining why they did it and the reasoning behind the refresh. They even took full ownership of the narrative themselves to avoid any confusion.

Burger King — The shift backwards, but forward — released that they had to modernise for a digital age they took a step back to their iconic pre-2000 look instead of introducing an entirely new concept.

This allowed them to look 'new and modern' to younger generations while maintaining brand loyalty and exciting fans of the previous look.


How does the decision to rebrand versus refresh depend on the company's current situation and goals?

It really depends — the decision to rebrand or refresh should never be taken lightly and always requires a strong strategy and execution.

It should never come from a place of personal preference and should always come from a place of strategic relevance, whether that is as big as Total's shift to shed a negative reputation and get out of a melting pot while they can, or if it's simply a shift to fit a digital world.

The strategy and the big reason for why should be determined by how radical the change should be.

Do you know about any major rebrandings and refreshers that have stood out so far this year? Let us know in the comment section below.

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If you are asking yourself what is a rebrand and a debrand, don't worry — we have you covered. Find out the difference in our article, Rebranding versus debranding — what's the difference? [Infographic].
*Image courtesy of Canva