Rebrand Without Regret
Tips to make a daunting task doable
So, it’s time to re-brand your company and you’re leading the project. No pressure. Your company’s brand is one of its most valuable assets and all you have to do is align everyone who works for it around the brand’s purpose, mission, and values — not to mention its new snazzy look.
Not easy in a company of 3, let alone 30,000. But fear not, pro tips await you.
Pro Tip #1: Communicate the upside
Let’s be honest; the “it’s time for us to re-brand” exclamation is rarely met with enthusiasm. The conversation quickly turns to the expense, the time suck, the logistics. And the ever-popular question, “What if our Board, shareholders, customers, and employees hate it?”
This is why it’s always a good idea to be sipping a Coke during your re-brand revelation. Because you can twirl the can around to the logo and answer with this question: “Did you know Coca Cola’s brand is worth roughly double its sales?” It quickly changes the conversation to the upside of investing money, time, and energy into your re-brand to drive a business asset.
This is a good time to tell them that the re-brand will also uncover useful data on your culture, clients, category, and competition as part of your brand discovery process. This data often leads to insights that uncover real market opportunity.
Pro Tip #2: Include your story
Every company on the planet — from corner grocers to mega-conglomerates — has a story, but too often we see it get ignored as a building block of a re-brand. This is a missed opportunity because people love story-based brands.
How much? Quick example: Ben & Jerry’s’ Waterbury, VT factory tour attracts more than 350,000 visitors a year. Think about that. Customers paying you to learn more about your brand. Story flips traditional advertising right on its head!
So, take a page from the branding book of two Vermont hippies and include your story. Customers will connect emotionally and, as a big-time bonus, you’ll have created the foundation for a strong content marketing platform which is vital to any brand’s success.
Pro Tip #3: Objectify the subjective
A re-brand means a new logo — or, at the very least, a logo evolution. This is where even the best-managed re-brand often goes off the rails. Even if your team is in agreement on brand tone, manner, personality, and voice, the visual expression of the brand is incredibly subjective.
So, before you get into a meeting to look at new logo options, get everyone on the same page. How? There are different ways to do this. At Flynn, we conduct a Brand Expression Workshop with your key stakeholders that helps build consensus on color, font, shape, tone, and more. It’s a 90-minute workshop that can literally save 100+ hours of back and forth trying to align internal approvers on the best logo option. It’s also helpful in saving your sanity.
Handled well, a re-brand can be one of the most rewarding projects you’ll ever lead. You’ll help shape one of your company’s most important assets and uncover valuable data along the way. Just make sure whoever you partner with can help you avoid the common pitfalls so launch day has you high-fiving your colleagues and cracking a beer — instead of crying into one.
