What to Look Out For When Updating Your Business or Brand
Rebranding is an opportunity to redefine your company’s identity, reach new customers, and stay relevant in a competitive market.
However, a brand transformation also comes with its fair share of risks.
If you don’t watch out for refreshing ad rebranding pitfalls, you could end up hurting your business instead of boosting it.
You may end up damaging your brand’s reputation and alienating your existing customer base, instead of empowering your business.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the common pitfalls to avoid when updating your business or brand, to help you make sure that you only improve – rather than hurt – your company during the rebranding process.
1. Neglecting to Consult Your Customers
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make during a rebranding process is not involving their customers.
Your existing customers are a valuable asset and can provide valuable insights into your brand’s strengths, weaknesses, and overall perception in the market.
Before making any major changes to your business or brand, be sure to conduct surveys or focus groups with your target audience to gather feedback and suggestions.
This will not only make your customers feel valued and included in the rebranding process, but it will also help you understand their needs and preferences better.
2. Ignoring Your Brand’s Heritage
While it’s important to keep up with industry trends and stay modern, be careful not to completely abandon your brand’s heritage.
Your brand’s history and values are part of what make you unique and stand out from your competitors.
When rebranding, be sure to incorporate elements of your brand’s heritage into the new design or messaging.
This will not only help maintain a sense of brand continuity, but it will also resonate with your existing customers who are familiar with your brand’s story.
3. Inconsistency Across Channels
Your brand’s identity should remain consistent across all channels, including social media, website, packaging, and advertising.
Inconsistency can confuse customers and make your brand appear unprofessional or disorganized.
Before launching any rebranding efforts, ensure that all of your marketing materials have been updated to reflect the new branding.
This includes updating your graphic design, logo, color scheme, and messaging to ensure a cohesive and consistent brand image.
4. Failing to Communicate the Rebranding
Don’t assume that your customers will know about your rebranding efforts.
Make sure to communicate the changes through all relevant channels, including social media, email newsletters, and press releases.
This will help avoid confusion and prevent customers from feeling disconnected from your brand.
Additionally, it’s a great opportunity to get customers excited about the changes and involve them in the process.
5. Rushing the Rebranding Process
Rebranding should not be done hastily. It requires careful planning, research, and execution to ensure a successful outcome.
Rushing the process can result in mistakes or inconsistencies that could harm your brand’s image.
Take the time to thoroughly plan and strategize your rebranding efforts, and involve a team of experts if needed.
Remember, slow and steady wins the race when it comes to refreshing and rebranding your business.
6. Neglecting to Update Legal and Financial Documents
A rebranding effort involves more than just changing your logo and messaging.
It’s essential to update all legal and financial documents, including contracts, business licenses, trademarks, and domain names.
Failing to do so could result in confusion or even legal issues down the line.
Be sure to thoroughly review all necessary documents and make any necessary updates to reflect your new branding.
7. Overlooking Internal Branding Efforts
Don’t forget to involve your employees in the rebranding process.
They are an essential part of your brand’s success and should be informed and engaged with the changes.
Consider hosting internal rebranding workshops or meetings to discuss the new branding, its goals, and how employees can help communicate it to customers.
This will create a sense of unity and excitement among your team and ensure that they are on board with the rebranding efforts.
8. Underestimating the Time and Cost of Rebranding
Rebranding can be a time-consuming and expensive process, so it’s essential to budget accordingly.
Underestimating the time and cost involved could result in delays or cutting corners, which can ultimately harm your brand.
Be sure to carefully plan and allocate resources for your rebranding efforts to ensure that they are executed effectively.
9. Not Measuring the Impact of Your Rebranding
Lastly, it’s crucial to measure the impact of your rebranding efforts once they have been implemented.
This will help you understand if the changes were successful and if any further adjustments are needed.
Utilize tools such as surveys, website analytics, and customer feedback to track the impact of your rebranding on brand perception and customer satisfaction.
This information can also be used to inform future rebranding strategies and ensure continuous improvement for your brand.
Old Spice Guy
One successful example of a brand update is the rebranding of Old Spice.
For many years, Old Spice was known as a traditional brand for men’s grooming products, particularly associated with an older generation.
However, in the late 2000s, the brand decided to revitalize its image to appeal to a younger audience and stay relevant in the market.
The rebranding process involved a whole new facelift – updating Old Spice’s packaging, introducing new product lines, and launching a bold, humorous advertising campaign featuring the “Old Spice Guy.”
The ads went viral on social media, gaining millions of views and generating a significant buzz around the brand.
In recent years, the Old Spice Guy has returned again to give skin care advice to his son, successfully keeping the brand going strong yet again.
As a result of these rebranding efforts, Old Spice experienced a remarkable increase in sales, brand awareness, and market share.
The brand successfully reinvented itself while maintaining its heritage and core values, ultimately appealing to both its existing customer base and attracting a younger demographic.
Gap had a Gap
An unsuccessful example of updating a brand is the 2010 rebranding attempt by Gap, a popular clothing retailer.
Gap decided to update its logo, which had been in use since 1986 and was known for its iconic blue square with white lettering.
The new logo featured a plain Helvetica font with a small blue square placed above the letter ‘p.’
The updated logo was intended to give the brand a more modern and minimalist look.
However, the redesign was met with significant backlash from customers and the design community, who felt that the new logo was generic, uninspiring, and disconnected from the brand’s heritage.
Gap quickly realized the mistake and reverted to its original logo within a week, acknowledging the negative response and admitting that they had underestimated the emotional connection their customers had with the original logo.
This rebranding failure serves as a reminder of the importance of understanding your audience, maintaining brand identity consistency, and avoiding abrupt changes that may alienate loyal customers.
At the End of the Day
Rebranding can be a powerful tool for revitalizing your business, but only if executed carefully and thoughtfully.
By avoiding these common pitfalls, you’ll be well on your way to a successful rebrand that strengthens your company’s reputation and sets you up for long-term success… and possibly even brand timelessness.
So whether you want to refresh your Atlanta presence or do a complete national rebrand, take the time to do it well.
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