Why rebrand?
Why would any organisation decide it is time for a rebrand? There may be a number of reasons why an organisation, product or service will benefit from a rebranding process; from market forces to a change in its activities.
These include:
The need for modernisation
Market forces
Repositioning
Expansion or acquisition
Technical constraints.
Let’s look at these in further detail to understand why a rebranding process is needed.
Modernisation
Some brands, like, Ford, Coca-Cola and Boots have retained the original logo design from their very conception, or thereabouts. Having said that, all of them have been through subtle branding exercises. These subtle changes are to gently modernise the identity.
Some organisations have made a more drastic change. This might mean a change in name and a complete rebrand from the logo upwards.
Nearly all rebrands aim to retain the ‘brand equity’ that the organisation has built up over the years. Some changes are driven by the audiences themselves.
Market forces
Kentucky Fried Chicken, now KFC, Federal Express, now FedEx, changed their names because their customers referred to them by their shortened names, long before the brand team clocked on and followed suit.
Over time an organisation or product may gain some negative market perceptions. There may be nothing intrinsically wrong with the product, but once it has become associated with something that damages sales, it may be to rebrand. This almost certainly includes a name change and a relaunch.
Repositioning
Navig8 has performed a number of charity rebrands and on two instances, it was because the charity needed to reposition itself to their supporters, potential supporters and the government.
Mentioning no names, one charity has the perception of being quite militant, taking direct action rather than campaigning and seeking to influence government policy. This perception was based on the organisation's original founders and no longer applied to the charity's activities.
A subtle name change, a fresh new identity and a new tone of voice repositioned the charity and realigned it with its current values.
Expansion and acquisition
Organisations can change their entire business models over time for instance, Mitsubishi started as a shipping company. When an organisation diversifies its offering, it has two options, create sub-brands that become part of a group, or rebrand to create an overarching brand that covers a wider range of offerings.
Technical constraints
The speed of change in technology over the past decade alone means organisations need to evaluate their brand to keep up with innovation and public perception.
An example of a technical constraint is when an old identity had complex iconography or a logo made up of fine lines. This makes its render on digital devices difficult at small sizes. A simplification process is needed to ensure the identity renders at small sizes on screen, for instance.
There are lots of other reasons, of course. The key thing is to evaluate the current brand, define the reason for rebranding and devise a clear route to bring the brand into line and ready for the future.