A business is a living thing. And just like any other living thing, it grows and changes. When this happens, it might be time to rebrand. Do you want your present and your future weighed down by your past?
Expand, Reposition, or Revitalize Your Brand
The great philosopher Pumba once said, “You’ve got to put your behind in the past.” It’s true. Your past thoughts and actions might not help you continue the trajectory of your growth, they might even be holding you back.
The world is constantly changing, and brand messaging has to keep up. That doesn’t mean just updating your logo, but might mean that your brand guidelines have to change with a new perspective on your company culture.
We know habits are hard to break; the key is to take some time for self-reflection and through that introspection decide which habits are good, which habits are bad, and which habits just aren’t relevant anymore. Take a look at who you used to be and use it as a tool to define who you are now. A strong brand is built on a culture of self-awareness. When you do a rebrand, show the world who you are now and where you fit in.
Don’t Close Doors
Your old brand, though it may feel like an outfit you’ve outgrown, might have already established quite a bit of equity. If that’s the case, you don’t want to change so much that your friends and family don’t recognize you. Stay familiar to them. Your rebrand should be effective for your current client base as well as for potential customers unfamiliar with your old brand.
If you are propelling your old brand into the digital world, it might be time to create a comprehensive rebranding strategy that prepares your business for digital platforms. A digital brand strategy doesn’t have to neglect your old brand when marketing your new brand online.
Think evolution, not rebirth. The reaction of familiars should be, “My! How you’ve grown!” and not “Oh! Charlie! I barely recognized you.”
A Successful Rebrand Is Both Internal and External
This is very important to us at Boldist. A brand should be authentic, and that starts from within. Superficial efforts to appeal to your target audience will negatively impact your long term brand management strategies. Be true to yourself and live your culture – no virtue-signalling!
If you’ve changed the way you present yourself to friends, family, and strangers, it should be because you’ve changed on the inside. You don’t start wearing a soccer jersey everyday because your new acquaintances like soccer. You should wear a soccer jersey everyday because you love soccer that much.
Strong Brands Are Backed Up By Action
A brand is much more than the presentation of your business to the public. It’s an ideology, a way of doing things, a reputation, a promise. You’ve got to own it. If you wear that soccer jersey everyday, you should play, watch, or talk about soccer everyday.
Achieve harmony. If your brand’s marketing strategy is to promote charity, then your business better be charitable. Nobody likes the guy who pickets about environmental issues and drives a Hummer back home. (Unless…)
A brand should not be a mask. It should be an honest face. If you’re happy, smile. If you’re concerned, raise your eyebrows. If you’ve outgrown yourself, rebrand.
