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How To Know When It’s Time For A Rebrand.

time for a rebrand

Age is not bad for brands; consumers prefer trusted brands that have withstood the test of time. However, a brand must examine the reason for the trust before continuing with the same identity indefinitely. Do consumers appreciate your dedication to quality, family ownership, and sustainable practices? Or do they remember you from a series of commercials from the 1980s with a talking orangutan?

If it’s the latter, it’s time to put your quickly fossilizing brand to rest finally. We’ve created a list of possible reasons why it may be time for a rebrand. But first, let’s get a baseline understanding of this process.

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Hey, What’s Rebranding Anyway?

Before we jump into this wild ride of dead founders and culturally outdated commercials, let’s set the record straight: What’s this “rebranding” fuss all about? Imagine giving your brand a facelift, a new wardrobe, and a kick-butt personality upgrade. It’s like the Cinderella story of the business world. But this brand strategy isn’t just about slapping on a fresh coat of paint on the current branding; it’s about gut-renovating the entire house. Got it? 

Brand RefreshPartial RebrandComplete Rebrand
A minor makeover that tweaks existing elements to modernize and energize a brand without changing its core identity.A more substantial transformation may include changing the logo, messaging, and visuals but retaining some elements of the previous brand for continuity.A total overhaul of a brand’s identity, encompassing new messaging, design, and sometimes even a new name, essentially creating a new entity.

Read More: How To Perform A Data-Driven Brand Refresh.

Reasons You Know It’s Time For A Rebrand

Think your current brand might need to bring something new to the table? You’re probably right. Let’s look at the immediate reasons why it could be time for a rebrand.

When brands start gasping for their final breaths, one has to wonder what went wrong. Here are some warning signs that it’s time to retire your brand and create a new one.

When The Founder Or Brand Ambassador Dies — Or Worse.

It is time to consider rebranding when a brand’s credibility hinges on an iconic founder shuffled off to that big Entrepreneur’s Expo in the sky. Of course, in the case of death, this doesn’t mean that the founder/ambassador’s image has to be excised entirely from the brand; it just has to be reimagined. You can retire your brand icon rather than bury him completely.

Take Colonel Sanders. The white-haired dude on the KFC logo was an actual person (Harland Sanders) who did commercials and everything. When the founder and icon passed away in the 1980s, the brand retained the Colonel’s image and original folksiness, though it stopped airing commercials with the man.

Suppose your company founder was a treasured part of the industry landscape. In that case, you’ll want to continue to honor their memory in some way — through an icon or a product line name — just not by pretending it’s just business as usual and your founder isn’t as perky as he used to be.

Unfortunately, not all founders can exit in a wholesome and respectful manner. Sometimes, they drag their reputations and organizations’ reputations into the grave. If this is the case, rebranding might not be sufficient; you must perform a complete brand association exorcism.

When Your Brand Is No Longer Culturally Valid.

In the 1950s, gender politics weren’t quite the hot-button issue today. An advertisement in 1953 could legitimately have said (we’re not making this up), “This Chef Does Everything But Cook — That’s What Wives Are For!” Ha ha! Don’t women love it when you get them appliances for their birthdays? The real gift is the ability to serve their men better.

It’s funny how so many of those advertisements were almost violently offensive yet still managed to be cloaked by a veneer of charm. As much as we might enjoy the nostalgic escapades of the “Mad Men” ethos, some brands have to be scrubbed clean of their sexist, racist, and overall offensive company postures if they want to build a relationship with the target audience.

Read More: 21 Valid Reasons For Rebranding A Company

Your Brand No Longer Offers What Consumers Expect.

Occasionally, food ingredients go out of fashion. Sometimes, we discover that certain fats pose a greater risk to cardiovascular health than we previously thought. Once in a while, Soylent Green is people. 

When this happens, a brand whose identity hinges on its materials’ popularity or purity discovers that those materials are no longer appreciated or even legal, then the brand must regroup. And don’t despair — sometimes products that were once roundly shunned come back to fashion in a big way — look at lard. And it only took 100 years.

Yes, your brand might have died a slow and agonizing death, but that doesn’t mean the circle of life won’t move on! Also, in the marketing world, if not the actual world, there is such a thing as brand reincarnation. So, once you’ve identified the cause of your brand’s death, you can proceed with your Dr. Frankenstein-like procedures of harvesting the valuable portions of your old brand identity and refashioning a newer and better one. It’s time to begin anew, even though your orangutan commercial will live on YouTube forever. Sorry — we can’t help that.

Dollars, Cents, and Brand Sense.

