The Benefits of Rebranding

When is it time to think about rebranding? Whenever your branding no longer connects with your audience and drives conversations about your products, says Hunt + Hawk’s long-standing Design Director, Angelo Alcasabas .

What goes into a brand identity?

There’s a combination of visual branding and emotional elements, for sure, and an obvious desire for your brand identity to be memorable.

After all, no one wants their branding to be forgettable or fail to stand out from the crowd.

But if your brand identity was conceived many years ago, there’s every chance it now looks a little bit outdated.

Remember those Geocities websites in the mid-1990s? There’s a reason they all disappeared.

But beyond the need to update your logo and ensure your brand identity matches the current zeitgeist and digital climate, what are some of the other benefits of rebranding?

The Many Factors That Go Into Rebranding

While some businesses may choose to update brand assets simply because they’re looking a little tired, Hunt + Hawk Design Director Alcasabas says there are plenty of other factors to consider when it comes to rebranding.

“It’s arguably a far more competitive market now than it was in the past,” he said. “There are different platforms and channels, and the whole digital landscape is much more connected.

“So if your company was founded 20 or 30 years ago, you may not have even considered what the digital marketplace would look like in 2024,” he added.

Alcasabas says the rise of social media and the fact that businesses can now advertise directly to consumers means it’s more important than ever to consider what sort of branding they're sending out into the marketplace.

“If a company has never considered that the digital landscape is constantly evolving, they may find their brand identity no longer suits their needs and face the choice of having to start again.”

On the other side of the coin, some businesses have simply outgrown their branding.

They may have expanded their offerings or started operating in new markets, or potentially even merged with another business.

They may also wish to elevate their perception in the marketplace – using a strategic rebrand to boost the reputation of their products, and ultimately commanding higher prices as a result.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all rationale behind deciding to rebrand, what the majority of businesses have in common is simply an understanding that their branding is no longer commanding attention and bringing in customers in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

How Do You Know When It’s Time to Rebrand?

It’s a question we hear often.

Put simply, if your branding is no longer doing what it’s supposed to do – namely drawing awareness to your products and driving conversions – then it’s time to start thinking about rebranding.

“If you’ve seen a drop in engagement or recognition, or your brand is not really driving that trust with your consumers, then it’s time to consider a rebrand,” Alcasabas said.

“If there’s nothing wrong with the product but everything else is failing – and the marketing around your product is not generating those sales conversations – then it’s worth revisiting all those foundational elements of your brand.”

That’s especially true in today’s crowded landscape, where customers interact with your brand across multiple touchpoints and channels.

“An effective rebrand will address all of those touchpoints – whether they’re online or offline.

“That means your website, your social media, all your printed elements need to be polished, professional, and most of all consistent to be doing their job properly.”

A lack of consistency across channels is another obvious sign that it’s time to rebrand.

“There needs to be some cohesion across touchpoints,” Alcasabas said.

“There’s brand messaging, there are visuals, and all of those things that represent your brand identity.

“They need to complement each other, and be cohesive, so you can have conversations about why your product is so much better than anything else out there in the marketplace."

Why Not Just Pay Someone on Fiverr to Rebrand?

For want of a better term, because it looks cheap.

There are plenty of freelance designers doing cheap logo updates online – and they risk doing damage to your brand identity every time they do so.

That’s why talking to branding experts can be so much more valuable in the long run, because they can help craft a brand story and brand messaging to match your designs and ultimately create an overarching brand identity.?

“When you just download a logo from the internet, you miss having those conversations and engaging with the process of creating a brand that will last for many years to come,” Alcasabas said.

“I often think: why is it that companies invest time and money into everything they do... from the team they hire, to the office they fit out, to the tools they pay to do their jobs properly.

"But then they'll just pay for the cheapest design they can get away with!"

It’s an attitude Hunt + Hawk strongly advises against.?

“If you go cheap with any of those components, including the logo, it really dilutes its impact and can ultimately compromise the success of your business.”

Need a Hand With Your Rebrand?

Think a rebrand sounds too complex? You don't need to go it alone.

Hunt + Hawk is home to an entire team of branding experts—from marketing managers, to sales strategists, to a full-service creative team.

We’ve helped countless businesses update their brand identity, and we recently undertook a full rebrand of our own.

If that sounds like something you need a hand with, simply drop us a line.

We’re here to take your rebrand higher.