Time for Change: When to Rebrand and How to Begin the Process

When is it time for a business to rebrand?

Businesses rebrand for various reasons, including the following.

1. The business has lost relevance.

Consumer behavior constantly evolves and businesses that fail to adapt may discover their brand relevance has slipped away. As a result, a company may find itself no longer the topic of conversation it once was or struggle to retain its prominent brand position over its competitors.

If your brand isn’t sparking interest with consumers the way it used to and you’re at risk of losing your marketplace position — or it’s already slipping — it may be time to consider a change. A rebrand can boost online awareness of your brand and garner renewed interest.

2. The company leadership has changed. 

A change in company leadership often comes with a shift in philosophy and approach. This transition may warrant an image overhaul that best aligns with those new values. 

A thorough rebrand — from corporate name and logo changes to employee training and focus adjustments — is often an integral part of a leadership shift. If your business has recently changed hands, rebranding is likely to follow.

3. The business has grown or expanded.

A rebranding strategy may be part of your business growth plan. A company that initially planned to do “A” but is now doing “A and B” is probably due for a rebrand. 

Business growth and expansion often result from — or create the need to — focus on something other than the original concept, necessitating a change in outreach that best reflects the business’s evolution. If your company performs beyond your original intent or scope, a rebranding strategy may be in order.

4. The business is exploring new markets.

If you’ve decided to test your product in a new market, such as a new client base or even a new country, you’ll probably find the need to reshape your image to something that can best connect with that new audience. Each new consumer base has a unique set of desires, needs and behaviors and a rebrand can help ignite the appeal your company needs to extend its reach.

5. A rebrand is needed for reputation management purposes.

Rebranding is used as a last measure to repair a business’s or brand’s reputation; this strategy can also proactively protect a brand’s reputation. Changing the brand name and company look may seem like a drastic measure, but it’s an effective damage control strategy. 

6. The business isn’t standing out from the competition.

Standing out from the competition is critical. However, if your customers have a hard time differentiating you from your rivals, a rebrand may be warranted. In this situation, your rebrand should focus on what makes your business special — its unique selling proposition (USP) and what it alone can provide your target market. This rebranding exercise can help you redefine your business goals and update your mission statement. Consumers will notice the effort you’ve put into the rebrand and will be more likely to give you another try. 

7. The business meets resistance when increasing its prices. 

Say you’ve tried raising your product or service prices, but customers haven’t been receptive. Perhaps sales have plateaued or even decreased. You know the value of your offerings and that the price you’re charging isn’t out of line. In this case, a rebrand can help you showcase your products and services correctly and raise their value in your customers’ eyes. When rebranding to accommodate a price increase, it’s crucial that you market to a viable target audience that can afford and understand a justified price increase.

8. The business isn’t attracting top talent.

Recruiting new employees is a competitive endeavor. You’re looking to attract and retain top talent; meanwhile, job seekers want to work for an excellent company with a clear vision and a stellar reputation. If your business is having difficulty attracting high-level talent, weak or off-the-mark branding could be the culprit. 

In this case, a rebrand can showcase your business’s desirable qualities, such as an excellent employee benefits package, generous perks, a strong company culture and much more. As a bonus, these qualities will trickle down to help boost your reputation with your target audience. 

9. The business’s current branding is outdated.

Like all trends, branding trends can become outdated. Your company’s visual elements may no longer reflect its identity as an exciting, modern business. In this case, a simple visual refresh, including colors, fonts and logos, can give your businesses a fresh start. Redesigning visuals can also help you present your company as a cutting-edge venture that understands customer preferences and market changes. 

What can a rebrand include? 

A rebrand can include numerous factors depending on the reason for the overhaul, your budget and your goals. The extent of what you change depends on whether you’re doing a partial or total rebrand. 

Partial rebrand

A partial rebrand is designed to refresh some brand elements while keeping a business’s core identity. It’s a more selective process that allows you to make a few tweaks here and there to revive and modernize your brand and help grow the business. Partial rebrands are also a great way to soft-test new ideas before committing to a total rebrand.

When conducting a partial rebrand, you’ll typically address the following:

• Logos
• Brand colors and fonts
• Taglines or slogans
• Brand voice and messaging
• Digital marketing strategies, such as focusing on different social platforms

Total rebrand

Total rebrands are complete branding overhauls designed to reposition a business in the marketplace. They may stem from leadership changes, acquisitions or a significant shift in a business’s offerings. A full rebrand aims to signal to competitors and consumers that the company is moving forward in a new direction.

