Rebranding is a concept that unfortunately seems to be a bit vague for business owners. There is an understanding that all companies rebrand at some point, redesign their logo & restructure brand identity. But what exactly is the stimulus to do that: is it the brand’s age, or maybe a certain milestone?
Today we will shed some light on when it’s time to rebrand, and what is not the reason to do it.
It’s time to rebrand, if…
Your visual brand identity seems outdated.
Everybody knows that as times change human perception of beauty changes. We mean, look at the 2000s fashion, or beauty standards of different eras. Design as an industry also follows the same rules. That is exactly why you so often see brands changing their visual style according to what is perceived as ‘more beautiful’ or ‘modern’.
Instagram rebranding.
One of the rebranding examples that’s done for the sake of looking more modern is Instagram rebranding. The app changed not only its logo but the whole brand identity. They transformed the app into something that is more pleasant to navigate and be seen using.
You want to pursue a new audience.
When preparing to build a brand, one of the first things to do is to determine your target audience. However, as time goes, the brand grows, you may find yourself needing to broaden your horizons, and tapping into the different demographics.
This might be a different generation, or a new foreign audience, for example. In order to become appealing to them, you first need to analyze them and rebrand accordingly.
Old Spice rebranding.
Being on the market since 1937, Old Spice has been a popular product for making hygiene. Yet, as the new competitors occurred, catering to a younger audience, the brand became associated with the older generation. Old Spice was quick to understand that rebranding is what they need to do in order to become relevant to young adults.
Now anyone can hardly remember what Old Spice ads looked before the big muscular guy appeared offering to use their deodorant.
You want to shake off the former mistakes.
Everybody makes mistakes, even brands. One of the ways to distance yourself from the past mishaps is to rebrand.
Domino’s rebranding.
Did you know that Domino’s was once called the worst-tasting pizza ever? Not the best image to have, right? So, they took the situation seriously and focused on changing everything people didn’t like about their products. They were first to use social media to take orders – showing even more attention to their customers’ needs.
Knowing how your customers feel, and tapping into their needs is always useful – rebranding or not.
You want to move on to different values.
World changes, people change, and brands need to be flexible too. As time goes, you might see that your brand becomes irrelevant due to the changing values. Rebranding in this case will mean adapting, and mothering a new value that will connect to people.
McDonald’s rebranding.
One of such rebranding stories can be considered McDonald’s. As the world is leaning more to a more healthy lifestyle, junk food has fallen out of favor. Upon seeing the change, the brand has started a new brand strategy focused on more nutritional meals. It has introduced more healthy offerings to their menus, like salads and fruits. Today it is actively promoting its healthier approach.
You want to introduce new services.
No, you don’t need to rebrand if you’re just adding some small features or expanding the existing functionality. But if you’re developing something major that will drastically change your positioning, rebranding it is.
Dropbox rebranding.
In 2019 Dropbox introduced a major update, along with a complete makeover (read: rebrand). With new functionality and useful integration, the brand has transformed a simple storage space into a productivity launchpad.
Your initial design does not reflect your brand well enough.
There are plenty of brands nowadays that have identities that do not reflect the brand’s vision. Maybe the brand has changed, or the brand identity has not been thought through in the first place, but if the two don’t match, it’s a problem that can be solved with rebranding.
Hussle rebranding.
At one point a brand called Pay as u gym decided that their name doesn’t work. As well as their logo, and the whole visual identity. That is why after digging into what consumers think, they have figured out what exactly would make their brand more appealing. Today, the brand is called Hussle, and their whole presence feels a lot more thought-through and considered.
Overall, one of the successful rebranding examples.
Your initial design no longer makes you stand out among the competitors.
You can be the first brand offering a certain service, but, with the time you will get competitors. Some of them can get more successful than you, and you will have to keep up. That’s the reality. So, if you feel like that your design lingers behind the ones that your competitors have, it’s time to put rebranding to the discussion.
Deezer rebranding.
One of many music streaming services, Deezer had a lot of competition to combat with. The common opinion is that the initial design they debuted with looked less crisp and refined than the other apps in the industry. The rebrand however quickly placed them on the same level – now they are readily expanding their outreach.
Monday rebranding.
There is also another great rebranding example: an Israeli brand previously known as Dapulse. Though it wasn’t the design that was problematic, but the name. The publicity didn’t like Dapulse, and the brand realized this name doesn’t represent who they are well enough.
This is when they decided to rebrand themselves as Monday.com.
The team can explain it even better:
It’s NOT time to rebrand, if…
Now that we’ve established some of the main reasons why you should think about a rebranding, let’s figure out what should not be one of them.
You’re sick of the same design.
You’ve been on the market for years already, you have an established brand identity that has been like that since day one. Understandably you might get a little bored of some of the assets. Or all of them.
However, just being bored of your colors, fonts, or logo is not enough of a reason to consider rebranding. Remember: the brand identity is what your customers remember you for. Some of them adore the signature look you’re rocking.
You’re doing it for clout.
Rebranding has the potential to bring in more views. You might get a little spike of visitors, but at the end of the day, it’s only a temporary success. As soon as people get used to the new looks, they will leave just as easily as they came. You need something more to offer.
You’re covering your tracks.
A few paragraphs earlier we mentioned that rebranding can be a solution to cleansing your image and getting better. Which it is. But only if you acknowledge the issue, figure out a solution, and fix it. Rebranding should never become a way to take a different name, and a logo, and pretend like nothing ever happened.
Final thoughts.
We have a few tips on figuring out if you’re in need of rebranding:
Always analyze the competitors and your performance. If they are getting more visitors, see what you’re doing wrong, or what they are doing differently.
Always listen to your audience. That’s for them to decide if they want to buy your product or services. They know what they don’t like about you, and they are willing to share their thought – just ask.
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