If you feel like your logo or branding no longer connects with your audience, it may be time for a rebrand.
Rebranding is the process of changing a brand’s logo, name, or other visual assets to stay on top of the industry and competitors. Whether you’re rebranding products, logos, or marketing materials, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it right. Plus, if you scroll until the end, we’ll throw in a couple of successful rebranding examples.
How to Rebrand Your Products Step by Step
1. Assess reasons and risks for rebranding
Rebranding is a massive step and entails careful planning. Therefore, you must assess the reason for rebranding. Are you rebranding products? Are you launching something new? Are you exploring a different market? Or are you expanding your brand?
You need to assess if you need the rebrand and what risks are involved in the process. For example, will you have enough budget to cover the rebranding expenses? Do you have the right people to ensure the rebranding is successful?
Always make sure to sit down and carefully think about WHY you need the rebrand and HOW it will affect your brand, its resources, and budget.
2. Identify your new unique value proposition
The only time a rebranding is successful is if a brand realizes the value in its new offer. If you think that your unique value proposition will let your brand stay on top of the competition, then the rebranding strategy might be a good idea.
That’s why you need to determine your new value proposition and think about how you will position your new “brand” in the market.
3. Determine what assets to change
Rebranding can either be a subtle change or a holistic overhaul of your brand. The next step is to sit down with your team and think about what assets to change. This way, you can craft a design brief to present to the creatives. Remember, if you’ve been running your business for a few years, think about the logo, symbol, or icon that your target audience has associated with.
When changing your brand logo or other visual assets, ensure that the current branding aligns with the new one. It doesn’t have to be the same, but ensure that your existing customers will still be able to connect and recognize your brand after the rebrand.
Some assets to look into for rebranding are:
- Logo
- Website/App
- Business card
- Marketing materials
- Illustrations
- Style guide
- Product packaging
4. Work with your team
One person shouldn’t be carrying all the burdens of rebranding. You must sit down and collaborate with your team to get second opinions about anything. You might see things differently than others. Therefore, it’s vital to ask your team or those who have been with the company for a long time about ideas, feedback, or suggestions. This way, you know you’re on the same page with everyone in your organization.
5. Hire the best creatives
Don’t be frugal when rebranding. If you don’t have enough budget to cover the rebranding expenses, it’s probably best to keep it at bay for now.
Rebranding is presenting a slightly new brand out there. That said, it’s crucial to hire experts to craft the best visual assets. You can choose to work with an agency, a freelancer, or an on-demand graphic design service.
6. Evaluate and test
The next step is to evaluate the visual assets and test if it’s well-embraced in the market. However, since you can’t present it to your target audience just yet, get advice from the experts. Better yet, you can always ask for feedback from your team or focus groups. The important thing about this step is that you’ll have an idea of people’s initial responses.
7. Launch your rebrand
Don’t expect people to know about the rebrand without even launching it. Launching is imperative so you can tell the world the story about the rebranding process. Collaborate with your marketing team and think about promotional ideas to launch your rebrand.
Try to distribute case studies so you can offer a narrative where people can relate to. People naturally love good, emotional stories. Make yours a good and impactful one.
Examples of Brands with Successful Rebranding
Mailchimp rebranded and changed its old logo to a more refined one. However, as you can see, the new one doesn’t show a significant change. And that’s okay. If your current logo or brand still works, then don’t deviate from it. Instead, change to make it better and more clear-cut.
PayPal changed its name from Confinity, which is a portmanteau of confidence and infinity. Confinity focused on affordable digital payments for both consumers and businesses. After two years, the company focused mainly on payments, hence, the rebrand to PayPal.
Google is a brand that knows how to stay on top of trends. The brand wanted to show how it caters to the modern market and changed from a serif to a sans serif logo. Although it received public backlash, people still recognize it. The new logo is suitable for cross-platform promotion, which is why it’s well-embraced in the market.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
When should you rebrand products?
It’s time to rebrand products if you’re experiencing these:
- You’re no longer getting customers
- Sales have been stagnant for the last few years
- If you’re expanding your business scope
- If your product doesn’t differentiate you from the market
Who can help me with rebranding products?
When rebranding products, hire professional graphic designers, web and app designers, or developers. Hire a freelancer from Upwork or Fiverr, work with an agency, or get the services of an on-demand graphic design company if you’re looking for quality and affordability.
