Facing Fears About Rebranding

Knowing it’s time to rebrand is important, but it’s not a simple decision for everyone and you may have your concerns. A good rebrand should aways improve your business (maybe even by a good margin), but nonetheless the journey towards growth can feel uncertain. 

Let me try to tackle some possible fears for you:

The rebrand won’t feel like us anymore. 

This is an understandable concern. Some companies already exist for a very long time and are easily recognized by their client base and target audience. But to counter, you should wonder if your brand is all that it can be? Are you currently utilizing your full potential? Your fear of rebranding may keep you from certain growth because even though your brand is recognized, it may not always find that special connection in the heart of the target. 

Your brand may already have that special connection, but you always need to be aware of the ever changing market climate. Sometimes by doing nothing things can get worse. It’s all about relevance. Brands that stay relevant stay ahead. They are the ones taking advantage of the seasonal conditions and finding lush new grass.

A good branding specialist always goes into depth to create, enhance or maintain that special connection with the audience. A brand isn’t just a pretty logo. Every aspect of the brand, the audience and the market will be looked at to create the perfect identity that fits perfectly and finds that special connection in a unique and memorable way. 

Will my brand represent me better than my current brand?

It should. Of course this depends on the brand designer(s)/agency, and some are better than others, but I would say there needs to be a certain amount of knowledge, insight, experience and creativity which contribute to the overall quality of the brand and are a must in order to match or surpass the client’s expectations. 

Some designers/agencies use a questionnaire or a discovery call, for example, to analyze the current status of your brand. It’s usually in this phase you can get a good feeling of the expertise of the designer and the framework used for the whole project. What segments are explored? Do I get the feeling they got to know me, see my potential and lead the way or am I just another project?

If there is a mutual positive feeling, than yes, your new brand will absolutely be better than your current brand. 

Will my clients still recognize me?

I understand this might be a real concern to you. In the end all that you do is for your clients. Who you are, what you stand for and how you communicate towards your target audience. When you have build up a brand over the years, I understand you can become attached to it and proud of it. It’s who you were, who you are, how you got there, what you conquered, what you learned and made you stronger. Your audience recognizes you through it. If all were to change you might loose them..

Or not.. 

“Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room”

This quote by Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon, cuts right to the core. You might be recognized by your audience because of your brand visualization, and you might be attached to it in a way you think you won’t be you anymore when you change. This is a dangerous pitfall to fall in, since no one truly knows what they say about your brand, since you’re not in the room. 

An easy trap to fall in is to believe that all that you do is great, but is all what you do also the best you can do? It’s a good question, since it’s so relatable to real life. People talking nice in your face, even building up honest and true relationships with you, but not always sharing complaints they have about certain situations that might have happened. This way you think all is great, and usually it is largely, but you cannot know everything that is being said or shared about you. 

This way you hang on to all your habits, your expressions, your visuals, while some of them might not optimally hit the sweet spot. When you, or a brand strategist explore these segments your new brand will still be recognized by your clients, be it even they find more connections with your new brand. 

How much will it cost?

It all depends. There isn’t a standard answer. The cost depends on several factors like the size of the business, how much strategy and research is required, if it’s a rebrand and so on. 

Here is a general outline of the price ranges in several categories. 

Budget

Logo maker $0 - $50

Logo template $5 - $100

Logo contests $50 - $500

Mid-range 

Beginner freelancer $100 - $1000

Experienced freelancer $1000 -$ 5000

Renowned freelancer $5000 - $15000

Small design studio $5000 - $25000

Mid-sized studio $5000 - $25000+

High-end

Branding agency $50000 - $100000

Renowned branding agency $100000 - $1000000

World famous designer $100000 - $1000000+

As you can see, the price ranges ramp up quite a bit. 

In the end the real question you have to ask yourself is: How much will it benefit? 

These are the most common fears we see coming by when talking with clients. It's great to sometimes see people change during the process (and even seeing the thrill of it sometimes and becoming excited of new possibilities, and so on.) 

If you're uneasy about rebranding, but you did not (fully) recognize yourself in the fears listed above, please feel free to contact us and we're more than happy to go fully in depth with you and make you feel more comfortable.

Stefan Kuijer

welcometocrowd.com