You're struggling to get buy-in for a brand refresh. How can you convince your colleagues of its benefits?

To get buy-in for a brand refresh, start by understanding your colleagues' concerns, like budget or timing. Listen, empathize, and address their worries with well-researched solutions. Showing respect for their viewpoints builds trust and makes it easier to gain their support.

Before starting fresh, make sure you're solving already existing problems... There must be some unnoticed leaks in your current strategy that might affect how your brand is perceived. You can just zero in on that leak and fix it in the revamp will be one of the most useful ways to present the buy-in.

It is recommended to undertake a brand refresh to stay competitive in an ever-evolving market. This update will modernize the company’s image and strengthen its connection with the target audience. Negotiating with the team is essential to ensure alignment and optimize the impact of the rebranding. This strategic transformation will enhance marketing effectiveness, attract new customers, and elevate the company’s overall value proposition.

Gather user input. A brand refresh should follow evidence that the current brand is not aligned with organizational reality or vision. Showing colleagues that evidence by allowing them to sit in on focus groups, view recordings or present research can have significant impact.

Highlighting the benefits of a brand refresh is crucial. Show how it can attract new customers, re-engage existing ones, and enhance competitiveness. Aligning the refresh with business goals helps colleagues see the tangible impact, making it easier to gain their support.

Once you’ve identified the concerns, the next step is to Present Benefits clearly and compellingly. How to Present Benefits: Align with Company Goals: Show how the brand refresh aligns with the company’s long-term goals and vision. Address Pain Points: Highlight how the refresh will solve existing problems, such as declining customer engagement or outdated brand perception. Use Data: Leverage AI tools to present data-driven insights, such as market trends and competitor analysis, demonstrating the necessity of the refresh. By framing the brand refresh as a solution to current challenges, you can make a strong case for its benefits.

Emphasize a brand refresh goes beyond aesthetics; it’s a strategic initiative aimed at attracting new customers, re-engaging existing consumers, & standing out boldly in a crowded market. Support positive outcomes by demonstrating how the refresh aligns with evolving business goals, using projected increase in engagement & market share data to illustrate potential growth. Help your team visualize positive impacts by outline tools that will be utilized (customer surveys, competitive analysis etc.), along with a clear, structured approach with actionable steps. This reassures your team there’s a well-thought-out plan designed to deliver tangible benefits. Presenting this way, can inspire confidence & excitement about the brand’s future.

People are naturally drawn to things we haven't seen before. We start to filter out the things we see every day. By giving your brand a touch of magic, it suddenly appears in your audience's view again. People hate change, but they love novelty.

A brand refresh is a big step in the evolution of a company, if done right. It allows previously poor reputations to be turned around with the right branding, sales and customer service strategy. The benefits must be address as the how they apply company wide. It shouldn't be seen as favoured towards one sector of the business, rather, the whole business. This gets buy in from everyone involved. A chance to bring in new customers with updated marketing and re-align business goals based on internal team and external customer feedback. Change is scary, but done right, change can be great!

Showing examples of successful brand refreshes can be convincing. Share stories of how other companies improved their market position or employee engagement through a refresh.

In the Netherlands, LIDL went from being cheap and dorky to being cool by embracing the 'camping vibe' with some cool slippers. But one of the best? Coca-Cola thought it was time for a brand-refresh. So they came up with a campaign that underlined the uniqueness of all their clients. 'Share a coke with a friend'. Every bottle had a name which could be shared or stored. It was a giant success which reignited the whole 'happiness' feeling the brand is all about. Epic work.

Sometimes, seeing is believing. Share Examples of successful brand refreshes within your industry or similar markets. Ways to Share Examples: Case Studies: Present case studies from companies that successfully rebranded and saw positive outcomes. Before and After Comparisons: Show visual examples of before-and-after scenarios to illustrate potential improvements. Benchmarking: Use AI to benchmark against competitors who have rebranded, showing the positive impact on their market position. These examples can help your colleagues visualize the potential benefits and ease their concerns about the process.

It's often more effective to show than tell. Rather than focusing on one brand's success story, illustrate general situations where refreshes led to notable successes. For instance, showcase a company that revamped its brand & experienced significant boosts in market perception & customer loyalty. Highlight how by updating its image, another organisation saw increased employee engagement & company pride. It’s about inspiring the team to imagine what’s possible. By emphasizing overarching themes of transformation & achievement, you'll help your team to envision the potential of a refresh. This method encourages a focus on the possibilities for their own brand, fostering excitement & openness to change without getting lost in specifics.

Share examples of successful brand refreshes that improved market perception and boosted employee engagement, illustrating the benefits without using specific brand names.

concise and effective way to express the importance of highlighting the benefits of a brand refresh. It captures the key points needed to convince others of its value.

A brand refresh can feel overwhelming, presenting a clear, structured plan can transform that anxiety into excitement. To really gain buy-in, frame your strategy as a journey, breaking it down into phases that highlight the vision & inspiration behind each step. Use visual elements like timelines, flowcharts & vision boards to make the plan more engaging & easier to understand. Address budget considerations & key milestones by illustrating how each investment leads to measurable outcomes. By showcasing your preparation & the thoughtful, but strategic reasoning behind each decision, you reassure your team that they are part of a well-organised process. This fosters collaboration, enthusiasm & confidence in the brand's evolution.

