The rebranding checklist: 5 things to consider before changing your brand

Your branding is more than just your logo or your website. It is the essence of your company and the story you tell your customers – encompassing every part of your business and representing everything that you do.

And as your business develops your branding needs to evolve alongside it, so that it continues to represent you as accurately as possible. In fact, in a recent report we found that over three-quarters of businesses (76%) had refreshed or changed their branding within the past five years.

Rebranding can breathe new life into your image, attract new clients, and reposition your business in the market. But it is not a decision to take lightly. A successful rebrand requires careful planning and strategic thinking and, if not given the right attention, the process can leave you worse off.

So, before you dive straight into a rebranding project, here are five questions to help you evaluate your position and outline your rebranding strategy:

Why are you rebranding?

The first thing to establish is the why behind your rebranding. Clearly understanding your goals will put you in a better position to achieve them, guiding your strategy and ensuring every change you make serves a purpose.

While the reasons for rebranding will differ across businesses, here are some of the more common factors:

• Outdated branding: Your company has changed and grown since it first started and the branding you started out with has stopped communicating who you are.
• New products or services: Similar to outdated branding, but with more of a focus on what you are selling, if your branding no longer represents what you sell.
• Company restructure: Your business has merged with another, or you’ve completed an acquisition.
• Market changes: Markets evolve rapidly, as do the behaviours and preferences of your customers, and even if you brand is still accurately representing you – it might have stopped resonating with your audience.
• Changing values: This could be as part of combined values following a merger, or simply an increased focus on the likes of sustainability or people, either way, you want your branding to represent this.

For example, our client Whisky 1901 embarked on a rebranding project so their brand would better reflect their new mission and connect them with investors.

What type of rebrand do you need?

Once you’ve outlined the reason behind your rebrand, the next step is to determine the extent of your project. Though it might be tempting to go all in and carry out a complete rebrand of your business, this isn’t always necessary.

You might just need a minor brand refresh, keeping most of your current branding but with some tweaks to upgrade it, typically involving small changes to your logo and visuals, a light revision to your messaging, or a refreshed colour palette.

Of course, there will be times when a full rebrand is the better option, particularly if you are looking to detach yourself completely from the old brand image. But you need to be certain of the extent upfront, so you can plan your strategy accordingly.

See an example of a full rebrand with AtlasEdge, and a brand refresh project with Rimo3.

When is the right time for you to rebrand?

Something that companies often miss when moving forward with a rebranding is careful consideration around the timing. These things take a lot of time to execute properly and can be quickly become messy if rushed.

Before starting, make sure you have enough time, resources, and staff to allocate to the project. If you only have a small window of time to get things done, consider delaying the project until more time becomes available.

How much is the rebranding going to cost?

Another area that has tripped up many a rebranding project is the budget allocated to it. They can be expensive, and jumping straight into it without thinking about the cost is a surefire way to run out of steam before completion. This leads to parts of the rebrand being sacrificed, that would’ve otherwise greatly improved the outcome.

The size of the budget will be largely dependent on the type of rebrand and the amount of work involved, but as a starting point thing about consultancy fees, research costs, design costs, marketing and PR expenses, and any other ‘miscellaneous’ fees that might be involved – including registration fees for new trademarks and any new signage or physical assets.

Who is going to be part of your rebranding team?

The final question to ask yourself before starting is who will be involved in the rebranding team. You’ll want to ensure you have a diverse team representing various parts of the business, but also need to avoid bringing too many people in to prevent unnecessary bottlenecks.

You’ll also need to establish whether you have the resources to carry out the entire process in-house, or if you’ll be working with an external team. If you do choose to partner with an external design agency, make sure they share your values and can articulate how they will help you achieve your goals.

At Branded by Berkeley, we have over 20 years of experience helping companies redefine their brand and make better connections with their audience. If you’d like to discuss your rebranding project, we’d love to hear from you.