Re-branding as a process seems herculean and almost a task you want to put away. But fret not, here are some tips and guidance that will help you achieve a new look for your brands seamlessly. We are adding some method to the madness.
Step 1 – Review
To start with, you need to review your brand offering, keeping in mind the present day market conditions and consumers. Now reiterate your brand promises in the present context. You may also discover that a simple shift in perspective is all that’s required. In some cases, however, you may feel the need to start from scratch.
To state an example, Banking as an industry has been completely revolutionized in the recent past. Gone are the days of the babus who sipped chai while you waited your turn.
Today, the smart private sector banks thrive on the principles of inclusiveness, varied and prompt services and aggressive marketing. And rightly so! After all, that is the only way of capturing the increasingly large share of the youth market that not just wants but demands prompt service. Even the behemoths, with their unshakeable staff, had no other alternative but to fall in line. Modern day banks are no longer about safeguarding your money in an account and getting interest on it. They now compete on the basis of services, products, technology and financial consultancy.
Step 2 – Study the Competition
This is extremely imperative, especially if you’re not a market leader already. You need to understand and come up with ways that can help you differentiate your brand. Again, this activity will help to gain some insights on the kind of image you need to cultivate to attract your target audience.
At this point, you can also go forth with a market survey, to get a better picture of how your brand is being perceived by the people. This will help you gauge where the gaps are so that you can take the requisite measures to close them.
Step 3 – Findyour Brand Personality
Don’t know how to go about it? What you need is a brand personality questionnaire prepared by your communication agency to help you understand what your brand personality should be like.
For instance, if you’re in the business of selling handbags, you must ask yourself these questions –
1. Is your brand?
a) Apremium
b) mid-range
c) low cost
d) every type
2. Who will buy your bag?
a) school kids
b) teens
c) professionals
d) party goers
e) everyone
You get the idea! Say, your bags belong to the premiumcategory for teens with a sense of fun. You may think of someone like Alia Bhatt to endorse the product. This means Alia Bhatt could be the brand personality. Now that you have a face/name to your brand personality, it becomes very easy to align your goals and brand.
Thus, the questionnaire becomes a common platform for your company and your design team. In addition to helping you determine what your brand is like, it helps the designer personalize design and communication to match the brand’s personality.
Step 4 – Allow Time for Design
As mentioned earlier, rebranding doesn’t happen at the drop of a hat. You will need to give your design team some time. You must understand that bringing together your entire communication such as the logo, visuals, designs, fonts, and language, needs effort and time. Once your design team presents you with the communication elements, you need to give in genuine inputs.
You may still not fall in love with your new branding. THAT’S OK! Share your concerns. Most likely your design team will have an explanation or can give you a solution. But for your brand’s sake, don’t reject the orange because you personally like dull colors. There’s a reason you needed a design in the first place. Work with them to arrive at something that appeals to you and works for your company.
Moreover, evaluate your feedback against your decided brand personality (I cannot repeat this enough). Very importantly, see and understand how each logo & design extends itself to the various communication. And do remember, your designer wants to make this work as much as you.
Take some time to consider the designs before finalizing your decision. Although you might have an immediate favorite, your preferences could change, and your colleagues might have different opinions. Ensure you weigh all options thoroughly before giving the final approval.
Step 5 – Plan your Brand Identity Change
Your rebranding activity can’t be carried out in bits and pieces. It has to be a well-planned drill. You need to know when is the right time for your company to re-launch, and what is the best way to present your new brand identity to the public. You also need to time your launch. For example, if it’s a bank and you announce the re-brand for the fiscal year end, it’s going to be a nightmare for your company, and your clients will be in no mood to take notice.
Sometimes, you may have the new brand identity, but not the funds to do a complete overhaul at one go. So you need to plan ahead of time to launch your new identity.
If you’re a large corporate, it will require a lot of inventory to be put in place before the roll-out of the new identity. Typically, it starts with an announcement of a launch date. Post this, the media is informed and the advertising & communication follows suit with immediate effect. Even if you happen to be a small company or business, your rebranding should be planned as seamlessly as possible. Remember, everyone and everything needs to change simultaneously.
Your brand touches every aspect of your company- its offerings, your people and consumers and so will re-branding. Don’t just rush in with a quick logo change. Give your brand the TLC it deserves.