What is a rebrand?
In the dynamic business world, consumer behavior is an ever-evolving landscape of trends, shifts, and change. Technological developments are the driving force, and consumers are constantly changing their preferences regarding what marketing strategies and visuals appeal to them, what messaging they respond to, and what products they are influenced to purchase.Â
Through branding, businesses can visually position their brand in an attractive way to their audience and authentically communicate their values and services. How? By putting the strategy of rebranding into play.
Rebranding addresses the need to shift your brand identity and tailor your messaging and visual identity to your audience. It has emerged as a powerful strategy for companies to stay relevant, connect with their audience, and ignite growth.
We recently decided to invest in our brand image and partner with our brand designer, Sade Solomon of Pushher Digital, to establish a new brand identity focused on catering to women who have made it their life’s work to drive impact and serve others.
POV: We did a rebrand
Staying relevant means having the courage to evolve, adapt, and yes, even rebrand. We recently pressed the reset button on our brand to support us in helping dynamic women-led businesses and teams be transformative in the marketplace.
As a branding and marketing agency, we know the decision to rebrand can mark a pivotal moment in any company's journey, offering the opportunity to refresh its image, redefine its identity, and ultimately reshape its trajectory in the market. For us, change isn't just embraced—it's celebrated. Some of the elements of our rebrand included a shift in brand strategy, fonts, creative direction, logos, and colors.
From a brand strategy perspective we wanted to update our target audience to focus on a more mature female business owner who possesses extensive business acumen, has diverse professional experience across various industries, and is driven by her purpose to provide a service or product that drives impact and transformation in her community and beyond. She wants to leave behind a legacy that will outlive her and become a gap-filler that addresses issues across various ethnic communities.
From a visual perspective, we shifted from a more feminine and trendy look that appealed to girl bosses and young entrepreneurs to a more editorial aesthetic that communicates a more creative corporate feel that conveys our values of aligned representation, limitless creativity, sacred transformation, integrity, and intentional leadership.
Why did we rebrand?
Let's cut to the chase: rebranding isn't for the faint of heart. It takes intentionality, vision, and a healthy dose of audacity to shake things up and redefine your brand's identity. Then you may ask, if it is such a great undertaking, why did we give our branding a face lift? Here’s the answer: It was our time to grow and to support that growth, we had to reposition ourselves.
From left to right: Bianca R. of Bianca Builds Brands, Tekira B. and Alice F. of The Digital Jane, Rosalyn D. of Taking Up Space, and Lauren J. of Cultivate Your Essence
We went from serving girl bosses with trendy brands who were positioned at the focal point of their brand to women-leaders with solid and purposeful missions who are focused on the people they serve.
We wanted the visual components of our brand to match the people we strive to serve so, aesthetically, we moved from a trendy and hip vibe to a more corporate- creative editorial look.Â
We also wanted to move our founder away from the forefront of our agency and shift our visuals to display our talented team, communicate our value of collaboration, and present a more team-oriented feel.
Why companies may need a rebrand
Why rebrand? Well, the way you present yourself shapes how others perceive you. That perception, along with certain aspects of your business, is the driving force behind consumers' engagement with your brand and purchases. Here are several factors that can prompt a company to embark on the rebranding journey:
New services: As companies expand their services and diversify their offerings, rebranding can signal this evolution to consumers. It ensures that the brand remains inclusive, resonates with diverse audiences, and accurately reflects the breadth of its offerings.
Audience Pivot: A change in audience is inherently an evolution in your brand. Changing your target audience means that your visual identity, messaging, values, and even your products or services will need to evolve with your audience to tell the right story that connects with them.
Refreshed brand visuals: Studies show that about 90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual, highlighting the significant impact of visuals in capturing attention and influencing decisions. As your business changes, a change in your visual identity is key to communicating your values, mission, and authenticity.
Resetting Your Brand vs. Starting over
At the core of your brand is your why. With changes in your industry and audience, your why can become murky over time. This could be a big sign to do a brand reset. On the other hand, starting over would include creating a new business idea, name, and branding.
Here are some benefits of doing a brand reset versus creating a new brand:
More cost effective:Â Establishing a new brand is a significant financial investment that is based on several factors such as company size, research required, and available marketing resources.
Saves time: Starting over completely can take months, whereas rebranding can take weeks, depending on the size and complexity of your company and its goals.Â
Keep brand awareness: By keeping the same business name and visual identity, your existing consumers will likely remain loyal to your brand and will continue to engage.
Rebranding is your chance to break free from the shackles of conformity and create the trends instead of being confined to them.
Are you considering starting over or refreshing your brand?