Subtle alterations can ignite profound business transformations
In the world of business, the decision to overhaul a brand or simply refresh it can be a crucial one. This article explores the key factors to consider when making this choice and provides insights into successful rebranding strategies.
A brand refresh is a subtle update to a company's identity, involving modernizing existing elements like logos, colours, imagery, and tone of voice. This approach is suitable when a brand feels a bit outdated or stale, but its underlying positioning remains effective. On the other hand, a complete brand overhaul or rebrand entails a fundamental transformation of a brand's identity, often driven by a need to shift market position, target new audiences, or align with major changes in business strategy.
Successful rebrands achieve transformation with precision while maintaining faithful originality. They build on core brand equity, using clear governance and guidelines to maintain consistency across all touchpoints. Balancing corporate identity clarity with the distinctiveness of sub-brands is also essential to avoid diluting unique equities while delivering a unified purpose and message. Strategic simplification and modernization that respects the brand's history and emotional legacy are key, as seen in brands like Burger King, which reverted to a more minimalist, nostalgic design while updating for today's market.
Collaboration during the design process is crucial, ensuring that stakeholders review, gain approvals, and align on changes. Utilizing data-driven insights, such as tracking brand favorability and awareness, helps ensure that changes align with consumer perception and deliver measurable improvements.
Google recently underwent a rebrand, marking the first update in 10 years, moving away from a blocky, flat identity and transitioning to a more modern look. This transformation maintains its instantly recognizable identity while reflecting its status as a "heritage brand" after 25 years.
Rebranding is not just about change; it's about balancing transformation without amnesia, disruption without disconnection. A notable recent rebrand is Jaguar, which made significant changes to its typography, colour palette, and marque. However, its sales have yet to reflect the increased brand awareness.
The right time for a rebrand is when the existing brand no longer works, such as when it feels dated, the brand language misses the mark, or customer tastes have changed. This was the case for Prestashop, a French e-commerce scale-up, which aimed to stand out in a period of rapid expansion against global giants like Shopify.
In conclusion, the choice between a brand overhaul or a refresh depends on how much the brand needs to change to remain relevant or competitive. Refreshes suit smaller cosmetic updates preserving core identity, while overhauls are suited to strategic pivots. Successful transformations respect the original brand essence, impose clear and consistent frameworks, and modernize with precision and purpose to sustain trust and recognition.
The Brand Impact Awards are open for submissions for standout branding, celebrating the best in rebranding and refreshing strategies. Whether you're considering a rebrand or simply looking for inspiration, these award-winning examples serve as a testament to the power of strategic, well-executed brand transformations.
- In the process of updating a company's identity, subtler changes, like refreshing logos, colors, typography, and brand voice, are classified as a brand refresh.
- When a brand feels dated, but its positioning remains effective, a brand refresh could be an appropriate solution instead of a complete overhaul.
- A comprehensive rebrand involves a fundamental change in a brand's identity, usually prompted by the need to shift market position, target new audiences, or adapt to major business strategy changes.
- A successful rebrand should achieve transformation while retaining the original brand's essence, balancing clarity of corporate identity with the uniqueness of sub-brands.
- The design process for a rebrand should involve collaboration and approval from stakeholders, and data-driven insights can help ensure changes align with consumer perception and deliver measurable improvements.
- Google recently underwent a rebrand, modernizing its identity while maintaining its instantly recognizable identity, thus reflecting its "heritage brand" status after 25 years.
- A notable recent example of a brand rebrand is Jaguar, which made significant changes to its typography, color palette, and marque, but its sales haven't yet fully reflected the increased brand awareness.
