How do you know if a rebrand is necessary? From working with clients, we’ve found four common scenarios that lead the businesses we work with to rebrand. This article explains each scenario and what we do to help a business who’s in this situation. While we have our signature InsideOut Method, the specific scenario a business is in means we give focus to different areas of the strategy and rebrand process. Keep on reading this article to understand if a rebrand is right for your business, and how it could impact your growth. 

Reason 1: There’s been a shift in business strategy

Maybe you’re the owner of a company, or a new CEO, or perhaps as a founder, you’re making a significant shift in business strategy and culture. Whatever the reason, a shift in business strategy or leadership needs to be communicated and reflected company-wide to unite and inspire the company you now lead. 

When rebranding in this scenario, we pay careful attention to the voices of employees and customers to make sure any branding activity is attuned to their experiences. We take these experiences and balance them with the new vision for the business and its leadership. For new owners or leaders, a rebrand is an opportunity to share your vision for the future, and inspire and unite the company stakeholders. 

Reason 2: You need to attract or or retain talent

“Up to 40% of workers may quit their jobs in the next six months.” (Mckinsey, Oct 2021). We’re in what is being coined as the “Great Resignation”. As a result of the pandemic flipping the world on its head, businesses world-wide have seen employees en masse question where and how they spend their time. 

Employers now need to compete for the attention, loyalty and relevancy of employees. If the Great Resignation is affecting your brand, rebranding or a brand awareness campaign is an opportunity to consider how you’ll position your business to employees and communicate the value you offer beyond a paycheck. Value beyond a paycheck includes company values, culture, and learning. 

Reason 3: Your products or services have changed

Over time, your businesses products and services would have evolved to meet the demands of customers. You may even talk to new customers who weren’t considered when you first launched your brand. If left unmanaged, this change can be confusing for employees and customers to navigate. 

In this situation a rebrand is an opportunity to clarify what a business does, who they do it for, and how it makes their customers and employees feel. When helping clients in this situation, our goal is to simplify their products and services, clarify why the brand is relevant to customers, and clarify how each product or service fits into the overall brand story. With this information, it’s then about building an emotive persuasive brand story for both employees and customers. 

Reason 4: Your business is better than it looks

Many successful brands come to a time where they’ve outgrow the initial investment they were able to make on their brand strategy, brand identity and assets. In some cases these brands will have a logo but lack an identity system. Or in others the business has simply outgrown the initial brand identity, and the brand identity no longer conveys the value a business delivers. 

If this is you, a rebrand and redesign of your visual brand assets means you could be more successful with less effort. Good design makes a good first impression and conveys trust, credibility and quality. If you can convey these attributes before a customer reads anything about your brand, then there’s significantly less effort required to gain their trust and loyalty in marketing and advertising. 

When helping clients in this situation, we focus on what’s working in the business, not what needs improvement. We uncover what makes the business undergoing a rebrand special, and we elevate these qualities with words, visuals and composition to communicate the positive attributes.