What Time is it? Time for a Rebrand.
Remember the quiet kid from your high school that is now a successful engineer? Just like people you used to know from years and years ago, a company or brand can change. Is your brand in need of a fresh look? Here are some red flag signs that your company may need a makeover.
- Your brand has a negative past that you want to move on from
It is only human nature to make mistakes. When you’re building a new company, you’re still trying to figure out what your brand stands for and what your mission is. Maybe you hired employees who haven’t stepped up to the plate, or maybe your restaurant’s menu has made customers sick. Whatever the matter, you’ve generated solutions to these problems and have bettered your brand. You deserve a second chance, and need customers to know it.
- Your brand is trying to reach a new demographic
Many new companies start out reaching a certain target audience. A company may decide to reach a new demographic if their original target audience isn’t catching on OR if the brand has a new product line or service targets a different group of people. In these cases, a rebrand is in order to appeal to either a completely new audience or a new sector within the entire brand’s audience.
- Your brand has outgrown its original mission
Many small companies start out with a focus on being local. As the company grows, it may outgrow wanting to serve just local customers, and may want to change its mission to serving customers regionally, nationally, or even worldwide. As a company becomes more distinguished, the brand needs to reflect that.
- Your brand is in a market that is evolving quickly
Sometimes, a rebrand is necessary for companies who are in a competitive market that is constantly evolving. It is important that in cutting edge industries, a brand must speak for itself as an expert, and in return people will believe its product is top notch. A brand must be as good as its product or service, or it may get lost in the shuffle.
- Your brand is overly complicated
New businesses can tend to say that they “do it all” when in reality, they’re still trying to figure out who their brand is. However, the rule of thumb in the branding world is: the simpler, the better. Maybe your brand does too many things, maybe your logo has too many colors, or maybe you have a bunch of taglines. You want people to know exactly who you are and be able to describe your brand in a short sentence – not a novel. If you can’t do that, it’s time to rethink your brand and simplify.
- Your brand is undergoing an acquisition or merger
Companies get acquired or merge every single day – that’s how the business world works. When this happens, a brand may need to adapt to the change it’s undergoing. If one company is being acquired by another company, it may need to rebrand to reflect its parent company. This does not mean entirely change the logo or mission statement, but adjust to make the relationship between the company and the parent company seamless.
Companies are constantly evolving as they grow and learn from their mistakes. Rebranding too often can demonstrate that a company is weak and does not know who they truly are. This is why it’s important to rebrand only when the company is starting to show red flags that the brand is not a true representation of the company and its products / services. Rebranding is a chance to refresh your company. If you decide to go for it, your rebrand must be done right. At ocreations, we not only specialize in branding for new companies, but we also work with existing brands that need a cutting edge look. Please reach out to us if you think it may be time for your brand to get a fresh start.
