5 Symptoms That Scream “Rebranding Required”
The concept of change is something we’ve seen happen to several brands, many of which have become familiar symbols in our daily lives. Pepsi and Shell for instance, have changed their logos multiple times over the years. One thing to note though is that these giants made the changes proactively, because they recognised the need for rebranding.
On the other hand, there are companies out there that need a brand makeover badly, but have yet to realise the situation. That’s why we have listed the 5 symptoms of ‘slipping brands’, to help in the identification process.
Symptom 1: Nobody remembers the brand
One of the sure signs of weak branding is forgetfulness. The company may provide superb products and excellent service, but it’s difficult to refer the business if clients don’t remember the brand. No one will be looking for the company “with an orange logo” or “that company located along Commonwealth Avenue”. Excellent branding on the other hand, reinforces memory; no one forgets the ‘swoosh’ that forms Nike or the ‘bitten fruit’ that represents Apple.
If you constantly hear about people forgetting what your business does, then it might be time to look at a rebranding strategy.
Symptom 2: The brand looks different everywhere
A company may have started at home as a one-man show but as it grows, things like branding for their marketing collaterals may have been overlooked. As a result, the design for every brochure, flyer, online banner and even webpage looks different. Consistent branding is crucial in maintaining a memorable brand, and when it looks different across multiple platforms, your customers don’t have a fixed identity to recognise.
This is also a concern if a brand plans to go international, since slogans and logos can hold very different meanings across borders. Since consistency is crucial, rebranding might be required to remain ‘attractive’ to target markets overseas.
So if you notice that your logo looks different across various media, or that your marketing collaterals have no consistent guidelines to follow, rebranding might be the next step to consider.
Symptom 3: A brand has built negative impressions
Making mistakes is inevitable in any business, and definitely a forgivable act. Strong companies will move forward and continue growing but unfortunately, people tend to remember bad experiences and associate it with the brand involved. It might have been due to one employee or inexperienced project management in the past, but the impressions created will last. As such businesses continue to grow and receive more attention from new customers, a renovation of the current brand will be a good move to shed any attached negativity and facilitate expansion.
If your business has been associated with past mistakes and is growing currently, then tweaking how your brand is portrayed will help establish a new chapter of growth. If the mistakes are still present, then some ‘detoxification’ might be a good idea.
Symptom 4: A brand looks just like how it started
All companies start from square one, and in many cases, that means starting part-time from a rented space. During that initial period, there isn’t much budget for designing a handsome logo, much less a branding campaign. When the business grows and starts getting a bigger profile though, it becomes time to start rebranding how the company carries itself.
Even brands like Pepsi, Coca Cola, Shell, BP, Ford and Mercedes-Benz have revised their logo at least 3 times. So you might want to take a leaf out of their books and look at establishing a brand that suits the company’s growth.
Symptom 5: A slice of the pie gets smaller and smaller
A company is bound to face tough competition in any industry. The only question is not whether there is competition, but how tough is the competition. In the case where competitors start gaining market share and a company starts losing theirs, rebranding is one of the possibilities to consider. Aside from regaining market share, this step is also important for acquiring new markets or changing target markets entirely.
P&G recognised that while their brand was massive, it was associated with too many things. So they came up with Gillette to tackle the shaving segment and so far, it has worked remarkably well.
If your competitors are gaining more customers and your slice of the pie doesn’t seem to be growing, find out if branding is the issue.
Time to pull the rabbit out
If the above symptoms sound familiar and you need consultation on branding, feel free to drop us a message. After all, helping companies reinforce and boost their brand image is what we do.
This entry was brought to you by the branding specialist team at Rabbit Pte Ltd.