It's time for a rebrand.
You go through the process. Meetings are scheduled, colors are chosen, and all you are left with is a new logo, website, or some other deliverable that has not fixed the problem. How could this happen?
I hate to be the one to break it to you: but rebranding is not the problem. The problem is… (drumroll)… you could not find the problem. So instead, you ended up drawing random card and fixing something that didn’t need to be fixed.
Before figuring out the problem, I would like to answer your initial question: I want to rebrand, but where do I start?
Wanting to rebrand, like any business-related action, is not the problem itself, but an echo of something that might be going on beneath the surface.
In this article, I will be covering five areas:
Answer the question: what is/isn't a rebrand?
What are some good reasons to rebrand?
What might I do instead of rebrand?
Areas of your business that might need your dollars in favor of a rebrand.
And what can you do next (if you want to rebrand)?
What is/isn’t a Rebrand?
Redesign
If you are simply updating the visuals of your brand's visual identity system — such as logos, colors, and fonts — this is not a rebrand. If you are changing your messaging, refining your brand's voice, or even changing the name of the product, this is not considered a rebrand.
You are simply redesigning the brand.
A "Rebrand," at its core, is changing the fundamentals of brand strategy: who are we? Why do we exist? What do we do? Sure, redesigning changes the way you look and sound, but it doesn't and shouldn't affect the core.
If Coca-Cola changes its logo, it's a redesign, not a rebrand. If they design to stop selling soda and find a niche market in making donuts for Golden Doodles, that is a rebrand.
The difference? What are you changing? Changing what you do as a business and who you do it for fundamentally uproots all other things, but changing your logo, though it is the outward-facing representation of your brand, doesn't change much about the work you are doing.
Rebrand
It’s in the strategy, not the implementation.
Change the logo because we feel like it: not a rebrand
Change the logo because it wasn’t working: a rebrand.
I recently updated my name, logo, target audience, offering… You get the point. All of this so that everything I do could be easier to explain to people.
The problem: I needed something that would stick, that I could easily explain and people could easily understand.
The solution: creating a brand that I love talking about that my ideal clients understand.
Rebranding is Risky
(LotR Bilbo ring meme)
For one, it's volatile. And the larger your company and audience, the riskier it is to rebrand (and redesign).
Some companies just need to be realigned and organized. There is often a disconnect between their products and services and their brand as a whole. Their design systems are often incomplete, unorganized, and inconsistent.
However, a rebrand doesn't solve this problem; in fact, it exacerbates it. Instead of realigning with your values and improving the customer experience as a result, you chase the shiny object in favor of growth.
Most "branding" processes out there, mine included, are designed to work with what you have, organize, and make it work for you rather than against you.
But if you're just starting and want to do things differently, if you decide photography isn't your thing, and now you want to bake cakes, then yes, you might need to rebrand. However, the question is: should you?
Before Your Rebrand
Find The Real Problem
I cannot let someone spend 5k on a visual identity revamp while the very system they depend on to make money is broken. This is why I won’t work for the entrepreneur who insists branding is the solution while they fail to acknowledge that their lack of widgets sold is a matter of presence and placement—not positioning.
All business owners know this pain. You can’t close deals because it’s a skill that takes time to develop. Alternatively, so you do something more manageable. Like marketing more or branding. You think it might fix the problem—and it could—but it is not the most important problem.
“Okay, but Kyle, I am present, and I am selling what then?”
Turns page….
Solve It the Right Way
You're selling something that works, but perhaps you don’t necessarily want to be selling it. The language has never elevated beyond your standard elevator pitch. And you never had the energy to nerd out about it.
Right offer, but it doesn’t align with your brand, it is, in fact, the wrong offer. In short: Always sell what you believe and know to be useful, true, and good. Start here and see where it leads you.
TLDR (Too Long, Didn’t Read)
Q: Answer the question: what is/isn't a rebrand?
A: A major shift in your business that spans affects these three areas: operations, sales, and marketing
Q: What are some good reasons to rebrand?
A: It helps you solve a problem that dealing in the aforementioned areas could not fix by themselves
Q: What might I do instead of rebrand?
A: Build a better offer, refine your elevator pitch, or fix deeper systemic problems in your business’s process
Q: Areas of your business that might need your dollars in favor of a rebrand
A: Sales, marketing, and operations
Q: And what can you do next (if you want to rebrand)?
A: Hit me up on LinkedIn! I would love to entertain the idea and help you get from stuck to unstuck.
I think I've hit the mark with this article, and my fingers are tired from typing, so I figured I'd leave you with some next steps; think of this as choosing your adventure.
Signing off,
~ Kyle