A total rebrand can include the following: 

• New brand name
• New domain name
• New USP or business angle
• Redesigned logos
• New taglines and slogans
• Updated colors and fonts
• Updated mission statement
• A new brand voice and tone
• Focusing on a new target audience
• New marketing materials, strategies and channels
• Updated brand guidelines
• New images and imagery style
• New website design and app design
• Product packaging redesigns
• Upgraded customer support and customer experience standards

A total rebrand implements changes that reflect a company’s future and downplay its past.

How do you begin the rebranding process? 

Rebranding your business is a serious decision that should be heavily weighed, studied and vetted. If it’s the right move for you, here’s how to get started: 

1. Map out your new image: Start by identifying your company values. Consult with employees to best deliver on your new brand’s values and expectations and build a set of promises you can stick to consistently.
2. Research your customers: Use customer interaction records to determine customer expectations and feelings toward your brand, products and industry. Detailed data will inform decisions about the rebrand and identify challenges the new brand may create.
3. Identify what’s broken: Rebranding requires a hard look at how and why your original brand failed or isn’t impactful. You can’t fix your brand and create a new brand image without identifying what went wrong — and correcting those mistakes.
4. Build your rebrand’s narrative: Develop a compelling, memorable brand story to support your organization’s rebrand. Create a story your customers and employees can believe in and get behind.
5. Create your new brand materials: Depending on the scope of your rebrand, your research and brainstorming may yield new logos, design choices, marketing messages and more. 
6. Roll out your rebrand: Decide if you want to introduce new elements gradually or embark on a full-scale, immediate launch across all channels. Introduce your rebrand thoughtfully and consistently across all platforms to eliminate confusion and maintain consumer trust.
7. Maintain consistency and tenacity: Be confident in what you’ve chosen as the new face of your brand. Once you’re sure your new image is what you need and something you can be proud of, keep your message consistent in all outreach efforts. Be tenacious with your idea and resist the urge to revert to the old ways.

What are rebranding mistakes to avoid?

While rebranding can improve your business, it has the potential to misfire. Consider the following 10 rebranding mistakes that will derail your efforts.

1. You don’t have a rebranding strategy.

Some businesses attempt a rebrand by changing a logo or a social account’s profile picture. However, random changes are not a rebrand. A rebrand requires a structured plan that goes beyond your renewed brand vision. Your rebranding strategy should include the following: 

• In-depth industry research
• An analysis of current competitors and their branding
• An understanding of your target market and what it values
• A revised business SEO strategy
• A reimagined social media presence
• A new website design that reflects the rebrand

2. Your rebranding is generic. 

Is your rebrand helping distinguish your brand from competitors? Your USP is crucial to your rebrand and must be front and center — on your website, social media platforms and offline advertising. You can’t have a generic brand message and generate buzz or go viral. Your brand must be memorable to have value, especially if you have a product or service in a competitive niche. If your rebrand makes you look like everyone else, customers will shop until they find the lowest price.

Use professionally designed visuals and powerful words to stand out from the crowd. Stay true to yourself so you don’t lose your current customer base.

3. Your rebrand targets the wrong audience.

Too many rebrands make the mistake of appealing to the wrong audience — or too many audiences. It’s not about appealing to everyone — your rebrand must engage your target audience to boost its odds of success. 

To avoid this mistake, examine your customer relationship management customer data, segment your audience and build customer personas to appeal to the right buyers. There are several ways to segment your audience, but you can start with the following to get a jump-start on leads:

• Location
• Age
• Occupation
• Income level
• Problems or pain points
• Hobbies
• Purchase patterns

Personalizing the rebrand and targeting it to your most valuable buyers will help you form and keep strong emotional bonds with your audience. 

4. Your rebrand is disorganized. 

It can be challenging to finish a comprehensive rebrand amid day-to-day business tasks. However, staying organized is crucial. Changing a logo or color here and there and throwing out a website redesign six months later isn’t a well-executed rebrand. 

To avoid this mistake, create a timeline for completing each step of your rebrand. For example, you could begin by allowing six weeks to finalize a new logo, then start on the website, social media and marketing materials immediately. Don’t get stuck on one task that can derail the whole process.