What’s up, Wall Street? Is the market going up, down, or spinning like a dog chasing its tail? Your brand should be doing the cha-cha with it. 

Is a recession on the horizon? It’s time to show how your product offers significantly more value than the price suggests.

Economic boom? Slap some gold leaf on that budget product and rebrand it as a “premium experience” to attract consumers looking for their products to become a status symbol.

If your brand is the guy still wearing bell bottoms at a skinny jeans party, you’re doing it wrong.

Caught in the Web Yet?

Alright, let’s get digital! If your brand is the hermit still living in the days of dial-up while the rest of the world’s busy making viral TikTok dances, buddy, you’re not just a fossil but a full-on museum exhibit. 

Brands today don’t just exist; they need to live and breathe online to retain and increase brand recognition. Are you the type to awkwardly dance at the social media party, or will you be the DJ, setting the trends? It is time to adapt your company to the new way of building brand equity.

Listen to the Whispers, Or Else…

If you’re not taking customer feedback seriously, then you’re like the captain of the Titanic, thinking you’re unsinkable. How’d that work out, huh? If you’re ignoring falling star ratings, bad reviews, or just general social media grumbling, that’s like ignoring the smell of smoke while your brand is quietly burning. 

Not only do you need to get your brand design of the burning building, but you should also consider what set the fire in the first place. Disgruntled customers might as well be writing your rebranding strategy for you. So don’t shuffle—sprint to the rebranding drawing board and create a new business strategy where you reset your brand positioning and reform your visual identity. 

Look Out, The New Kid’s Stealing Your Lunch Money!

Ah, you were ruling the roost, weren’t you? King of the hill, lord of the manor, and other metaphors for being awesome. But wait a minute, what’s that? A strong brand has pranced into your territory, and not only are they stealing your customers, but they dare to out-trend your brand name on social media? 

That’s like the new kid in school not only taking your seat but also stealing your prom date. When that happens, that’s the universe tapping on your shoulder and whispering, “Sweetie, it’s time for a brand makeover. Now.” Don’t just be yesterday’s news; make headlines by rejuvenating your brand like a phoenix from the ashes, presenting a new identity to potential customers. 

So, get your think tank together, order some overpriced coffee, and prepare to brainstorm until lightning strikes.

Mixing DNA: Mergers and What-Not

Just tied the knot? Awww. How sweet—a corporate merger. But when two brands say ‘I do,’ there’s usually a lot of ‘we don’t’ when meshing brand identities. It’s time to throw a rebranding reception bash! 

Your rebranding effort must learn how to play house and blend two distinct brand personalities into a harmonious matrimony of marketing genius. Think of it as trying to merge two Spotify playlists—one’s classic rock, the other is EDM—into a playlist that doesn’t make your ears bleed.

From creating a new logo for the company name to revamping all of your marketing materials, creating a cohesive brand vision between all brands. 

Legal Woes? Don’t Throw in the Towel

Does your company’s branding have you caught with your hand in the legal cookie jar? Whether it’s a trademark spat, copyright brawl, or a full-blown lawsuit with the press buzzing like a beehive, sometimes the only solution is to throw in the towel and start anew. 

Think of it as entering the witness protection program but for brands. Change your name, look, and lifestyle, and come out less legally complicated on the other side.

Alright, Time for a Makeover. Now What?

Great, you’ve concluded that your brand’s as dead as disco. Now what? Hold a séance with your stakeholders, pull out the Ouija board for market research, and maybe even hire a branding shaman. You’re looking to create a Frankenstein’s monster of a brand—stitching together the good parts and ditching the bad.

Step One: Review your current brand guidelines to identify elements that need updating and those that you must retain.

Step Two: Conduct market research to understand your target audience better and validate your rebranding strategy.

Step Three: Create a new visual identity, including color schemes, typography, and logo designs, that resonates with your brand’s updated mission and values.

Step Four: Develop a comprehensive rebranding strategy that outlines the steps for introducing the new brand identity to your audience.

Step Five: Test the new brand elements with a sample of your target audience to gauge reception and make any necessary adjustments.

Step Six: Re-evaluate your brand architecture to ensure it aligns with the new brand identity and effectively serves your target audience.

Tying it All Together, With a Bow On Top.

And there you have it, folks! Rebranding isn’t a white flag; your brand says, “I’ll be back, but cooler.” Whether the world around you changes because of tech, culture, or just because someone wealthier and younger moved into the neighborhood, your brand image must keep up. 

Data-Driven Brand Development That Can Guarantee Sales Performance.

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

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