Brand Refresh vs Rebrand: Understanding These Brand Strategies.

In the ever-evolving landscape of brand strategy, the choices are abundant, and the stakes are high. Imagine your brand as a living entity—adapting, growing, and transforming to stay relevant in a dynamic marketplace. 

One thing that companies are often confused about is the choice of rebranding vs refresh. Should you go for a grand rebrand that feels like a rebirth or opt for a more subtle yet impactful refresh that feels like a rejuvenating breath of fresh air? This pivotal decision can redefine your brand identity and resonate with your audience uniquely.

In this article, we’ll solve the nuances of these two approaches, guiding you through the intricate world of brand strategy to help you make the choice that aligns perfectly with your brand’s unique journey and aspirations. So, let’s dive deep into the rebrand vs. refresh dilemma and explore the art of revitalizing your brand identity.

What is A Rebrand? 

Rebranding is transforming a company’s existing branding elements to align with the evolving needs of its target audience and the dynamic market. It often signifies a fundamental shift in the brand’s essence and perception. 

The primary objective of a rebrand is to revitalize the brand, making it more appealing, relevant, and competitive. A rebranding is often needed when a company wants to expand its business horizons, attract new customers, enhance its brand value, or match its marketing strategies with the current trends. 

Based on a company’s brand positioning, it may choose one of the three main rebranding strategies: a complete or partial rebrand. 

For instance, Sabra, a chickpea brand, revamped its brand image by redesigning its packaging to create a cleaner and more focused design. 

The new design is easier to read, and the visual identity matches two of the brand’s core values: strength and power. The unique photography provides a sensory experience, allowing the customer to imagine how each flavor will taste.

What is A Brand Refresh?

In contrast to a complete rebranding, the brand refresh is a less extensive branding effort. It consists of fine-tuning and updating various elements of a brand’s visual identity, messaging, and positioning to align with the market needs. 

A brand refresh helps companies retain their brand equity while making subtle adjustments to enhance its appeal and effectiveness. A company may refine its logo, color palette, typography, or messaging to resonate with the target audience much better. 

A brand refresh is the best choice for situations where the existing brand elements are still fundamentally sound but require a contemporary update. Spindrift underwent a successful brand refresh in 2021, primarily focusing on visual elements such as its logo rebranding and packaging.

The new modern design showcases the brand’s commitment to using natural fruit. The rebranding was successful, and the company continues to grow.

Core Elements Of A Rebrand & Refresh

During a brand redesign, two essential core elements can elevate the current brand identity: logo design and brand messaging. While both rebranding strategies work on these elements, the approach is different.

Logo Design

Rebrand: During a complete redesign, a company may develop a new logo from scratch to convey a new message to its target audience. Baskin Robbins recently unveiled a new retro logo to attract new customers, retiring the old nostalgic one. According to the company, the new logo has helped attract new customers.

Refresh: In case of refresh, the company may simply tweak its existing logo to make it look modern and align it with the current market needs. As we saw in Instagram’s new logo, the company has made the lines thicker and the gradient friendlier. 

Brand Messaging

Rebrand: The brand messaging involves a complete overhaul, revamping tone, voice, and messaging pillars to align with new positioning and enhance recognition.

Refresh: In a brand refresh, brand messaging is refined and fine-tuned to better resonate with the target audience while maintaining current positioning.

Website Design

In the modern world, having a robust online presence is fundamental to success. It enables companies to enhance their brand recognition and connect with potential customers worldwide. As a result, a company’s website is an essential component of its branding strategy. Therefore, it must be relevant to the audience’s preferences and market needs. 

Rebranding A Website

Rebranding a website often involves a structural revamp. It can include reorganizing content, improving navigation, and optimizing site functionality to align with the new brand’s goals and message. It’s about creating a robust foundation to showcase the brand effectively.

A significant aspect of website rebranding is enhancing the user experience. It involves a substantial shift in the interface design, such as layouts, fonts, and interactivity. The goal is to create a more engaging and user-friendly website that reflects the brand’s values and image.

Rebranding often brings forth new brand colors, logos, and visual elements. These changes are integrated into the website’s design to ensure consistency with the brand image, creating a unified and appealing online presence.

Refreshing A Website

In a website refresh, the focus is on updating the website’s visual elements, such as images, brand colors, and logos, without making significant structural alterations. This approach ensures that the website aligns with the current brand image but retains its core architecture.

Refreshing a website might entail adjusting color tones or typography to align with evolving design trends or brand guidelines. These modifications maintain the website’s visual appeal while preserving its existing structure.

Packaging Design

Packaging design is distinct in a rebranding campaign, often involving new graphics, brand colors, and messaging to reflect the updated brand image. In contrast, repositioning primarily focuses on altering the perception of the product’s value and use within the existing packaging. Both require careful consideration in a rebranding checklist. Let’s discuss how packaging design is handled in rebranding vs. repositioning.

