Rebranding is a change in the company’s image. This can be a change in logo, visual representation, name, slogan, mission, values, target audience, market, or all at once. With the help of rebranding, the company evolves and keeps on the wave of trends. In this article, you will learn why it is needed and how it is carried out.
Why is rebranding necessary?
The most common reason for rebranding is the fading of customer interest in the product. Moreover, this does not necessarily happen due to a deterioration in the quality of a product or service. In some cases, it is necessary to demonstrate the old brand in a new way so that the target audience is again interested.
According to experts, before the companies practically did not need changes, and now they are implemented almost every five years. This is due to the high mobility of the modern market.
The main reasons why organizations rebrand:
- Increasing brand popularity. If the company belongs to the “long-livers” of the market, its typical client is probably the older generation. Then the organization makes changes to its image in order to attract the attention of a young audience;
- Due to the emergence of new competitors. With the emergence of strong players in the market, old companies begin to adapt to this so that new competitors do not overshadow them. Update products, offers, design and business processes;
- Restore reputation. If the company did not perform very well, changing the name and logo is a great solution for it. So you can partially get rid of notoriety and negative associations among consumers;
- Notify product changes. Rebranding can serve as a signal that the company’s key characteristics have changed. For example, a company has begun to produce products in a new category and wants to communicate this to its customers;
- Demonstrate the merge. Two firms, having merged into one, can change the image together;
- Reflecting the introduction of modern technologies. Modern organizations are trying to adapt to current trends and introduce something new. To inform the audience about the presence of innovative technologies, the company is rebranding;
- Entering the international market. Firms that have reached the “ceiling” of their development in one country often enter the international market. In such a situation, rebranding may be needed to adjust the image to the perception of the audience from other countries.
How to Rebrand in 2022: Tips
First of all, you need to decide on the tasks of rebranding. They can be different: the mismatch of the old image with new trends, the emergence of a new category of products, entering other markets or attracting an additional audience. It would be useful to hold a strategic session, bringing together top managers of the company to determine the goals of rebranding and development vector. Organizations often resort to the help of professional agencies, as they do not have full-time employees specializing in such tasks.
To carry out a rebranding, you need the following specialists:
- Brand strategist. His job is to position the brand. Changing the image is based on updating the ideology of the company. The type of all verbal and visual communications depends on it. As a rule, the strategist is paired with an analyst who conducts market research;
- Creative director. This specialist develops a creative concept. He generates ideas on how to demonstrate the brand to the consumer and its visual embodiment. In addition, the creative director controls that the integrity of the developed concept is respected and manages the entire team;
- Art director and designers. In their area of responsibility is the visual part, the development of corporate identity and an official document containing visual style standards;
- They write slogans and texts.
The implementation of a formal document with visual style standards is the task of the marketing director, who is part of the company’s workforce.
Rebranding in stages
To ensure that the rebranding result does not disappoint you, you must perform the following steps:
- Decide if the company really needs a rebrand. If you are tired of the old logo, this does not always mean that you need to completely change everything.
- Analyze competitors. Knowing how the audience relates to the image of competitors, you can choose the right direction.
- Research your audience. By attracting new customers, the brand can make an unfavorable impression on old ones. Therefore, you need to study the preferences of an existing audience.
- Brand audit. Before you start rebranding, you should find the strengths and weaknesses of the company. This way you will be able to determine what needs to be worked on.
- Define brand structure. You must clearly know the values of the company, its mission and plan for the future. It is necessary that the new image is consistent with all this.
- Transform the visual. Having decided on the message, you can begin to create an appropriate visual image. It should be borne in mind that the new logo and design should be suitable for all products and accurately reflect the main idea of the brand.
- Demonstrate the result to employees. It happens that the team does not want change. It is unacceptable to simply make changes, putting everyone before the fact. Each employee should receive information about the significance and benefits of change.
- Introduce customers to the new image. Communicate the company’s new message to the audience and describe the benefits of the changes.
Rebranding is certainly a difficult task. But, having coped with it successfully, you will get a result that will pay off all the efforts made. Good luck!
