Ready for a rebrand...
What, when and why. If you’re a business owner whose business has evolved since you first created your brand, or you’re a marketing director whose company has a new direction or audience, this article is for you.
What’s covered in this article:
• What is a rebrand?
• When to rebrand
• Brand evolution or total rebrand?
• What does a rebrand involve?
• Examples of successful rebrands
• Examples of some fails
• Summary
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Let’s start at the beginning…
What is a rebrand?
A rebrand or rebranding is the concept of giving a new look and feel to an already established brand. This covers both re-evaluating the company’s brand strategy (including vision, mission, and proposition) and how this is then visually and verbally articulated—think logos, straplines, colour palette, imagery, and so on.
In summary, rebranding is often a strategic move to better align a company’s identity with its current values, market position, and business goals. It allows companies to stay relevant, grow their market share, and adapt to internal and external changes.
When to rebrand?
There are various reasons why a company may choose to embark on a rebrand, but this is typically when their current brand identity is no longer deemed fit for purpose. We’ve outlined some of these more prominent key drivers below.
- Modernisation: A brand might feel outdated or disconnected from current trends and consumer expectations, leading to a rebrand to refresh the company’s image and appeal to its audience.
- Changing Demographics: If the company’s target audience has shifted (e.g., expanding to younger generations or new geographical regions), rebranding can help a brand appeal to that new demographic through more relevant imagery, messaging and tone of voice.
- Mergers & Acquisitions: When two companies merge or one is acquired, a rebrand may be necessary to reflect the combined entity’s new mission, values, or vision.
- Refined Mission: As companies grow, their values, goals, or strategic direction may also evolve. A rebrand helps communicate these changes to align the company’s image with its current vision and future aspirations.
- Standing Out: In highly competitive markets, rebranding can help a company differentiate itself from its direct competition and create a unique value proposition that resonates more clearly with its customers.
- Crisis Recovery: Companies with tarnished reputations may rebrand to distance themselves from past controversies, scandals, or negative perceptions, presenting a fresh start and regaining customer trust.
- Brand Extension: When a company diversifies its offerings or expands internationally, a rebrand may be necessary to ensure that its image appeals to a broader or different set of customers. Cultures, values and beliefs differ across the world and ensuring your brand is relevant and appropriate for each territory is fundamental to its success.
- Trademark Conflicts: Sometimes companies face trademark disputes or legal issues around their name, logo, or brand elements, forcing them to rebrand to avoid litigation.
Brand evolution or total rebrand?
How far do we need to go? What every business considering a rebrand will need to ask itself.
And the answer very much depends on the reason for the rebrand in the first place. For example, if you’re looking to modernise your brand’s image as it’s become a little dated over time, you may want to retain much of what still works and focus on evolving the brand. A light touch if you like. You may have heard of the term brand equity - this refers to the value a brand has to customers, and is based on their perceptions of the brand's quality and how it makes them feel. Whilst it's an intangible, it is informed in part by your brand’s values and its identity, so if there’s still stuff that resonates with your audience, you want to keep hold of that.
Conversely, if your rebrand is driven by the need to shed a negative reputation and harmful associations you will want to completely overhaul your identity.
Below are two examples to illustrate both of these, one an evolution with The Co-op and the other a complete rebrand with Uber.
Brand evolution: The Co-op
In 2016, the Co-op Group reverted to its classic blue cloverleaf logo from the 1960s and 70s. The move was a nostalgic nod to the brand's heritage, aiming to reconnect with its roots while modernising the overall look to resonate with its customers.
This rebrand was more of an evolution than a radical shift. The company maintained its core values, focusing on its cooperative model and community-based ethos. The refresh involved a slight update to the typeface and colour scheme, but it was primarily about re-emphasizing the brand’s identity and reconnecting with its cooperative principles.
The refresh helped solidify Co-op’s position as a trustworthy, community-centred brand while keeping it relevant in the modern retail landscape.
Total rebrand: Uber
In 2017, Uber faced multiple scandals, including accusations of sexual harassment, workplace discrimination, a toxic corporate culture, and regulatory issues. The company's image took a significant hit, leading to a leadership shake-up and the resignation of its CEO, Travis Kalanick.
To distance itself from these controversies and rebuild trust with consumers, Uber rebranded under new leadership. The rebrand involved not just changes in the company’s visual and verbal identity and app interface, but also an emphasis on cultural transformation. Uber introduced new safety features, improved transparency, and began working on rebuilding its internal culture and public image, focusing on reliability, safety, and customer satisfaction.
This rebrand aimed to highlight how Uber had evolved from its troubled past and was committed to positive change.
What does a rebrand involve?
Whilst no two projects are the same, the steps outlined below give a pretty good idea of what’s involved in the overall process. Budget, scale of organisation, timings and the depth of the project will determine to what degree each of these steps are approached.
1. Research and Assess
- Understand the Need for Rebranding: Identify why the business needs a rebrand (e.g., outdated image, new market, poor reputation).
- Market Research: Analyse customer feedback, market trends, and competitor branding to understand what works and what doesn’t.
