Rebranding: Why is it important?

Rebranding is a marketing strategy that involves changing the brand’s image in the market and gaining a competitive edge. It is done to align the company’s image with the new vision and mission, target audience, market position and hence a new identity. Today’s successful brands have rebranded multiple times and expanded into new regions. Rebranding changes brand perception and helps your business stay relevant in the market.

According to a survey, businesses in today’s market rebrand mainly to update their brand identity, reposition the brand, indicate a change in the target audience, and tackle negative brand perceptions. However, rebranding is a comprehensive and time-consuming process. The same survey shows that it takes seven months on average to rebrand a business.

In this blog, we’ll discuss the intricacies of rebranding, why it is important, how to initiate the process, the challenges to overcome, and tips to consider to get the desired results from rebranding.

Understanding the Need for Rebranding

Before you initiate the rebranding process, you should first understand when, why, and how it is necessary for your business.

Signs Indicating the Need for Rebranding

How do you know if it’s time for rebranding? Here are a few signs indicating the need for a new version of your business.

• Change in your offerings (products and services)
• Change in the audience and their preferences 
• Misalignment with competitors 
• Recently underwent a merger or acquisition
• Attracting the wrong kind of leads
• Change in vision/ mission
• Outdated brand values/ opinions
• Ambiguous message 
• No improvement in the business since the initial days

Your rebranding strategy will depend on how many of these aspects apply to your business. The more elements you relate to, the greater the need for rebranding ASAP.

Evolving Market Trends and Consumer Preferences

Market trends are ever-changing and influence customer preferences. This can make your business seem outdated and no longer relatable to the target audience. Rebranding helps analyze your current brand positioning and take corrective steps to establish your brand among the right audience in the right market. For example, the preferences of the millennials are different from what today’s Gen Z wants.

Case Studies Demonstrating Successful Rebranding Initiatives

Let’s consider Old Spice as an example. The brand had been popular with the older generation but couldn’t create the same impact on younger customers. So, the company developed a rebranding strategy by releasing a series of humorous commercials with the Old Spice Guy on social platforms. This helped the brand connect with the modern audience.

Let’s consider Air India as another example. Air India had a drastic plunge between 1932 and 2021. It went from being a gold standard in the Indian aviation industry to a colossal mess. This downfall gradually began when the then-government took control of the airlines from TATA. Finally, in 2021, the TATA group purchased the almost-dead airline and invested millions to rebrand it on multiple levels. The rebranding focused on presenting Air India as a global entity without forgetting its roots in Indian culture and history.

The company changed the logo (removed the Maharaja). It is now a sleek golden window frame, the window of possibilities, indicating its focus on the future and progress. The color scheme now includes the royal purple, a nod to Vistara. Air India has also ordered 470 Airbus and Boeing aircraft to provide comfortable trips to users. The cabins have been redesigned for comfort, space, and luxury, especially the business class and sports premium. Even the aircraft staff got a makeover with new dresses designed by Manish Malhotra. There’s a user-friendly mobile app to offer better services. All in all, Air India’s rebranding changes its image from a poor service provider to a classy and luxurious airline.

Benefits of Rebranding

Rebranding offers many benefits that ultimately lead to greater brand success and profits for your business.

Enhanced Brand Perception and Image

Rebranding can positively impact brand perception and create a better brand image. It helps your business attract customers and build a stronger connection with them. Your brand becomes an asset and provides multifold returns.

Increased Market Relevance and Competitiveness

Rebranding lets you update your brand vision and values to align with current market preferences. For example, today’s consumers are more eco-conscious and pay attention to businesses sustainable practices. Rebranding helps you share your new ideology with the target audience and gain better reception than your competitors.

Expanded Audience Reach and Engagement

Rebranding leads to brand differentiation, which makes it easier to market your offerings to diverse target audiences. A modern and updated brand image impresses more consumers and engages with them on different levels. It also helps promote brand consistency and builds a powerful brand narrative.

Reinforced Brand Values and Identity

Sometimes, your brand vision and values may not effectively reach the target audience due to incorrect messaging. Rebranding can solve this problem and reinforce your brand identity the way you want customers to perceive it. It can sincerely take your vision into the market and help establish your position.

Improved Business Growth and Sustainability

Another benefit of rebranding is an improvement in business growth. It provides a foundation for making your business more sustainable and fighting market competition. You can establish your USP (unique selling proposition) to attract customers and promote greater brand loyalty.

Rebranding Strategies and Approaches

Your rebranding strategies should be carefully planned and implemented to align your goals with market trends, customer preferences, competitor offerings, etc.

Market Research and Consumer Insights

Conduct detailed market research to understand the current brand perception, strengths, weaknesses, etc., along with what the customers want and how it can be provided. Understand what’s working and what’s not to determine which brand elements to retain and which ones to replace with better and more relevant aspects.

Brand Positioning and Differentiation

Brand positioning helps you identify where your business fits in the market. A rebranding strategy can strengthen your market position or create a better one based on your goals. It lets you differentiate your brand from competitors while ensuring you belong to the same niche. However, all these aspects must be in sync and implement the changes you promote.

