Sometimes it is time for a rebrand, sometimes it's not. A rebrand is sometimes considered when you are not happy with the aesthetics of your brand identity or logo. My opinion is if it isn't broke then don't fix it. There are many examples of Brands changing their identity and in turn receiving a disastrous backlash, not only by press, but more importantly by their consumers too. Drastically changing your logo or identity usually comes with a rebrand strategy behind it, subtle changes can be a success however.
In 2010 Gap cut a 24 year tie with its renown condensed-serif logo. Replacing it with a new logo, going down the sans-serif minimalist route. The new logo still included the blue box of Gaps older logo but the new typeface seems to have outgrown it as the square is made smaller and is overlapped by the new typeface. Gap CEO opinions on the logo: "heritage through the blue box while still taking it forward". Although it keeps the blue box for heritage it is pretty much 'out of the way' and I believe the typeface that was removed instead was more unique to Gap.
Within a week of being revealed Gap decided to revert to their older logo. There was over 2000 comments on their Facebook page and other social media platforms demanding a return. Gap are just one of many Brands with a disastrous new logo or rebranding; other notable mentions are Cardiff City FC, Animal planet (past logo) and Tropicana.
A successful example of a logo change is Mastercard. Known for its interlacing red and orange circles MasterCard held on to their unique identity stronger than 'Gap' decided to. They moved the white writing of its name that overlapped the circles and put it underneath in a thinner typeface. The logo certainly looks cleaner this way. The initial white writing over Orange can become a problem in certain digital aspects. MasterCard’s new logo can also be seen without its name at all and people will still recognise it because of the two circular shapes and the colours to go with it.
The difference between Mastercard and Gap is that one kept to its identity stronger than the other. Gap had no substantial reason to change their logo so drastically, whereas Mastercard knew this as well, so cleaned up theirs.
There are reasons when it is good to change a logo MasterCard gave prime example, but when it comes to completely changing your logo; It is sensible have a rebrand alongside it.
Here are six reasons to rebrand:
1. The identity doesn’t reflect your brands values
There is a lot of psychology when it comes to design, even the youngest of kids know when something is too boring for the
m or alluring to them. That is why it is important to know who your target market is before you go into brand identity. People want to align themselves with brands that share the same value. If there is no strategy behind your brand, the communication of your brand identity could be misunderstood, this is perfect time rebrand and put your message right.
2. You're going for a new audience
Sometimes brands want to change their approach and target new markets. Depending on what that market is, they may need an identity change or may just need to change their marketing strategy. Usually changing their audience is due to finding a gap in the market. If that gap in the market is for glamourous females and you are solely focused on outdoorsy males you will need to rebrand
3. Negative perceptions
In the 1980s & 1990's football hooliganism was at its peak in the UK. Most professional clubs had sections of their fanbase who form their own firms which would associate themselves into anti-social behaviour violence, vandalism etc.
Many of these firms would associate themselves with designer wear and most commonly Burberry. Due to no fault of their own, Burberry was synonymous to hooliganism and just like that more hooligans began to purchase their clothing wear. The Brand perception was all wrong, wearing Burberry could automatically associate you to hooliganism. There was point where pubs began to ban Burberry and Selfridges wouldn't sell Burberry products.
Eventually in a attempt to rebrand themselves Burberry removed their Nova check pattern from majority of their products and had host of models including Naomi Campbell & Cara Delavigne take shoots in Burberry wear. They focused on their story and doubled down on their values. They also began to communicate more with their target consumers by utilising their use of social media.
4. Looking like everybody else
If your Brand name is too generic alongside your market being too generic and finally your logo being generic; you're just another Brand. There is nothing that makes you different. It is important that all 3 of these standout to really give yourself a voice.
Twitch was able to be given this 'voice' because not only does the name stand out, their target market stands out and their colour standout too. Twitch is a streaming platform just like Netflix, Youtube and Rakuten.
The 3 just mentioned not only have similar platforms, but they all have the same primary colour which is red. Twitch is different from the others because their main focus is gaming and they convey a Purple colour, allowing them more room to stand out from the others. Netflix, YouTube and Rakuten are all successful Brands but if they at least had a different primary colour or a more expansive colour palette would they standout even more?
5. Your business is outdated
If a Brands website, logo or publications look like they belong in the 90s or 00s then it is probably time for rebrand. If there's a company that sells Boomerangs or 3-wheeled cars, then it is probably time for them to rebrand and focus on a new market. For example 4 wheeled cars or drones could be a new focus, a rebrand could also make the old become new by creating a more modern version of the product. There is a difference between a logo being outdated rather 'just old' however. The story of Gap and their attempted logo rebrand was unpopular. Maybe you can keep the logo and just give it a cleaner which is pretty much what Mastercard did with theirs.
6. Merging or under new management
Sometimes Brands are sold to new owners that may want to go down a new direction and will therefore need a rebrand. This is usually done when the business is failing or not hitting targets. If the business is already popular and successful, the rebrand could be huge risk. Sometimes separate brands will merge and will then need a new strategy to merge values, identity and cultures. Alternatively, the merged brands may just create a whole new name and create a new Brand strategy from scratch.
Rebranding can be just what your Brand needs I hope this post helps you determine whether you need one or not. It's not a decision you must take lightly, but do weigh up the pros and cons.
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