- Evaluate Brand Perception: Understand how the brand is currently perceived by consumers and where the gaps are.
- KPI’s: Establishing some KPI’s (key performance indicators) from the start enables the process to be evaluated at the end.
2. Define the New Brand Strategy
- Clarify Brand Purpose: Establish clear goals for the rebrand, such as targeting a new audience, shifting values, or repositioning in the market.
- Redefine Mission, Vision, and Values: Align the new brand with the company’s core values and future direction.
- Identify Target Audience: Define who the new or updated branding is aimed at.
3. Revise the Brand Identity
- Logo and Visual Assets: Redesign the logo, colour schemes, and typography if needed, being mindful to retain a certain level of brand recognition.
- Tone of Voice: Develop a new brand voice in line with the new brand identity.
- Strapline and Messaging: Create new strapline and messaging that reflects the updated brand values and resonates with the intended audience.
4. Involve Stakeholders
- Get Feedback: Present potential brand changes to internal stakeholders, employees, and key customers to ensure alignment and gather input.
- Engage Leadership: Ensure company leadership supports the new direction, as this will influence company culture and the overall brand perception.
5. Develop a Rollout Plan
- Timing and Phases: Plan the rebrand launch in stages, allowing for internal communication first. The tell the whole world.
- Update Digital Presence: Rollout the redesign across the company website, socials and any other digital platforms.
- Marketing Campaign: Develop a marketing campaign to promote the new brand.
6. Internal Alignment and Training
- Employee Training: Ensure employees understand the new brand and how it affects their roles in terms of communication and customer service. Your teams are some of your biggest advocates so making sure they’re aligned is imperative.
- Brand Guidelines: Create comprehensive brand guidelines/brandbook to ensure consistency across all platforms both in print and on screen. Multiple departments and suppliers will be communicating on your business’s behalf, so ensuring a high level of consistency is achieved across all touchpoints key.
7. Launch the Rebrand
- Public Announcement: Announce the rebrand to the public through a press release, events, or marketing campaigns, explaining the reason and benefits behind the changes. Rebrands are often treated with a degree of scepticism so being able to clearly article this fret her start allows you to hold the narrative.
8. Evaluate and Adjust
- Track Performance: Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), such as customer sentiment, sales, and engagement, to measure the rebrand’s success.
- Continuous Improvement: Make necessary adjustments to the branding or strategy based on feedback and performance data.
This process ensures that a rebrand is strategic, well-executed, and aligns with both internal goals and external market demands.
Examples of Successful rebrands
There’s a long list of brands who’ve successfully navigated their rebranding journey from Peleton and Old Spice to Lego and Burberry. Here are two of our studio’s personal favourites:
Airbnb (2014)
- What Happened: Airbnb moved from being a simple home-rental platform to a global brand focused on the idea of "belonging anywhere." It introduced a new, simple logo called the "Bélo" and a fresh visual identity, along with an updated app and website.
- Success: The rebrand solidified Airbnb’s position as a community-driven platform and an alternative to traditional hotels. The new visual identity and messaging reinforced the idea of unique travel experiences, which helped the company grow globally.
- Lesson: Aligning the brand’s identity with its core values and vision can drive emotional connection with customers.
Apple (1997)
- What Happened: After struggling in the 1990s, Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy. When Steve Jobs returned in 1997, he introduced a new vision for Apple, along with the "Think Different" campaign. Apple shifted focus from being a niche computer company to a lifestyle brand that prioritized design, innovation, and ease of use.
- Success: The rebrand led to the launch of iconic products like the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Apple became one of the most valuable and influential brands in the world, known for its sleek design and cutting-edge technology.
- Lesson: Having a clear vision and focus can completely turn a struggling brand into an industry leader
Examples of some fails
With the right level of strategy and thinking in place, most rebrands should land. However, when a rebrand is ill-conceived or produced for the wrong reasons the results can be devastating. Here are two biggies from brands who should know better.
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Tropicana (2009)
- What Happened: Tropicana, a leading orange juice brand, changed its packaging from its iconic orange-with-a-straw image to a minimalist design featuring a plain glass of orange juice. The change was meant to modernize the brand but ended up confusing and alienating loyal customers.
- The Failure: Customers didn't recognise the product on shelves, leading to a 20% drop in sales (about $30 million in losses) within two months. Tropicana quickly reverted to the original packaging.
- Lesson: Don’t abandon brand elements that are central to customer recognition and loyalty.
Gap (2010)
- What Happened: Gap, a well-known fashion retailer, decided to change its classic blue-box logo to a more modern and simplistic design featuring a small blue square and a plain font.
- The Failure: The new logo was widely criticised for being generic and uninspired. Within just a week, the backlash was so severe that Gap reverted to the original logo, admitting the redesign was a mistake.
- Lesson: Rebranding should involve customer input and not alienate the existing customer base. Public perception plays a huge role in branding.
Most brands need a rebrand at various stages in their lifecycle. The question is when should this take place, and having clarity around the reason/s why it’s needed are key to ensuring you don’t drop your juice down a gap.
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