 BUSINESS 4NETWORKING [Do you know WHEN you need a Re-Brand? ] |
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Posted on 20th Nov 2008 at 11:01
This is a brief guide to help you ascertain on your own WHEN your company needs a re-brand. Questions asked and answered:
- What's a brand?
- Why would you need a re-brand?
- What does a re-brand involve?
- When do you need one?
Whats a business brand? (briefly)
The term "brand" represents your business values, history and direction. It's a statement as to who you are and what you stand for. As times changes so will your business, the brand and the image it projects.
Why would you need a re-brand?
Who would have thought 15 years ago you would be on Ecadmey reading and blogging away. It's probably one of the changes that have affected your business even if it's in the slightest way. Your business will change even further according to new technology, trends, people and events, all of which may have minimal or drastic effect on your strategy but overall it will have an effect and you must express the impact it has on the business or be left behind. (An outdated image is a common reason for a re-brand)
Change in your business is inevitable so the question is not "IF" I need a re-brand but WHEN do I need it. Companies should go through a re-brand at least several times in its lifetime and it should be a scheduled event reoccurring with minimal consideration once a year and with a major consideration every 5 years.
What does a re-brand involve?
For corporate companies it's a strategic action and they'll have invested in research to determine any decisions being made (all apart of the re-brand process). They'll have meetings and make joint conclusions about the future of the business along with prospective deals and changes being made. This all helps to make a strategic decision on when it needs to be done (now or later) because it will be done at some stage.
For a small company operating as a one man band the decision maybe harder. There's no conferring with the sales department, director or the tea boy because you're all of them. Your response and research capability to the world maybe limited because you don't have a global impact but that's fine because the question of a re-brand should initially be ascertained internally.
How do you know when you need a re-brand?
It all comes down to research. The idea is to look at the business and find evidence of progress and change.
Be vigorous and dig deep because the changes will be specific to your business model but you may not have even realised the changes that took place.
Sum up everything that has changed about your business from the processes and sales to the way you're now perceived. Look at it in a timescale, what's changed within a year, anything significant or just small changes. A number of small changes can be just as strong as a big one.
After research is done, analyse the results and look for detailed answers:
- How has your business changed over the years?
- How dramatic has the change been?
- How important are the changes?
- (Most importantly) Is the brand and image communicating who you are now?
Remember that re-brands don't have to mean an overhaul of the whole company image. The size of any change in the business should match the size of any change in your brand image. It could simply be a change of strap-line to signify a slight change in direction but a change nether the less to show a sign of progress.
The most common reasons for a re-brand:
- A merger or take over of a company
- A change in strategy
- A change in direction
- Keeping with the times
- Solving a problem
Specific changes that may have occurred that lead to a re-brand:
- Offering new services
- New core service
- Grown as a business
- Lost profit
- Created a partnership
- Now web based business
- Now an office based business
- New clients
- New targets
- Outdated
- Brand image not working.
Examples of popular re-brands
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Posted on 20th Nov 2008 at 12:07
An interesting article, Chaten.
Most interesting is to note what you mean by a "Brand". Ie, the examples given are not re-inventing like a phoenix or completely changing names. The examples are all of ongoing busineses looking to update an image (KFC, AT&T) or to make that image say something new (BT, Reuters).
I think too many people look at "Re-branding" as something you do when you have completely failed under one identity. The simple(!) act of changing a brand won't make a bad business into a good one, but it can definitely help a good business become a better one.
Maybe also a good idea to include bad examples to show how it can be done wrong by even large concerns (Royal Mail/Consignia).
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Posted on 21st Nov 2008 at 09:52
Thanks for your comments steve. There are as many bad examples as there are good ones. There is one bad example above being Paypal. For some res0on it just never went down very well with fellow designers. It was a typical rebrand and overall i think it lost some character for the company.
Be carfeulwith your rebrands!
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Posted on 21st Nov 2008 at 10:19
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Posted on 21st Nov 2008 at 12:37
Good post there.
My problem with re-branding is that its subjective whether people like brands or not - in the same way as some people will like your shirt and some won't.
Lots of companies rebrand for the wrong reasons and lose custom as a result, or at best cause a lot of head scratching among their customers.
For example I prefer the old versions of the Xerox, BT and UPS logos - while the only big improvements in my view are KFC and Reuters!
Dan Matthews
Editor
LaunchLab.co.uk
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Posted on 21st Nov 2008 at 14:32
Fantastic summary.
However I would ask people to not look at the 'logo part' as the culmination and see that part as rebrand. The logo is just the physical print and visual manifestation of rebrand. If it has been done really well, behind the scenes there will have been a redifinition of the values of the business, you will notice when you come into contact with the buisness it feels, more relevant, more holistic, more 'joined up', more what you want to buy from.
That is when rebrand has worked and has been done thoroughly.
But the summary of every five years you need to consider how you are as a business and refresh identity and brand is a very sound point to define.
Looking at some of the logos the identity bit has not been matched with brand alignment and therfore was image only.
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Posted on 21st Nov 2008 at 15:06
I think the comments above are really important. To take the brand concept deeper than visuals is so vital, and then it will have, and can potentially deliver, value. In fact, I would think about the brand definition issues before the visuals.
I like the five year idea. Whether successful or not, your business might get re-invigorated by this process
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