Visual Identity and Design Elements

Once the strategic blueprint is ready, focus on how these changes can be reflected in the visual elements. This involves redesigning the brand logo, choosing a different color scheme, changing the typography, creating new commercials and promotional campaigns, etc. Ensure the changes to visual identity are consistent across all assets and send a clear message to the target audience.

Rollout and Implementation Plan

Implementing the rebranding plan is just as important as strategizing it. Start rolling out the changes internally so that employees have a clear picture of the developments. Tie up with marketing partners and service providers to take the changes to the target audience. Monitor every implementation stage to make proactive decisions and achieve the desired results.

Case Studies: Successful Rebranding Examples

PayPal

PayPal had a blue and white logo with a P overlapping the other alphabets when it was founded in 1998. Though the logo was tweaked a little after the acquisition by eBay, the color scheme remained the same. PayPal separated from eBay in 2015. This was a significant moment for the company. It updated the logo in 2014 by modernizing it with a simpler font while retaining the blue. On the business front, the company focused on expanding its services by including mobile transactions, providing access to online financial tools, etc.

LEGO

The Danish toy company LEGO went through a crisis during the 2000s and realized the need for rebranding. This was when the digital age started to take over. The company focused on imagination, innovation, and creativity. It partnered with major franchises like Harry Porter and Star Wars. It entered the online space by asking fans to submit designs for the official LEGO sets. The company stayed true to its core values and rebranded itself to appeal to younger audiences.

Mahindra

Mahindra rebranded in 2021 to establish itself as a worthy contender in the SUV market. The new logo with sharp twin peaks aligns with the company’s aim to stand apart as an authentic, stylish, and sophisticated manufacturer that also offers luxury. The logo reveal came with a tagline – ‘the SUVs of tomorrow are coming’. The company wanted to invoke a sense of freedom and adventure in the target audience. It used this platform to launch XUV700. The rebranding efforts were also seen across various touchpoints.

The rebranding of Mahindra’s XUV300 to XUV 3XO is more than an upgrade. The dominant color scheme, blending the extremes (solid structure with soft lines), is a nod to the brand’s evolution in the industry. This is a marked shift from what Mahindra offered until now and indicates its formidable presence in the new world of powerful, stylish, and bold SUVs.

Challenges and Considerations in Rebranding

There’s no denying the various rebranding benefits for your business. However, the process has a few challenges.

Balancing Continuity and Change

Rebranding requires a delicate balance between implementing new changes and continuing what works for the business. This can be achieved by defining your core values (like LEGO), testing new brand elements, getting customer feedback, aligning strategic planning with brand culture, and bringing everything together cohesively. Branding companies like Origami Creative offer the necessary expertise to overcome rebranding challenges.

Ensuring Consistency Across Brand Touchpoints

Brand consistency helps create a clear and unified message across all channels and touchpoints, no matter which path the customer journey takes. It’s important to avoid sending multiple and contradictory messages to the target audience. Consistency can be achieved by defining and communicating the new guidelines with everyone involved (employees, stakeholders, partners, etc.).

Overcoming Budget and Resource Constraints

Rebranding is expensive. After all, you should change several assets and redesign new promotional campaigns. One way to effectively handle resource limitations is to prioritize. Which aspects of the rebranding are essential? Which are should-haves, and which ones are good-to- haves? Start with vital elements like visual identity and messaging (tone, context, etc.). Set an individual budget and time limit for every stage.

Rebranding Mistakes to Avoid

Lack of Clear Strategy and Purpose

Be very clear and specific about why you want to rebrand. What is the purpose behind it? Your employees, business partners, and customers should understand your new message and connect with it.

Rushing the Rebranding Process

Rushing or accelerating the process is one of the biggest rebranding mistakes you can make. You cannot rebrand the business in a day or two, and the results will not be immediate. Make alternate arrangements to prevent disruptions as you work on rebranding. Complete each step thoroughly.

Neglecting Employee Engagement and Buy-In

Don’t forget or ignore your employees when rebranding. Instead of simply informing them about a vague change, actively involve them. Take their feedback and make your employees feel valued. This will make the process smoother.

Tips for a Successful Rebranding Journey

Define Clear Objectives and Goals

Create a detailed blueprint by neatly defining the goals you want to achieve through rebranding. Align the elements to match the goals.

Involve Key Stakeholders and Seek Feedback

Ask your employees, business partners, customers, and target audience what they want and how they think you can improve your brand image.

Communicate Transparently with Customers and Employees

Share the updates with employees and customers periodically. Let them know what the changes are about. Be specific when communicating your rebranding intentions.

Plan Thoroughly and Execute Strategically

Work with experts to plan and execute the rebranding process seamlessly. Don’t lose sight of your core strategy or deviate from it without reason.

Continuously Monitor and Adjust as Needed

Track the entire process and its impact. Be proactive in making the necessary corrections to achieve your objectives.

Conclusion

Every business must rebrand at some point. Identifying when, how, and why to rebrand is crucial for success. With the right strategy and implementation, rebranding can take your business to new heights and unlock the doors to new markets.

Talk to experts from Origami Creative in Bangalore to rebrand your business and achieve your goals.