5. You didn’t get professional help for your rebrand.

A rebranding can be a massive challenge. Sometimes, reaching out for help can be the most cost-effective solution. Hiring consultants who have been through the rebranding process can be beneficial in the following ways:

• Providing a streamlined organizational process
• Ensuring deadline accountability
• Conducting market research
• Ensuring neutral decision-making
• Providing honest feedback and constructive criticism 

6. Your rebrand is riddled with inconsistencies. 

A brand with inconsistent logos, colors, fonts or messaging confuses consumers. In addition, discord within your brand sends a message of distrust. 

To avoid this mistake, create detailed branding guidelines and style guides that lay out design, content, sales and marketing rules for interacting with your brand. Details, such as logo colors, fonts and illustration style, are vital in print and digital media and a branding guide will ensure consistency.

7. Your rebrand wasn’t authentic.

Say you embarked on a comprehensive rebrand that held your business up as a highly ethical, sustainable fashion company. However, you never followed through with purchasing fair-trade materials and complying with eco-friendly business practices. Savvy consumers will figure out your branding untruths and the damage to your business’s reputation can be massive.

Never break a brand promise or set up your business as something it’s not. Once you lose your brand reputation, it’s tough to recover, especially with the fury of social media. Instead, use personalized content to share your brand’s mission or message and have the resources and social proof to back it up. 

8. You didn’t connect with customers during the rebrand.

While customers may appreciate a new color scheme and an updated website, ignoring them during a rebrand is a lost opportunity to connect. 

To avoid this mistake, keep your customers updated about the rebranding process via email newsletters, your website and social media. Additionally, consider sending out polls, gathering survey data or conducting interviews about the rebranding process with your target audience to gain insights into their thoughts and responses. You want them to be excited about the rebrand and understand the benefits it will offer them.

Continue to provide timely customer service during the rebranding process. Just because you added rebranding to your plate doesn’t mean your customers should have to wait more than 24 hours to resolve a product or service issue.

9. You didn’t proofread your rebranded materials.

Proofreading may be the most underrated task when rebranding. No matter what copy you write and convey, use a second set of eyes to ensure the grammar, language and humor are consistent with your rebranding.

Consider using spell-check or an online tool like Grammarly or hiring a professional editor familiar with your industry. The last thing you want to do is harm your brand image through your content.

10. The rebrand wasn’t a team effort. 

Rebranding is more than color and logo changes. It’s a chance for companies to revisit their vision, mission, values and brand voice. Everyone from C-suite executives to part-time employees should be informed and on board with the rebranding direction. If not, your team members won’t be able to effectively convey your new brand messages and attitudes.

To avoid this mistake, communicate your new brand identity to your company after updating your core statements. When everyone is on the same page, work as a team to inform clients and stakeholders and roll out the rebrand via press releases, blog posts, social media and newsletters.

Notable company rebrands

Companies large and small use rebranding as a strategy to overhaul their images. Consider the following famous brands:

• Apple: Apple has undergone three major branding changes during its existence, changing and modernizing its logo significantly as seen below. Its logo had several interim variations, but these three were the most significant.

Image sources: Newton logo, Ronald Wayne, public domain via Wikimedia Commons; 1977-1998 logo, Rob Janoff, public domain via Wikimedia Commons; 1998 black logo, Rob Janoff, public domain via Wikimedia Commons 

• Starbucks: Starbucks has undergone four rebranding efforts. The original Starbucks logo, designed by Terry Heckler in 1971, included a full figure and the words “Starbucks Coffee and Tea.” When Starbucks was acquired in 1987, the logo changed from brown to green with reduced elements. Today, the logo only has the Starbucks Siren figure and no name — a tribute to its recognizability.

Image source: Starbucks

• Pepsi: Pepsi has reinvented its brand font and design several times, primarily sticking to its signature red and blue colors. Formerly known as “Brad’s Drink,” Pepsi was invented in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and sold at Bradham’s drugstore in Newbern, North Carolina. The carbonated drink filled with sugar and vanilla was touted to help with indigestion and boost energy. The drink was popular during the Great Depression and continued its popularity with celebrity ambassadors in ads and commercials. In 2023, the company completed a partial rebrand for its 125th anniversary.

Image source: Pepsi’s subreddit

Other notable image tweaks over the past half-century include Harley-Davidson, Target, McDonald’s, Walmart, Pabst Blue Ribbon and Old Spice.

Rebranding gives your brand a second chance

A comprehensive rebranding strategy can help breathe new life into your brand, affording your business the chance to regain the market relevance, customer connections and competitiveness needed to remain successful for years to come.

Use the advice offered above to ensure that when you decide your organization is ready for a rebranding initiative, it’s done at the right time and for the right reasons.