WHy and when does a business need a rebrand?

You might not notice it but brands evolve all the time, from subtle amendments to the logo to complete rebrands including name changes. So why do businesses choose to rebrand?  

There could be a number of reasons a business decided to rebrand - maybe the business is merging with another company or the current brand is not in-line with the target market.

Some recent big rebrands you can’t have missed include Facebook’s morph into Meta or Hermes rebrand to Evri. Both these companies chose to make huge changes to their brands for differing reasons, whether those changes have had the desired effect remains to be seen.

Rebranding is a big risk and you should think carefully before you embark on any major changes to your brand. If you are changing the logo for example, a subtle change to start with that can then evolve over time is possibly a better way to go than an all out completely different logo. Of course it all depends on your reasons for rebranding, so let’s have a look at when you might need to consider rebranding and how you should do it so you don’t lose your core customers: 
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Rebrand or Refresh? 
Over the past year we’ve seen a lot of big companies make bold changes to their brand image, possibly as a response to the way businesses had to adapt in the wake of the pandemic. We saw more and more businesses provide online services and many completely changed the way they interacted with their customers. Of course big changes like these mean your business model is different to when you first started up so it makes sense to reflect that in your brand image. 
 

• If your business has changed then you might be thinking about rebranding. It would depend on what it is about your brand that you are not happy about as to how much you need to change your brand image. Sometimes simply reassessing your marketing strategy and advertising can have enough impact to attract your target audience- consistency is key here and you need to make sure you use the same voice in all your marketing (including print marketing) and social media to strengthen your brand identity. 
• If you want to boost your business because your brand image is dated then definitely consider getting your logo redesigned for a fresh new look. Your designer will know how to freshen up your brand identity without making it completely unrecognisable to your audience. There are some examples of well known brands who have refreshed and updated their look in 2022 without negatively impacting their brand image- Burger King, Pfizer, Freeview and Mastercard are just a few examples. All updated their image with fresh, simple logos but still maintained a recognisable element of their brand- eg Mastercard kept the iconic red and yellow interlinked circles. Sometimes simply updating the font of your logo to a more modern, sleek alternative can be enough to give your image a shake up and appeal to a younger audience without losing your existing audience.  ​

• Before you embark on any major brand changes be sure to do your research - this means customer questionnaires, reviews and focus groups. You want to know exactly how your brand is currently perceived by your target market. The information you get from your customers will mean your designer will be able to help you come up with a rebrand that reflects the needs and wants of your audience. 

If you decide to rebrand don’t forget the importance  of trademarking your logo to protect your brand. 

Are you considering a rebrand for your business? Contact us or help with your rebrand or trademark advice. ​