As your company grows, you’ll notice that your mission and vision will change. When this happens, you might start wondering when it’s time to rebrand.
Although these changes are normal, before you alter anything, it’s important to be in tune with how you want the public to perceive this new moment.
It could be that your business positioning needs to be refined, your company’s purpose has changed, or a new market and opportunity have opened up.
These are all good reasons for you to start thinking about rebranding.
Rebranding is when a company rethinks its branding strategy.
Most of the time involves a redesign or a new & improved brand identity (logo, color palette, typography, etc.).
Alina Wheeler, branding consultant & author, says that it’s necessary to ask three crucial questions for a rebranding to happen:
- What is the business imperative for change?
- What elements need to be maintained?
- Should the change be evolutionary or revolutionary?
Before taking action, reassess your motives
Making changes to your business is not something that can be taken lightly, mainly because it will affect your company’s reputation. Intentionally or unintentionally, from the day you launched your company, you have been building your reputation.
With this reputation, you have established relationships with partners, customers, and service providers. And you don’t want to mess with that, right? That’s why we have selected a couple of scenarios that will let you know when it’s time to rebrand.
- 1. You’re breaking into a new market.
- 2. You’re targeting a new audience.
- 3. Your current branding doesn’t reflect your business.
- 4. Your company structure has changed.
- 5. Your branding is outdated.
What we can learn from KIA’s rebranding
KIA celebrated its new positioning (”Movement that inspires”) with a splashy launch of its new logo – which brought a modern look, using sharp and angular forms.
But despite KIA’s intentions, the rebranding had some setbacks. The main complaint is that the logo isn’t legible enough. Since the launch, each month, there are around 30,000 web searches for “KN car”, according to an article from The Verge.
For KIA it might seem like a small hiccup that can be easily solved with a big marketing budget and a strong reputation – which might eventually back up their logo decision. However, that’s not the case for smaller businesses.
Imagine having your product’s name mistaken. What would be the consequences for it? That’s why businesses should keep an attentive eye on every change they make in their branding.
The lesson is: rebranding has to be a well-thought process, otherwise it will affect your sales and your business growth.
Brand evolution examples
We can see below how a brand can evolve with time. Each logo brings a different phase, with different directions and purposes.
Unilever
Burger King
Doritos
Microsoft
Logo images source: 1000logos
From a new logo to a complete brand overhaul, we can help you attract new customers and leave a lasting impression. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to take your business to the next level. Contact us now to discuss your rebranding needs!