Rebranding 101: How to Know When It’s Time for a Rebrand
Is it time for a change?
Out with the old and in with the new?
Many brands, often for a variety of reasons, will undergo a rebranding at some point in their journey.
In fact, most of the brands you know and love today have undergone a rebranding at some point or another.
A few company examples of this include:
Adobe Creative Cloud
Apple
Dunkin’ (Formerly Dunkin’ Donuts)
Starbucks
And countless more.
But, why? What leads these companies to seek a rebranding?
There are often many factors that lead to a company deciding to rebrand. To make it a bit simpler, let’s look at some examples, starting with Dunkin’, because who doesn’t love donuts?
Dunkin’
Whether you are a donut connoisseur or not, you’ve likely heard of the brand formerly known as “Dunkin’ Donuts”. The brand is well known for their famous donuts and recognized in the U.S. by their tagline, “America runs on Dunkin’”.
In fall of 2018, the brand decided to run with their slogan (pun intended) and drop the second half of their name. With their new, shortened name, Dunkin’ was able to successfully rebrand into a modern company, while still resonating with their customers.
Note: This rebrand was as successful as it was due to the brand’s long-time reputation with the public. When planning a rebrand, you must ensure that your customers will still easily identify you and resonate.
Apple
Though it is now among the top 10 largest companies in the world, Apple was once facing bankruptcy. Had it not been for their successful rebrand, brought on by the brilliant mind of Steve Jobs, the company might not even exist today.
In the year 1997, Apple Computers simply became Apple. At the time, the company’s logo was still the Apple that we know today, however, it was filled with a bright rainbow and contained the “Apple Computers” word mark.
As they changed their name, they also decided it was time to remove the colors from their logo to give it a more sleek, clean look that we still recognize Apple by today. The rebrand also removed the limit of Apple to only produce computers, but to expand their product line to include phones, tablets, watches, and beyond, though it has likely expanded beyond their own wildest expectations.
In short, this rebrand, though simple, was able to effectively save the brand and build it into a top 10 global brand.
Note: A rebrand alone does not necessarily lead to results such as these. Apple has spent countless amounts of marketing dollars to become the recognized brand they are today. That said, the odds are great that none of it could have ever happened without the successful rebrand mentioned above.
Once again, these are a couple of examples of well-known companies successfully undergoing a rebrand. There are countless reasons why brands choose to rebrand themselves. Yet, let’s talk about why and when you shouldn’t rebrand…
Rebranding won’t solve your underlying problems.
After these past few years, we’ve all learned that a virus can seriously complicate “underlying health issues”. All the same, when your brand has underlying issues that effect the brand’s operation in a negative way, a rebrand will only further complicate things.
Many brands decide to undergo a rebrand due to a slow in business. What first should be evaluated is whether everything in the brand is operating functionally. Do a brand check-up, so to speak. If there are any red flags, focus on addressing those first before diving into a rebrand.
To add to that, a rebrand also does not fix poor marketing, customer relations, or a bad or unwanted product/service.
The point is, a rebrand won’t solve your problems. It is a possible stepping stone, but not always the answer.
So, how do you know when it’s time for a rebrand?
You have a new mission or vision.
Things change. We get that. In fact, it is very often that companies change their offerings and their mission along with it. Depending on how drastic your change is, a rebrand is likely worth discussing in this scenario.
You are undergoing new ownership.
Whether due to a falling out, PR struggles, company acquisition, or whatever the reason, when companies fall under new ownership, they often decide to rebrand. While this isn’t always necessary, it can often help with PR to show that the company is serious about the change. In other scenarios, it can also distance the brand from its old identity if there happened to be any issues.
Your branding is outdated.
Many logos and brand identities are designed with current trends in mind. While this is okay at the time, things change and your branding might need a bit of an update. Going back to the examples used at the beginning of this article, each and every one of those brands has, at some point or another, updated their branding to become more modern. That said, companies such as CBS, Stella Artois, Shell Oil, Levi’s Jeans, and Johnson & Johnson have all remained the same for many years, with Stella Artois being the longest at 96 years old. Not all brands need to modernize their logos, though many still do see success from doing so.
Example of a rebranding that we did
Recently, we preformed a rebrand for a non-profit out of Michigan that offers support to children who are facing abuse and exploitation. The organization was undergoing new ownership after a falling out, and wanted to rebrand as a means of separating themselves from their old identity.
Here are the results:
Conclusion
Rebrands can drastically help or hurt a brand. Yet, it is likely your brand will undergo a rebranding at some point or another. The key to a successful rebranding is determining whether a rebrand is right for your brand or business, and the motives behind it. Simply rebranding will not solve your problems nor will it promise loads of new customers. Yet, it can also prove beneficial to increasing the trust of your audience and expanding your ability to grow as a brand. To determine if a rebrand is what your brand needs, take some time to test all factors; from your branding itself, to customer service/relations, to product-market-fit, and so on. To reiterate one last time, rebrands can’t fix a faulty business, but much like Apple’s did, they can revolutionize your brand and set it in motion on a path of growth.
If you decide that a rebrand is right for you or if you need help deciding, contact us here and we’ll help you out! We want your brand to succeed and your brand’s growth is our highest priority. We’ll never sway you into a rebrand unless we believe it will help you grow. And that’s a promise! :)
