How To Execute A Partial Rebranding Strategy.

Research indicates that 55% of initial brand impressions are visual which encompasses brand colors, fonts, typography, images, and logo design. What are your thoughts on your current branding? Is it putting your brand’s best foot forward? If not, a partial rebranding strategy could be the solution.

The consumer market is constantly changing. Looking back over the past decade, we can see how consumer preferences have evolved. Even well-established brands cannot thrive without adapting to these rapid changes. This is a key reason why companies often update their logo designs and sometimes even consider a partial rebranding.

There is concrete evidence demonstrating the impact of a well-executed partial rebrand. For instance, Aspire Energy experienced a 13-point lift in purchase intent after SmashBrand rebranded its package design. In this article, you will learn everything about building an effective partial rebranding campaign and executing it correctly.

When to Consider Partial Rebranding?

While companies may sometimes overlook its effectiveness, partial rebranding can be a powerful strategy to revitalize a brand. Unlike a total rebrand, partial rebranding allows businesses to update a specific aspect of the existing brand identity selectively. In several situations, a complete rebranding can be overkill, and companies must use a partial one instead.  

Modernizing Visual Elements

Due to changing market trends, a brand’s visual identity can dilute over time. Under such conditions, it may fail to resonate with the current target audience. Therefore, a partial rebranding focused on refreshing these visual elements can breathe new life into the brand while preserving its core equity. 

For instance, EarthBreeze underwent a packaging update to align with its sustainable ethos, while Aspire Energy drink revamped its packaging for a bolder look. Both companies experienced an uptrend in purchase intent by 13 points in major retail stores. 

Reflecting Organizational Changes

A partial rebrand can be an effective strategy for companies undergoing significant organizational changes such as mergers and acquisitions. A systematically designed strategy can help seamlessly integrate newly acquired brands or reflect the consolidation of multiple entities under one umbrella brand. 

Mergers and acquisitions often lead to scenarios where a more extensive, well-established brand acquires a smaller, niche brand with a strong following in a specific market. In such cases, a complete rebrand may alienate the brand’s loyal customer base and diminish its current brand equity.

Revitalizing Perceptions

When a current brand suffers from an outdated or negative perception despite having a solid core identity, consider partial rebranding to reposition it. Various rebranding examples indicate the success of this strategy. For instance, Kraft Heinz partially rebranded to revitalize their brand image. After updating its visual identity and brand messaging, the company successfully aligned its brand with modern consumer preferences while retaining brand recognition. 

Another advantage of a partial rebrand strategy is its more focused and cost-effective approach to updating specific brand elements over a controlled rebranding timeline. It also minimizes disruptions to the existing brand equity. 

Partial Rebranding vs Full Rebrand

Executing a Partial Rebrand 

Executing a successful partial rebrand requires a well-defined rebranding strategy that aligns with your brand development goals. The key steps involve assessing rebranding reasons and costs, conducting market research to inform brand strategy, and carefully planning the rebrand rollout. Each step ensures a smooth transition, maintains brand equity, and effectively communicates the revitalized brand to your target audience.

Defining The Brand’s Mission and Vision 

Study the current rebranding trends carefully and consider what companies are changing. Re-evaluate your brand positioning and ensure it aligns with the current market trends and customer expectations. Articulate the brand’s purpose, values, and desired perception to guide the packaging rebrand and brand guidelines. 

A clear brand mission and vision ensures that all rebranding ideas and decisions support the brand’s core identity. This foundational work guarantees a unified and effective rebrand that connects with your target audience and lays the groundwork for long-term brand success.

Conducting Market Research

The next step is to conduct effective market research. This identifies the target audience’s needs, preferences, and brand sentiment, ensuring the rebranding process resonates. Critical steps to conducting adequate market research include surveys, focus groups, and analyzing market share and industry trends. 

Surveys and focus groups provide valuable insights into consumer perceptions and potential rebranding templates that align with their values. Analyzing market data allows companies to understand the brand position and identify opportunities to differentiate. This research informs the rebranding strategy, messaging, and visuals and ensures that the revitalized brand connects with your audience, ultimately driving brand loyalty and growth.

Analyzing Your Existing Brand

Carefully audit your current brand and identify areas for enhancement while preserving the core brand equity. Asses brand recognition, visual elements such as logos, messaging, and customer perceptions. This analysis reveals whether your company needs a brand refresh or total rebranding. 

Evaluating the current brand’s strengths and weaknesses and market positioning can strategically determine which elements require an update. This targeted approach ensures the new brand identity resonates with customers while minimizing the potential risks of rebranding. 

Developing the New Brand Identity

After laying the groundwork for your strategy, start building the new brand identity. This step involves refining or recreating a new logo design, color palette, typography, and graphic design elements. Collaborate with graphic designers and digital rebranding experts to ensure a cohesive and impactful implementation. 

The new identity elements will also help rebrand the marketing strategy, so update them carefully. A well-crafted brand identity enhances brand recognition and effectively communicates the brand’s personality to the target audience. 

Crafting a New Brand Name and Logo

Sometimes, a company may need a new name or logo. While risky, this step can breathe new life into the brand and better align with its revitalized identity. Rebranding case studies often showcase the strategic development of a new logo and name to signal a brand’s transformation. Changing a well-established brand name and logo can also pose risks. These include losing brand recognition and customer loyalty. 

Companies must carefully weigh the potential benefits against the cost and ensure the new name resonates with the target audience. Extensive market research, testing, and a well-executed rollout strategy are crucial to mitigate risks and maximize the impact of a new logo and brand name during a partial rebrand.

Establishing Brand Guidelines

Creating comprehensive brand guidelines is crucial to a successful partial rebranding strategy. These guidelines guarantee consistency across all brand touchpoints, safeguarding the refreshed brand image. Typically, brand guidelines outline the proper use of brand colors, typography, imagery, and the overall brand voice and tone.

Brand guidelines empower teams to communicate the brand’s personality accurately and cohesively by clearly articulating how it should be represented visually and verbally. This consistency reinforces brand recognition and builds trust with customers. Well-defined brand guidelines act as a roadmap, ensuring the brand’s identity remains intact and aligned with the company’s strategic vision throughout the rebranding project.

Integrating the New Brand Across Channels

Integrating the new brand across different channels is crucial in successful rebranding. This ensures a smooth and consistent customer brand experience, boosting brand awareness and recognition. For a small business, this integration may involve updating digital marketing assets, websites, social media presence, packaging, and physical storefronts to align with the refreshed brand identity.

Develop a comprehensive rollout plan that addresses potential rebranding and stakeholder survey questions. The plan should outline specific timelines, channels, and tactics for unveiling the new brand, ensuring a coordinated and impactful launch. Leverage social media channels for effective rebranding announcements.

Tracking KPIs and Measuring Success

Measuring the success of a partial rebranding effort to gauge its effectiveness and make data-driven decisions for future branding strategies. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic, social media engagement, new customers acquired, and sales metrics can provide valuable insights into the rebrand’s impact.

Monitor social media marketing performance, track mentions and conversations around the brand, and analyze the reach of marketing materials to assess brand awareness and perception. Feedback from brand ambassadors, customer surveys, and focus groups can also reveal whether the rebranding effort resonated with the target audience.

Data-Driven Brand Development For Guaranteed Sales Performance.

If you need a rebrand 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.