As a business owner, one of the most important things you can do is create a successful branding identity that represents your business, its purpose, and its people. Your branding efforts should be more than just a logo and clever slogans—it’s how you articulate and communicate your business to the world across various channels.
Cookie cutters are for baking, not branding
DAVID BRIER
Creating strong branding efforts is essential for growth and business success, but it can also be tricky. Even some of the world’s biggest companies have done a rebrand or in most of these cases, just a refresh or tweak, wrong. This can lead to confusion amongst loyal customers and potential buyers, and huge losses in income.
Below are some reasons why rebranding or refreshing efforts have NOT hit their mark:
Moving too far from the recognisable brand
Continuing a strong brand means staying consistent with your messaging. If you change your brand logo or visuals too much, you can end up confusing your customers.
Not doing market research:
If you don’t do your research, you can end up alienating loyal customers—or worse, offending them. Take the time to research your target and existing audience and tailor your rebrand to balance your company’s values with what resonates with them. Research key areas such as colour association, use of language, and current perceptions and trends.
Rebranding/refreshing for no reason
Remember the emotional bond customers can have with a brand. If there aren’t substantial and justified reasons for rebranding or refreshing, it could be received by the public in a negative way, resulting in disappointed and frustrated customers and loss of sales.
As you can see, successful branding takes reason, research, time, and effort. However, if you’re aware of the common mistakes businesses make, you can create a successful branding identity that communicates your message effectively and resonates with your target audience, boosting business value and market share.
If you’re interested in seeing some epic fails, Klint Marketing has created a fantastic list of rebranding blunders, including Mastercard, Pepsi, Kraft, and the hilarious Hershey’s smoking poop! Take a look here.
And if you’re wondering what the difference is between a rebrand and a refresh, Kevin Finn says it best:
Kevin Finn
Author, advisor and branding specialist. TEDx Speaker.
"...to truly rebrand, it would usually involve developing an alternative company name, a revised business strategy, and a new core focus for the company, with an entirely new promise or offer to customers."