Thinking of Refreshing Your Brand
3 things to keep in mind to make the right impact.
Refreshing your brand image is a significant matter. Stay focused on what is truly important to make a positive impact in your market space.
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1. RE-BRAND FOR THE RIGHT REASONS
All of the following seem really good reasons to refresh the brand:
- Your logo has not been updated in the past (20) years and does not reflect a contemporary image
- Your logo was not professionally designed or does not reflect the prestige of the company
- Newer competition is capturing market share with a more sophisticated marketing image
- You have lost touch with your customers and need to remind them of your value
- You are moving into a different market or strategic direction
But, take a moment to consider that the greatest brands are the ones that have changed their branding in the least number of ways: Coke, Disney, Mercedes, IBM, McDonald’s, Heinz, Apple. While all the above can be very good reasons to refresh your brand, how significantly you change your brand will depend on a number of factors, each adding weight to the scale.
Very important – Use these next 2 questions to moderate your approach:
On a scale of 1 — 10 (where 1 is lowest and 10 is the highest score):
Q: How far have your (company’s) core values changed since you introduced the current version of your brand?
A: If you scored below 5, your brand refresh should be slight, if at all. If you score close to 10 your brand refresh should demonstrate the new direction.
On a scale of 1 — 10 (where 1 is lowest and 10 is the highest score):
Q: How well does your marketplace understand your current brand message?
A: If you scored below 5 your brand refresh should reinforce your core brand values to make them more obvious. If you score close to 10 your brand refresh could actually harm its existing equity by creating confusion.
Here are some of our re-branding projects.
Take a look at the evolution of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team:
Did anybody identify with the centre logo? It lasted only 1 season. The Toronto fan-base recognized 2004 as a ‘get serious’ icon, but the true value lay in the return to the core brand in 2012. Yet somebody had the motivation to invest in a direction that did not ultimately come to fruition. If the brand represents the team, then it may not be such a coincidence that we are looking at the best team lineup since 1993.
Re-branding can be a key instrument to indicate change. You have to dig deep to make the process successful. Marketers that choose to re-brand for cosmetic reasons can create more confusion through an expensive undertaking.
2. ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR CUSTOMERS
Always treat your existing brand as sacrosanct – even if you don’t like it. Your brand is a beacon of your offering to your customers. The only reason to not reference to your existing customers is if you are moving to a market that does not involve your current customer base.
Be careful how you ask your questions. The examples below show how you can get opposite answers from within the same poll.
- 1. Does our 30-yr old logo look less modern and exciting in comparison to all the younger companies (I have selected for you to review), and does this reflect negatively on our company?
- Polled response is 85% in the affirmative that the logo looks tired and reflects negatively on our business
- 2. Might the issues of having to recognize a new logo, and replace all the existing materials create any confusion that might adversely affect your continued purchase of our product?
- Polled response is 85% in the affirmative that a brand refresh may create some confusion and might adversely affect a customer’s continued purchase of our product.
Start by asking the customer about their values associated to their need for the product or service you provide. Once you have these insights you can ask to what extent your brand addresses their values. This way you can learn what you really need to do to with your brand refresh to make a difference to your marketing success.
3. MAKE THE TRANSITION SMOOTH
How to launch the brand so that it makes a positive impact and avoids confusion in the marketplace:
- 1. Educate all your staff on the outcome of the brand research, to get them on board with the goals of the re-branding program.
- 2. Pre-launch to your customers the results of the research activity (in which they participated), restating the company’s mission, values and goals and how this research represents an increasing commitment to the customer and the values that they represent
- 3. Plan the launch carefully to co-ordinate all the different touch-points for smooth delivery of the re-branded assets
- 4. Unveil the new brand message through an integrated program of live event, web-based resources, Social Media connection hubs and push marketing (print and email) to reinforce the goals and the implications of the change.
There is no greater sense of achievement in re-branding a company or a product for success. The key to success is to make it a shared vision rather than personal ambition. Collaboration is the key to finding the right blend of retaining what is of value from your existing brand and adapting to the needs of your target audience.