5 Questions To Ask Before You Rebrand

As companies and products grow, change, and evolve, the way that we market and brand them has to change as well. Most if not all companies come to a point where they feel that it's time for a rebrand. This is usually when the company discovers more about who they are, who their customers are, and what the company's goals are. You can watch the growth and journey of most companies by following their rebranding efforts over time. A great example of this is the Starbucks logo, which has transformed dramatically from the original maroon logo.

A successful rebrand goes far beyond changing a logo and updating a website, there is plenty of planning and behind the scenes work that has to take place. Before jumping into a rebranding, here are 5 questions that you should ask yourself and your client:

1. Why are we going to rebrand? Rebranding isn't a quick overnight job, so you want to be sure everyone is in it for the right reasons. Are you working to solve a problem that may not require such a drastic step? What exactly is the client unhappy with?

2. Are we ready for change? A call to rebrand takes participation by the team in order to be effective. Everyone has to be ready for and agree with the changes to come so that they can adjust their work accordingly.

3. What is our story, and how does our brand tell that story now? If you and your client want to rebrand to properly tell the story behind your brand, you have to first define what that story is. How does the current brand lack in getting the message across?

4. Has our customer based changed since our last branding effort? If you are now targeting a different audience, you want to make sure that your rebranding efforts will resonate with them.Discuss what elements of your new audience will be reflected in the new brand.

5. Will the new brand last? A rebranding campaign can be evolutionary or revolutionary, meaning it can be a first step for more change to come, or a bold and more permanent change. Talk about if you could see this brand staying relevant and meaningful 5, 10, and even 20 years down the road.

For more great tips and thoughts on rebranding, check out this great article on INC.

Have you ever successfully completed a rebranding campaign? What challenges or difficulties did you face?