Brand refresh: how to go from stale to star?

To keep up with the pace of culture, brands (big and small) are in a constant state of reinvention, from changes as subtle as a tweaked typeface, to overhauls of their portfolios and positionings. Rebrands can help a cereal box stand out on a shelf, make an insurance company's logo look cleaner on a phone screen, or convey a tech conglomerate's new scope. If they're done right, they ensure customers feel more resonance and a stronger emotional connection to the brand.

When going through a rebranding to revitalize your brand from stale to star, here are a few tips:

• Start with strategy first, not with a desire to have a creative update.
• Determine where your brand is losing relevance or falling behind the competition. Assess how much of that can be traced back to the company's messaging and presentation versus what you are offering to customers.
• Preserve the parts of the brand, its story and values that are still meaningful and resonant to both internal and external audiences.
• New visual elements must reflect real improvements to the product or experience. A new logo may be a cue for customers to reconsider a company, if there is nothing new or different behind the visual change then it can erode trust and customers may walk away disillusioned.
• Deliver on the brand promise. A shiny new brand will not go far, if what you are selling is not delivering on the experience you promised. If you are selling a car that doesn’t start, you’ll soon be out of business.

Whether it concerns a niche, local brand or a well known global brand, a rebrand can evoke a multitude of emotions. From loving the new visual elements to disappointment that a beloved logo has changed.

Therefor it is important to onboard all stakeholders on this exciting journey, respect the history of the brand by preserving the key elements that are part of the company’s DNA and start building excitement by bringing the refreshed brand to live through an animated internal network of brand ambassadors. And remember, a company’s brand is its people, therefor great brands always evolve from the inside out.

Interested in reading more? Here’s an interesting article that inspired me to write this short summary :).

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20231026-the-billion-dollar-brands-spending-big-to-go-from-stale-to-chic