Rebranding a Branding Agency - Our Story

You’d think it would be easy. Just follow the process we’ve used for client rebrands for over a decade. No point in reinventing a proven formula – do the research, find the insight, create the solution and implement it. Right? 

Not so fast. During the procedure, we came to appreciate just how much of an emotional challenge it is to make that first incision. After all these years, we finally got to see how branding feels from the patient’s point of view.

A bit of background: The BrainStorm Group had been a successful branding and advertising agency for over 15 years. So why even consider rebranding? The problem was that, despite a strong record of creating brands and well-known campaigns, our own brand ironically did not enjoy strong awareness. In fact, we suffered from a paradoxical awareness – people would say they were familiar with BrainStorm but, in reality, they were simply acknowledging the word was familiar to them and it loosely fit the creative nature of our business. On top of that, “brainstorm” as a word was not even an accurate characterization of either our process or our purpose.

As a branding agency, we had quite the dilemma. Our brand was not sticky and our identity was not entirely relevant. Now, we know a brand is more than a name - it’s the set of experiences clients have that form a perception. From that point of view, our brand was strong but it needed to be stronger for those who didn’t already know us.

Our first step, as it would be with any client, was to explore the risks and rewards of a full-scale brand identity change. It seemed our risk was small, given the low awareness outside our own client base. We also had close contact with our current, former and immediate prospects so it would be easy to communicate any change. In the end, we realized that the reward would be high if we developed a brand that truly captured our purpose.

After an exhaustive strategic and creative development process, we were able to refine our purpose, our culture and our process. By the time we got to the brand identity, it felt like we were already at 90% buy-in – what could possibly stand in our way?

One small but very intimidating word: Change.

A brand change is one of the most traumatic experiences a business can undergo. Well it may not fit perfectly anymore, your brand’s identity is something you’ve grown comfortable with. And, even with all the excitement and high expectations, the process of changing your identity is ultimately deeply personal. This can be frightening not only to the C-suite but also to everyone in the organization.

So were we really up for this elective surgery?

For us, the decision all came down to finding a simple truth that resonated throughout the agency, reenergized the staff and simply couldn’t be ignored. Through our internal exploration, we realized that the greatest joy in our business - for us and for our clients - was that inspirational moment when the complex becomes simple, when you connect the dots and arrive at the big creative idea that makes everything else possible.

Our new brand, Bob’s Your Uncle, captured the joy of that moment.

And the process gave us more than a new name – it reminded us that nothing is more important than purpose. Recognizing and articulating your purpose is empowering. Expressing it in a way that fits your culture is liberating. And watching your clients positively interact with your new brand is truly thrilling.

So what did the branding agency learn from rebranding?

Branding is feeling. And, regardless of where the brand lives, the emotions invested in it can run quite deep. If you take the time and uncover what’s really at its heart, you’ll create a brand that has real meaning. And if it has real meaning, it’ll work really hard to energize your organization. 

As for Bob’s Your Uncle, the patient is doing remarkably well. Even as we began to unveil the new brand, our clients started to share their stories about how it resonated with them. To our surprise, one client even used our “Bob’s Your Uncle” party invitations as flash cards in their internal meetings to mark great ideas. It was the perfect reinforcement to us how sensitive a brand identity is and how every interaction during the early stages with it, both internally and externally, are precious.

So in the end, rebranding wasn’t that painful. We survived the operation and, thanks to the skill of our surgeon, emerged healthier, happier and stronger.

Are you thinking of bringing new life to your brand? What’s holding you back? Would love to hear about your experience so far. - Bob