When Is the Right Time To Rebrand

How should your brand change? You need to look carefully at your current branding and determine whether it reflects your business accurately, in ways that will connect with your target audience.

How should your brand change? You need to look carefully at your current branding and determine whether it reflects your business accurately, in ways that will connect with your target audience.

You should also consider the context in which you rebrand. Traditionally, people consider making changes at the start of the calendar year. There's a general sense of renewal in the air.

According to the ONS, the UK economy was larger than its pre-pandemic level in November 2021. Does this signal optimism and confidence in the immediate future?

Are there still uncertainties that might pause your plans?

You could ask yourself what people are looking for in a brand in uncertain times? Certainly, you should be making sure your messaging is in line with your audience’s experiences and expectations.

This is about reading the room correctly. One argument against rebranding might be that it would challenge your target audience at a time when they’re looking for reassurance.

It's vital to see your brand not as an add-on to your business but as something at its very core. If you want to do more than simply get by,  your brand should work as a vehicle for transformation and growth. If you're looking to grow your business, you must make sure your brand is fit for purpose.

Your brand should be aligned closely with your business. Ask yourself these questions:

Is there a right time to rebrand? You could be waiting for all the conditions to all turn favourable, but while you’re doing this, you’re wasting valuable time. Your brand should be your business’s most powerful asset. If it isn't, you need to begin the process to change it.

You shouldn’t commit to rebranding without a clear understanding of what it really means.

These visual elements are obviously key aspects of your brand identity, but they're signifiers of the values and purpose your brand represents.

To rebrand effectively, you must delve deep. Your brand is the language you use to communicate the essence of your business. To understand how this will work for you, you first need to have absolute clarity about your business, its values and goals and who you’re aiming your messages at.

Branding is a distillation of your business. It follows, therefore, that a rebrand should encompass and channel the core qualities that make your business unique.

Rebranding is a process that uncovers, explores and defines your brand purpose. This gives your brand meaning.

We’ve talked about uncertainty and what people are looking for from a brand in uncertain times. If your brand is meaningful, this helps you attract, connect and engage with your audience. And audiences are looking for these kinds of relationships.

But they'll only do this if your messages resonate with them. If you want your audience to identify with your brand, your communications must clarify and reflect your brand purpose.

What should a meaningful brand stand for?

Meaningful brands don't have to be overly virtuous, but they do need to contribute to people's collective and individual sense of wellbeing. This doesn't mean brands must somehow be spiritual, but they should demonstrate that they care about their audience.

To show you care, you must understand the needs and concerns of your audience. The tone of voice your brand adopts is a vital part of this. It expresses the personality of your brand and how it communicates.

When you rebrand, you’re looking at the entire language of your brand, including both implicit and explicit forms of communication.

Rebranding is not simply a case of out with the old and in with the new. It’s about positioning yourself for growth by ensuring that your values and strategic objectives harmonise in ways you can communicate clearly.

For more details, please contact us.