Should you rebrand your business?

A complete brand overhaul is a huge commitment for any business. It requires a great deal of strategy, patience and usually money. When done correctly it can massively transform the perception, culture and most importantly – the bottom-line of any business. But knowing why, when and how to do it is a big decision for any business. 

There are many reasons businesses believe they need to rebrand, but how do they really know if it is the right thing to do, and if you're ready for the commitment that is required to really implement real positive change? 

There are lots of things to consider that will help you decide.

Firstly, what is a brand?

A quick Wikipedia search will tell you that ‘a brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or other feature that distinguishes an organisation or product from its rivals in the eyes of the customer’. 

This is the textbook answer. However, we prefer to think of a brand as the clothes your business wears. Which is why it is super important that you dress appropriately for the role you want to portray. If you dress like a clown, people expect you to be funny, which is not great if you are actually a lawyer. 

This is how branding works, and although branding is much more than a cosmetic veneer, first impressions can often define how you are received. So, it is really important that your branding is appropriate for how you want to be perceived, your intended audience, the places it will be seen, and all the challenges that lie ahead.

Is your branding just a logo?

A brand identity is so much more than just a logo. It should be a complete communication system that influences everything your business does. It changes your culture, dictates your behaviour, defines your appearance and focusses your appeal. It should be a valuable asset that goes way beyond a mark in the top corner of a website. It should be a badge of honour.

Does your brand truly resonate with your audience?

How much value does your target audience place on the current brand mark? If it is held in high regard we must tread carefully, as we don’t want to alienate your hard-earned brand advocates, the fans that sing your praises from the rooftops, they could revolt and lose faith. Do your customers come to you for a product or service alone, or do they come because they want YOUR particular product or service, and the pleasure and reassurance of knowing they bought from you? 

Does your branding add tangible value to your business?

A brand identity should be an asset to your business, the one thing that uniquely defines it and what it does. It should be the glue that binds your people and product together, and the thing that makes your customers stick around. It should be invaluable.

Does your branding solve real business problems?

A brand identity should make everything easier. Whether that’s attracting new customers, improving internal processes or simply labelling products. It should improve the efficiency of your business and strengthen the culture by bringing people together as one.

Does your branding create opportunity and a foundation for growth?

A brand identity should be a solid platform for business growth, and a jumping off point for developing new ideas, products and people. It should expand and flex with a business through every stage of growth. A rebrand takes both time and money, so it should be designed to last as long as your success.

Is your branding future-proofed?

A rebrand is an expensive process, so any change should consider the potential future direction of the business. This foresight, however speculative it may be, will inform the design process allowing resilience to be built-in. If you find yourself constantly fighting against your brand guidelines then maybe a change is required.

Does your brand envelop your whole experience?

A good brand is your business. It embraces every part of your customer experience, touching everything they do, across all comms and platforms. It is deeply rooted internally across your employer branding and your CSR strategy. It is the oxygen your business breathes.

Is your brand unique to you?

A good brand is distinctly you. It is yours and yours alone. It can be protected by law. Good branding is a bespoke, tailored solution to your individual business problem. It is never customisable clip art or an off-the-shelf fix. Your business is unique, your brand must reflect this.

At Truth we believe successful rebrands harness the power of design thinking to create a solution that adds real measurable value to your business. It should make you more efficient and more consistent, rather than simply more recognisable. The value of any business lies in the value of the brand, not the balance sheet.

To discuss whether a rebrand is right for your business or to learn more about our Brand Aid™ process click here.