Why do Companies fail when rebranding?
Have you ever walked past a store and had the notion that it was something you just experienced? When did they alter their logo?
Typically, the first indication of a failed rebranding is this
Throughout my 15+ years of experience working with brands such as Heineken and Ray-Ban, I have witnessed numerous rebrands. Is it not true that companies often focus on the wrong topics?
Image by author. The CEO’s innovative idea is the starting point for many rebranding attempts
The Unusual Truth About Rebranding
Here’s what happens most often::
Sound familiar?
From Someone who has Been there, “What Actually Works”?
As the creative leader for Beerwulf (Heineken’s D2C brand), I was informed that Successful rebranding Isn’t the focus on attractive designs?. The focus is on three areas::
1. Understanding Why
Don’t think about rebranding just because your logo looks good “old. ” That’s like buying a new car because you’re bored with the color
Explicit mention: YOU Are. You didn’t ask the world around you that’s also seeing that same car
2. Inside-Out Approach
Most companies do this backwards. They start with visuals instead of values. In any project, I always began with the team. Why? Because your employees are your first brand ambassadors. If they don’t buy it, neither will your customers
3. Gradual Evolution
Remember when Instagram changed their logo overnight? Everyone freaked out. Then a week later, nobody cared. But that only works if you’re Instagram
For most brands, subtle evolution beats dramatic change. Think Ray-Ban — their logo hasn’t changed much since the 1930s, but their brand keeps evolving
The Million-Dollar Question
Ok, for most companies, this might not be a million dollar question, but at least hundreds
☞ Want to know if you really need a rebrand?
Ask yourself: “If I removed all logos from my product and my competitor’s, would customers still choose mine? ”
If the answer is no, you don’t have a brand problem. You have a product problem. Sure branding can help sell something as basic as salt, but it only goes so far, for so long
What Now?
Consider this. 80% of companies thinking about rebranding shouldn’t do it. Yeah, I said it. They should focus on fixing their customer experience first
But if you’re in the 20% who genuinely need it, start here:
Example of a rebrand no one needed
Between you and me, I really wish a lot more companies would have looked at step 4 above. So many great logo’s were killed, simply because someone thought “it was time to move along with time”
Like this one, UPS:
Left, the logo from the 60’s, right, the current thing
Sure, in black and white it doesn’t look awesome, but it says a lot. Overall you see:
Anyhow…
Let’s Talk
What’s your take? Have you seen any rebrands that made you think “what were they thinking? ”
I’d love to hear your worst rebrand stories
And if you’re considering a rebrand, please do remember this: your brand isn’t your logo. It’s what people say about you when you’re not in the room