Sales becoming stale? Thinking about a website redesign? Depending on your place in the market, a rebrand might be the best next step. (Take our easy quiz to find out.)
Take The QuizAre your current marketing efforts
- communicating the right message about your organization?
- still strategic?
- driven by the current mission?
- appealing or outdated?
Over time, company goals and missions shift. This is natural as your organization adapts to the needs of your consumers, and rebranding helps re-align that with your organization’s culture, products and services. If you’re considering embarking on that journey, keep these tips in mind:
1. Get in your customer’s head
If your organization is leading the industry, a rebrand might be a problematic endeavor. In 2009, Tropicana rolled out a new design for their orange juice cartons. As a result, sales fell by more than 20 percent, prompting the beverage company to switch back to the old design. What happened? The new design was lost on shoppers. There’s no telling the exact thing shoppers didn’t like about the new brand, but the plummet in sales is evidence enough that something about the carton was off. Before rolling out a rebrand, market research is key – from surveys to focus groups to perception studies, gathering insights into the existing branding and gauging reactions to the proposed brand. This prevents an entire rollout from being a phenomenal waste of resources.
2. Get competitive
No matter the reason for a rebrand, it’s essential to know a thing or two about competitors. Rolling out a new brand or campaign that mirrors a competitor’s is not only wasted money when it comes to new customers, it can even cost you existing customers. A competitor analysis will help ensure development of a brand identity that truly sets your business apart.
3. Nail the strategy
Depending on your organization, industry and audience, the best way to unveil a rebrand can vary. Missing the mark when it comes to strategy can result in confusion for your customers.
For some clients, that can mean a comprehensive redesign and rollout, unveiling all brand elements at once. For other clients, a staggered transition may be more effective, introducing new branding at stages based on your audiences.
4. Inspire employee buy-in
Your team is the face of your brand. Ensure employees understand the reason for the rebrand and that they’re excited about it. A few strategies to help garner employee excitement include:
- Invite employee feedback throughout the process
- Gift employees newly branded swag
- Hold a kickoff party to celebrate the rebrand
5. Tell the right story
I can’t tell you what your story is without knowing you or your organization, but I can tell you what it’s not:
- your history
- a list of your organization’s accomplishments
- the number of employees your organization has grown by
Your brand should rest entirely on your story, on what makes your organization thrum in a sea of white noise. And if it’s the wrong story, don’t bother rebranding.
Need help deciding if a rebrand is right for your organization? Let’s have lunch.
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