Having a clear, detailed plan is essential to gaining buy-in. Create a Plan that outlines the steps, timeline, and resources needed for the brand refresh. Components of a Strong Plan: Step-by-Step Process: Break down the rebranding process into manageable phases. Timeline: Provide a realistic timeline, showing key milestones and deadlines. Resource Allocation: Clearly define the resources required, including budget, personnel, and technology. An organized and well-thought-out plan will demonstrate that the refresh is not just a vague idea but a well-considered strategy.

Create a clear, step-by-step plan with timelines, budget, and key milestones. This demonstrates preparedness and commitment, making the brand refresh less daunting and addressing concerns about unpredictability.

Likely the most important piece of the process is the plan. So much of a rebrand is a hypothetical future-state rooted in examples, comparables, ideas, and expectations. The plan is a concrete way of eliminating ambiguity, personal biases, and vague expectations, and paves a crystal clear path of what, when, why and how. To quote the Mandalorian, "This is the way."

You can present expected ROIs, but my best advice; Start small. Do something unexpected. Type a word that people don't expect. Launch a campaign that people did not see coming. With some creativity, a brand refresh doesn't have to be expensive.

One of the most persuasive arguments is showing how the refresh will positively impact the bottom line. Highlight ROI by demonstrating the potential return on investment. Strategies to Highlight ROI: Cost-Benefit Analysis: Present a cost-benefit analysis that compares the investment in the refresh to the potential financial gains. Projected Growth: Use AI-driven forecasting tools to project growth in brand equity, customer acquisition, and revenue. Long-Term Value: Emphasize the long-term value of staying relevant and competitive in the market. By quantifying the potential benefits, you can make a compelling financial case for the brand refresh.

Highlight how a brand refresh can boost revenue through better customer engagement and market positioning, leading to growth opportunities and cost savings.

When working to communicate the ROI of a rebrand, keep the focus on cost per customer acquisition. Be clear on your numbers and show a realistic comparison to companies (or competitors) who have a more updated and modern brand. Clearly communicate how your brand can be a customer magnet for your target audience and how it will simplify the sales process.

It's essential to highlight how updating the brand can drive increased revenue through enhanced customer engagement and improved market positioning. A refreshed brand can make a stronger emotional connection with customers, leading to higher loyalty and retention. It can also attract new customers who align with the updated brand values.

Involve everyone in the brand refresh by encouraging their ideas and feedback. When people feel involved, they’re more likely to support the change.

Think through the story. Lean on your team and trust in their expertise. Question your CX team to understand customer frustrations. The sales team provides essential knowledge from the field, they're the ones in constant communication with customers and hear their feedback on a daily basis. Entrust you copy team to develop a brand story and positioning that aligns with that customer feedback. Enlist your visual team to portray this story. And most importantly, don't work in silos, there needs to be open dialogue amongst all these entities to have a successful rebrand.

Gaining buy-in is not just about convincing top management; it’s about getting everyone involved. Engage Everyone in the process to build enthusiasm and collective ownership. Ways to Engage the Team: Workshops and Brainstorms: Conduct workshops where team members can contribute ideas and feel part of the process. Feedback Loops: Establish regular feedback loops where colleagues can share their thoughts and suggestions. Internal Communication: Keep everyone informed about the progress and goals of the brand refresh through internal communications and updates. Engaging the entire team fosters a sense of collective ownership, making them more likely to support the refresh.

I'd rephrase this to "Identify and Engage Key Stakeholders." Including "everyone" is a recipe for disaster. At worst you build an diluted brand that's distilled down to a soulless existence because you attempted to include/please all. Best case you manage to come out unscathed with a successful refresh, but it insanely past deadline because the time it took to gather input from top to bottom. That's not to say it shouldn't represent the brands collective culture. Similar to leadership, those stakeholders have been empowered to represent their respective team members. Their job is to ensure they communicate their team's best interest.

"Think of it as giving our brand a fresh outfit for the big party. Just like fashion trends evolve, so do brands! A refresh isn’t just about looking good; it’s about staying relevant, catching new eyes, and keeping our audience excited. Imagine our brand as a top DJ; the crowd might leave if they keep playing the same old tunes. But with a fresh mix, everyone’s dancing again! A brand refresh pumps up our vibe, ensuring we’re not just at the party but owning the dance floor. Let's make our brand the life of the party!" This will be the only speech I will be giving to convince my colleagues

While the above steps are crucial, there are additional factors to keep in mind when seeking buy-in for a brand refresh. Additional Considerations: Timing: Ensure the timing of the refresh aligns with the company’s broader strategic initiatives and market conditions. Leadership Support: Secure early support from key leaders within the organization to champion the initiative. Cultural Fit: Make sure the proposed changes align with the company’s culture and values, minimizing resistance. By considering these additional factors, you can further strengthen your case and navigate any potential roadblocks.

Leverage professionals. There is difference between knowing/understanding/living the brand vs. effectively executing on brand refresh.