Brands also like shopping for new outfits! After some time in existence, every brand will need a rebrand at some point. It's important to take it on at the right time, though. That's why this article gives you the perfect guide to when your rebrand will be most successful.
A brand makeover, or a rebrand, has become essential to keeping your brand's public image competitive and relevant.
Some rebrands are just about looks while others are about values; sometimes, they can even be about a brand's product catalogue.
Your brand makeover — big or small — needs to be done at the optimal time and with everything in the right place.
The optimal time for a rebrand can be difficult to determine, so media update's Joreke Kleynhans uncovers the Ready, Set, Go! for rebrands.
The "Ready"
First, you need to identify your brand's needs based on how it is performing according to various metrics. In other words, is your brand ready for the next step?
Before you can begin planning your rebrand, you need to ensure that it is, in fact, necessary to change your corporate image. Rebranding isn't a cheap exercise, so you need to ensure that every cent is well spent — and only where it's needed.
A rebrand also has the potential to alienate those who are loyal to your brand. Conducting a sentiment analysis can give you important insights into whether it will do more good or harm to change the way your brand is perceived by your audience.
Unnecessary or frequent rebrands can harm the familiarity of your brand, unintentionally causing a decline in customer loyalty, sales and revenue.
A few key indicators of when it's time to rebrand include the following:
- Your target audience has changed.
- You look too similar to your competitors.
- Your brand has become outdated.
- Your visuals feel overused, or so last season.
- You want to expand your brand beyond its original purpose.
Branding and publicity strategists need to constantly evaluate their brands' performance in areas like audience targeting, market share, keeping up with trends and more. If you keep your ear on the ground, you will know when your brand is ready.
The "Set"
So, your brand is ready for the big makeover. But how will you know when everything else is set in place for the big move?
This doesn't magically happen. It is your responsibility to create the optimal environment for your rebrand. This will ensure your rebrand not only refreshes and introduces your brand to new audiences but also helps your already loyal stakeholders experience the transition without any major shocks.
Being set for a major change like this doesn’t mean you threw all of your old branding out the window. Brands very rarely begin again on a completely blank slate.
In fact, you need to determine what aspects of your current branding strategy do perform well among audiences so that you can hold on to those — tightly.
Most successful rebrands, like Starbucks's rebrand in 2011, work in a layering fashion. Some traditional branding aspects stay in the brand book while complementary changes are made.
A rebrand should find the perfect balance between old and new: Have there be just enough newness to make it feel like a fresh start and just enough old to still have your brand be considered a classic.
So, how does this all tie into being set for your new look? Before the rebrand is launched, you need to place extra emphasis on the branding aspects you intend to keep around. These aspects will be the anchor that keeps your new branding close enough so you don't drift away from your established customer base.
The "Go!"
Okay, things are getting real. Your brand is ready for its makeover, and the stage is set for the performance of a lifetime. When do you go for it, though?
We can't say exactly when the perfect time for a rebrand is. That will depend pretty heavily on your reasons for a rebrand, the context of your brand, what you have to offer and how drastic the upcoming changes are.
We can, however, tell you when not to rebrand:
At Christmas
Or St Patrick's Day. Or any holiday, for that matter! Everyone is doing a mini-rebrand around such times, and you might get lost in the noise. When everything returns to normal, consumers might be confused with your unfamiliar face.
When You're Trying to Escape a Scandal
Rebranding to symbolise a change of values or a new leaf turned over is one thing. Trying to rebrand amid a PR crisis, though, makes it clear as day to consumers that you are trying to deflect attention — and modern-day consumers are way too informed for that.
When You're Bored with Your Brand
Don't fix what isn't broken! You work with your brand every day and you probably even see it in your dreams. The only reason you're bored with it is probably that nothing has gone wrong in a while — which is something to be grateful for.
The important thing to remember when planning a rebrand is that everything — inside and outside of your brand — affects what how your rebrand performs. That's why you should control what you can and time it for maximum success.
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*Image courtesy of Canva.