Sometimes, you just need to start over. A brand becomes outdated, your target audience no longer responds, or you change your core value proposition. No matter the reason, it could be time for some ReBranding. What what are the key Rebranding Challenges businesses face?
Of course, changing the visual nature and perception of your brand is not without its problems.
Here are the 5 common Rebranding Challenges and How to Overcome Them.
1) Overcoming Past Perceptions
Without a doubt the most common challenges brands face when reinventing themselves is their old reputation. Especially current customers will have a difficult time overcoming their previous knowledge and biases concerning your brand, which just happens to be exactly your goal.
Overcome it By: Maintaining Crucial Elements of Your Previous Brand
Unless you’re trying to completely erase your previous brand (in which case we’re talking about more than a simple re-brand), chances are that your previous brand has at least some elements that could carry over. Maintaining a colour scheme or other design elements helps ease the transition for an audience that has difficulty changing gears.
2) Fighting Re-branding Resistance
Some of your stakeholders will actively resist the change to a new brand identity. Handled wrong, they can become dangerous forces by influencing others to resist the change as well. Expecting and managing these stakeholders is crucial in helping your new brand identity take hold.
Overcome it By: Communicating Pro-actively
There is a reason you’re engaging in a re-brand, whether your product or value proposition has changed, or the majority of your audience simply no longer responds to your brand identity. But chances are your stakeholders don’t know that, which may cause them to feel blind-sided by the change.
Fortunately, you can address that problem before it becomes an issue by communicating the chances – and the reason for those changes – before they take place. Find your most influential stakeholders, and involve them in the re-branding process.
3) Internal Adoption
A more innocent group of stakeholders that could nonetheless harm the re-branding process are your employees. They have become so used to their own brand identity that the switch will be difficult. In communicating with external audiences, they may continue to use old logos or brand names. But at the same time, they absolutely need to be on board with the new brand if you want your adoption to go well.
Overcome it By: Involving Your Employees Early
Imagine the company you work for suddenly changes its name. How long will it take for you to adjust? Now imagine that same company said that it will change its name six months from now. Clearly, the chances of adjusting by the time the new name launches are much higher, because you already had your adjustment period. Involving your employees early in the process helps ensure that by the time you roll out the new brand, everyone is on board.
4) Confused Messaging
A re-branding process can be time-consuming. Not only do you have to change perceptions, you also have to make sure that all of your messaging is consistent. That, in turn, can quickly devolve into a problem: what if you change the name of your Facebook page one day, but wait for the next week to update your website. As a result, your audience is confused, and your message consistency suffers
Overcome it By: Getting the Timing Right
To solve this problem, create a roll out schedule for your re-brand that ensures you maintain consistency. Not everything will go according to plan, and there will be minor hiccups – but through a previously planned schedule, you can ensure that your new official re-brand occurs swiftly and smoothly.
5) Identity Problems
Probably the most common challenges of a re-brand boil down to a simple problem: creating a new brand identity that benefits both your business and your audience. Re-branding is a major project, and if you don’t get your identity right, starting over can lead to further challenges and problems down the road.
Overcome it By: Working with Professionals
With any major project, you should work with professionals who can guide you through the process and ensure that you get it right the first time. So if you’re going through a re-brand but are worried about the challenges you will face, talk to us.
We’d love to help you get started and ensure that your ReBranding becomes a full success!
Fancy a coffee to discuss your creative brief?