Extreme Makeover?! Top 5 Reasons It Might Be Time for a Rebrand

Ah, the ’80s. Where perms, puff shoulders, and power suits mingled with Lycra, leg warmers, leather, and lace — where girls just wanted to have fun and everyone was livin’ on a prayer (especially with their acid wash and mullets).

Clearly, there are some things better left in that era (mullets) and some things that continue to merit a place in current times (leather and power suits), with a notable modern upgrade.

We know humans — and brands — can get stuck in outdated styles. They can outgrow their logo, their image, their website, and their marketing strategy.

The worst offenders are usually relatively easy to spot because you can’t miss the figurative perms and floofy bangs — AirBnB’s bubble font begone! Other companies activate a re-brand to stay current and ahead of the curve — think Mastercard. Still others make a massive error in calculation and bring in the new when the old should have stayed put — Gap, anyone?!

But, we know what you’re thinking, especially in light of Gap… “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” right?! We get it. A rebrand is a risk, and it is no small feat — in time, expense, or creative output. So, how do you know if and when the time is right?

We previously showed you the steps to launch (or re-launch) success — but now we’re going to walk you through 5 ways to know if you should rebrand in the first place. (Spoiler alert: It’s not just about how “old” your company is.)

Here are five reasons it might be time.

1. You’re embarrassed.

Let’s just start out with a bang here and come out and say it. Your logo makes you and your team blush — and not in a good way. Your website spells cringe. All your marketing materials look permanently stuck in 1992. It’s not your fault. Outdated brands and logos that are past their expiration date happen to good people — it happened to us and it has happened to our very talented clients. Sometimes it just indicates that a cosmetic refresh is in order — to upgrade your brand’s look and feel. But it could just as well mean that you need a complete overhaul.

2. Your vision is cloudy.

Does your brand reflect your core principles — your purpose, vision, mission, values?

It might not! Especially if you didn’t do much work on the front end when getting your business up and running — or the industry has shifted dramatically. (Did you know Google started out as BackRub?!? Can you imagine BackRubbing for something rather than Googling it? Thank goodness for that change.) Having a clear and current brand vision is imperative for your internal- and external-facing brand identity.

3. You’re getting lost.

Competitive differentiation makes a difference — for your company’s bottom line and for its brand identity. Maybe you have clearly defined your competitive advantage to boost your sales and business growth — what you do better than anyone else — but you need a new, stronger logo, website, and more to stand out above the rest.

4. You’re moving on up, but you have growing pains!

Has the footprint of your business changed? Has your company evolved? Maybe you’ve moved and/or expanded beyond the city where you launched (that happened to us!); maybe you’ve added and upgraded your suite of service offerings; maybe you’ve scaled new heights of success. All of this can indicate it’s time for a rebrand. But, it’s not always about totally leaving your old brand behind. Smartly integrating the strongest elements from your existing brand into your new brand is often the smartest thing you can do.

5. You’re looking for a new connection.

Maybe you have the ear of your current customers, but you need to reach a new audience — like the next generation or a different segment of consumers who is spending money in the marketplace. For example, a brand that might go the course for Baby Boomers who are legacy customers won’t always fly for Millennials and definitely not for Gen Z. This is one of the reasons rebranding can be so challenging and tricky because you don’t want to alienate brand loyalists while trying to welcome a whole new era of connection with new clients. It’s one of the many reasons that consumer and market research as well as brand tracking pays off, as does working with a professional marketing agency.

For more information and inspiration, check out our case study on Camens Architectural Group’s rebrand, where we successfully shifted a legacy brand’s foundation towards a strong, modern future.

We can help rebrand your company with a nip and tuck or an extreme makeover — no mullets allowed!