If you see these 8 signs, then it’s time to re-brand

If not all, business is a lot about branding, and, erm, rebranding. As if branding didn’t give you nightmares enough! But you see, even nightmares can’t guarantee that your branding efforts are going to bear fruits, or at least the ones you wanted to pluck. What do you do then? First off, how do you even know that your branding has failed to cut ice? Unlike opportunity, feedback doesn’t always come knocking at the door. However, with these telltale signs, you can ascertain when your business branding needs some touch up.

Image : shutterstock

When you want to do away with an old image/perception

It happens only in business, when you can avoid your past catching up with you. If you have been viewed negatively or unfavorably in the past, a rebranding exercise is a good way to put your image back in shape. According to marketing and advertising professional Andre Bourque, “Rebranding can be a very serious declaration of intent.” If you change how people view your brand, you also convey the change in how you view yourself or your business.

Example: Nothing spelt rebranding is good better than Burberry. Now popular as the choice of luxury wear of the likes of Emma Watson and Kate Moss, it was seen as gang wear not so long ago.

When you want to keep up with changing times

Nothing is new anymore, and nobody got anywhere in the future while living in yesterday. If you feel that your branding is too dated and hence losing itself among the cutting-edge branding styles of today, it’s pivotal that you get back to the drawing board with a few sharpened pencils and many sharp minds.

Example: JC Crew was on the verge of doom when Millard Drexler sauntered in as its CEO in 2003. He rebranded it as a store that sells basics like tank tops and capris that are well-made with a hint of luxury, thus earning its first profit ($3.8 million dollars) in five years.

When your branding is positioned inconsistently across mediums

According to Dan Antonelli, President and Creative Director of Graphic D-Signs, Inc., a New Jersey-based advertising agency, “If your marketing materials don’t share a common denominator, it’s a good time to examine your brand architecture and think about re-branding from scratch.” Nothing calls for rebranding than, as Dan puts it, “inconsistencies in how you present your identity.” That your brand adapts itself well across mediums is one thing, but that it’s unconnected and widely different is another.

Example: Walmart’s tagline, “Always low prices”, slapped across “all aspects of the in-store medium” turned a once low-brow store into a nation's first choice. In short, consistency in communication matters.

When your branding is just not you

Echoing Dan Antonelli’s words of wisdom once again, “When a brand ceases to represent you, or to speak to your target audience in a meaningful way, it’s time to give serious consideration to a fresh start.” You need to grow with your business and vice versa. If there’s any contradiction in either, it will be noted, pointed out and eventually snubbed. Now you don’t want that to happen to you or your branding, right?

When it’s time for a fresh start

Why not? While identity is a long time investment, it’s really never too late or too long to change it. It could happen when a new management takes over or when the old has been proven inefficient.

Example: Harley Davidson was $90 million dollars in debt in 1982. While they enjoyed customer loyalty, the product wasn't simply that good. According to Richard F. Teerlink, the man behind the metamorphosis, “We had to improve the quality of our product to be fair to the customer. If we hadn't improved the reliability of Harley-Davidson products, the company wouldn't be here today.”

When your vision and branding synch no more

According to Brian Lischer, a columnist for ignytebrands.com, “Sometimes changes in cultural context can change the meaning of a brand name. Sometimes the name just outgrows its welcome.” True story.

When your branding appears a close cousin to that of a competitor

One doesn’t need a hawk-eye to see that. Brand identity is all about the distinctive vision of your brand. If your branding, by way of its likeness to a competitor’s brand, comes in the way of business, it’s certainly act of blasphemy.

When you are trying to broaden your reach

A successful brand keeps reinventing itself and its target group. When you feel that your business has reached a point where it needs to expand demographically, then it calls for rebranding.

Example: When NBCUniversal decided that its aging Sci Fi Channel sought to broaden its reach in 2009, executives changed the name. While phonetically, it remained the same, the new name syfy, helped the company copyright the name and appear new and fresh. The initial response was that of mockery, but the fans warmed up to it soon.