Packaging Design Rebrand

A packaging design rebrand involves a complete overhaul of the existing packaging approach. It’s a strategic shift to align the product’s presentation with the brand’s new identity, messaging, and objectives. This comprehensive transformation ensures the packaging resonates effectively with the target audience and brand repositioning goals.

The rebrand may entail significant changes in packaging material, shape, or functionality to adapt to new market dynamics or appeal to a different customer base. It can involve adopting eco-friendly materials, innovative shapes, or functional features that enhance the product’s value.

In a packaging design rebrand, new messaging and logo placement are pivotal. These elements communicate the rebranding benefits and reinforce the brand’s fresh identity and positioning, ensuring the product packaging aligns seamlessly with the broader brand strategy.

Packaging Design Refresh

Unlike a redesign, a packaging refresh focuses on making subtle updates to modernize the appearance of the packaging without fundamentally altering its design. This approach aims to keep the packaging current and appealing.

Refreshes often involve tweaking color schemes or visual motifs to align with evolving design trends or maintain a contemporary look. These changes are more about refinement than a complete rebrand. 

Messaging adjustments in a refresh typically involve fine-tuning the language to better resonate with the target audience while preserving the core brand essence. The goal is to enhance the packaging’s effectiveness without changing the brand identity.

Social Media Presence

Managing a company’s social media presence can vary significantly during rebranding or brand refresh. The approach taken depends on the specific circumstances. Sometimes, a company might opt for a subtle update, much like Google has done on several occasions, to infuse a more modern feel into its logo design. While, in scenarios such as mergers and acquisitions, a company may choose to embark on a comprehensive overhaul of its social media presence.

Social Media Rebrand

A social media rebrand involves changing profile names and accounts to reflect brand identity and position. The main purpose is to produce a coherent brand voice and enhance brand awareness. 

It involves realigning the messaging, tone, and visuals with the updated brand position. These changes create a cohesive and consistent look across social media platforms, reinforcing the brand evolution.

Social Media Refresh

In a refresh, profile pictures, banners, or visuals may be updated to align with current design trends, but the brand’s core identity remains intact. The aim is to keep the brand looking fresh without altering its brand essence.

A social media refresh may include minor changes in the content strategy or posting frequency to stay current with audience preferences and maintain engagement without a complete shift in the brand voice.

Considerations When Choosing A Rebrand Or Refresh 

When deciding between a rebrand or a refresh, several critical factors come into play. Your choice should align with your business objectives and the context in which you find yourself. Here are key considerations:

Business Growth or Pivot

When a company experiences significant growth or undergoes a fundamental change in its business model, a rebrand can be a strategic choice. But, if the growth or pivot is more gradual and the current brand still effectively resonates with your target market, a refresh may be the more practical option. 

Customer Feedback and Market Demands

If thorough market research and customer feedback indicate a misalignment between the current brand and what the target market desires, a rebrand can address these discrepancies effectively. It allows companies to reposition themselves to meet market demands and rebuild connections with their audience. In contrast, refreshing a brand that aligns with customer preferences can bring it up to date without straying from its essence. 

Changes in Leadership or Company Vision

A change in leadership or a substantial shift in a company’s vision often calls for a rebrand. It allows businesses to cohesively present the new leadership’s direction and vision, reaffirming your brand story and purpose. 

It can be critical to maintaining trust and transparency during leadership transitions. If the changes in leadership or vision are more subtle, a refresh can adapt the branding elements to an evolving narrative while maintaining continuity.

Budget and Resources

A complete rebrand demands significant resources in terms of budget and time. A rebrand is worth considering if your resources align with your strategic goals.

For budget-conscious companies, a refresh offers a cost-effective solution. It updates your brand’s look and messaging without the financial burden of a complete rebrand, making it a practical choice when resources are limited but adaptation is necessary.

Weighing The Risks And Rewards

When contemplating a rebrand or refresh, it’s essential to acknowledge potential challenges and backlash. These may include resistance from existing customers, misalignment with brand guidelines, or a disconnect with the new audience. It’s critical to assess the risks of rebranding carefully.

On the flip side, successful rebranding or refreshing can yield substantial rewards. It can attract new audiences, revitalize marketing material, and rekindle customer interest. Rebranding benefits include enhanced brand relevance and a competitive edge in the market. Evaluating these risks and rewards is pivotal in making an informed decision for your brand’s future.

Data-Driven Brand Development That Can Guarantee Sales Performance.

If you need a rebrand or brand refresh strategy with performance predictability, we can help. SmashBrand is a rebranding agency that researches, designs, and tests all products to ensure peak shelf performance. Book a time to discuss your project with our team.