The Right (and Wrong) Reasons to Rebrand Your Business /
Picture yourself ten years ago - maybe your hair has changed, maybe you’ve found a new hobby, or maybe you’ve moved to a new house?
Just like us, businesses change and evolve over time, and this may require you to consider giving your brand image a makeover. This would involve adapting anything from your logo and colour palette to your messages and values.
On average, businesses tend to have a major rebrand every 7-10 years and make lots of smaller changes in between, but this will depend on each business and there are no set timings on when you should rebrand.
However, when rebranding is done for the wrong reasons, it can defeat the entire purpose of rebranding and even have a negative impact on your business. If you’re a bit of a perfectionist like us, you’ll probably be familiar with the struggle of knowing when to stop making little (or big) changes to your brand image.
TO REBRAND OR NOT TO REBRAND?
There are a whole range of reasons and motives to change or adjust a brand's image. We think these are some if the most appropriate reasons for considering a rebrand:
You’re not attracting the right customers. Customers want to share values and be able to associate with the brand’s qualities, so maybe take a moment to think whether your business is positioned to reach and have a positive relationship with your target audience.
Your image is outdated. Creating a more modern image is one of the most common motivators for rebranding, however this needs to be a well-researched and thought-out process as we don’t want to confuse or scare away customers due to the rebrand. The key thing to remember here is that although your brand can change, it should always remain consistent.
Your business is expanding internationally. Rather than creating separate brands for different countries, is there a way you can adapt your brand to fit different cultures and languages so you can operate internationally under one international brand?
However, rebranding doesn’t always have the same outcome as waving a magic wand! Here are some of the top reasons not to rebrand:
Your competitors are rebranding. Unless you have a specific reason to rebrand, like the ones above, let your competitors make branding changes while you focus on generating revenue and increasing brand awareness. Rebrands that are in reaction to a competitor often feel unoriginal and insincere.
There is new leadership. Sometimes new or promoted employees want to ‘make their mark’ by making big changes to the brand, which may not actually add any value. This takes away from the true meaning of rebranding, and there are plenty of other more beneficial ways to leave your mark!
You’re bored of your logo. Remember you sit at your computer with your logo staring at you every day! It’s quite likely that you’re the only one bored of your logo, as your customers don’t have to look at it every day. While freshening up your brand may strengthen it, often a total rebrand is unnecessary.
If after having a think about your business you suspect a full or partial rebrand would be of benefit, then make sure you are clear on the purpose of the rebrand, as this will affect a lot of decisions made along the way.
Are you interested in working with the EQuerry/Co team to revise your branding? Contact us to get started and Christine will get in touch with you!
