The twenty-first century is all about branding. Whether it’s assessing social standards, consuming gravitate towards branded products that are popular in the market and the media. However, this brand image they are giving is nothing more than a representation of what the product has developed into over a span of time.

 

It is no secret that offering a quality service or product is important, but sometimes what is going to take your business to the next level is the brand image. The character and value of the brand are portrayed by its image, and in a lot of ways, the brand image is eventually mirroring the company’s key values. This then begs the question: If you already have a following, customers, and marketing material, how do you alter your brand’s image successfully?

Tips and Tricks to a Total Brand Makeover

Let’s take a look at the following example: While Blockbuster has closed all of its stores; Netflix has grown to over 60 million subscribers as a new marketing platform, the Internet, grows. This is an indicator that markets change, new competitors arrive, customer expectations change. To survive in this wild world of business, it is important to constantly adapt to the era, and the first step in many cases is to change your brand’s image. A few things to keep in mind:

Make Sure You Know When Change is Necessary

Consistency is important for several reasons – you want the audience to memorize the message and to eventually give your company a market share, but because the world is constantly changing, you also have to change. When your message fails to connect with your audience, it may be time to change things up. In other words, if your audience doesn’t understand your message or if they associate it with a different message, it’s time to change. If you are seeing steady growth in your business and nothing is changing in your industry, it’s important to realize change may not be a good idea.

Study the Current Status of the Market

Piggybacking off of the last idea, the collective thought process changes with each generation. The priorities, expectations and thought change, therefore their perception change. So study your target, the part of the population that you want to make an impact on, and keep analyzing that target market. You can learn more about how to make that happen here.

Make a Big Reveal

Once the rebrand has been implemented, the focus is on reinforcing the new image rather preparing people for more change. The big reveal is an event. Having a set event also offers stronger promotional opportunities. Teaser campaigns, product/service promotions linked to the change and powerful public relations are all open to you. This is a great way to get people familiar with your rebrand without hitting them all at once with a new logo and brand.

Note: When creating a new logo, it’s important you keep some semblance of your old logo to keep things running smoothly (a color, a shape, a font, etc.). This is of course only if you have an already established audience. You can see Gap kept the same color in their new logo. You can learn more about logo design here.

The Re-launch Also has to be Progressive

The transitional period for the brand is controlled by set, timed stages. Because there are many other things to do when it comes to a change of brand’s image apart from a simple design – changing website colors and themes, altering collateral, reviewing messaging, etc. – the reveal also has to be staggered to lesson the lead time.

A radical shift in your overall message takes time, so do just that – take your time. Don’t dramatically shift your image from Thrift Shop to Macy’s. Sometimes an instant or speedy transition isn’t in the cards. When companies want to change the image of their brand and go on a rush, it can cause budget constraints or overwhelming logistical issues. Nevertheless, as the rise in agile marketing and branding philosophy continues, we are seeing the evolutionary method being used more in an experimental manner.

According to Noovo.org, to be evolutionary opens up opportunities to get customer feedback on brand reiterations, offering a door into the wonderful world of co-creation and real brand ownership for loyalists. However, it is important to have in mind that brand evolution can easily lead a brand to lose its way without clear guidelines, structure and overall vision. So beware, have a well structured plan set, surround yourself by proactive and hardworking people, and constantly remember your goals and objectives.

Social Media is One of the Best Tools

Using social media improves your brand’s image by giving your audience a voice and a chance to interact with your brand. Utilizing Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube allows you to keep your brand in-touch with your audience on a day-to-day basis. Nowadays, even there are PR companies that dedicate only to the social media purpose for businesses that need it. See an example below from formerly Tesoro Corporation who launched a new brand, Andeavor, on social media. As you can see in the comments, they were also ready to offer a webpage with more information to anyone who asks:

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The Takeaway

In the end, deciding to change your brand is going to be a scary decision. The easiest way to feel confident about your decision is to make sure you have fully analyzed your market, your target audience, and your existing brand. Think to the future and if your vision is evolving, make the change sooner rather than later and start putting all of the groundwork in place for a new launch. You will be surprised at just how reception your current followers are of your new brand. Just remember, you only get one, maybe two, chances at a rebrand if you are already a successfully company with a following, so do it right!

Has your company ever been through a rebrand? What advice do you have? How did you determine it was the right time to make a change? Let us know your story and your thoughts in the comment section below.

Image 1: risingabovethenoise.com

Image 2: canny-creative.com