Step-by-Step Guide To Successful Rebranding In 2023

Are you looking to rebrand your business in Uganda? You probably have a few more questions than the obvious, “How to rebrand my business in 2023.” In this article, we shall take a look at what rebranding is, how to rebrand, and some examples of rebranding in Uganda.

What is Rebranding?

Before we talk about rebranding, let’s understand what branding is. If you own a business of any kind - whether it is a small business or a large company, you may have heard of the term “branding.”

Branding refers to creating an identity for a business, and it comprises several components.

Components of branding

Here are some of the key components of branding:

• Company logo
• Visual identity, including brand colors and typography
• Company vision
• Company mission
• Company values

In essence, branding is the way a company’s consumer base identifies its product or service.?

Let’s take a look at SafeBoda - you can pick out that orange color anywhere on the road and instantly know what company it represents.

Now that we know what branding is, let’s look at what rebranding is.

Rebranding is the process of creating a new look or personality for a company. There are many ways to rebrand a business. You could consider changing the logo, updating the tagline, or even renaming the whole entity.

Let’s take a look at the different components you can change in the name of rebranding.

The Key Components of Rebranding

When rebranding your business in Uganda, there are a few things to consider updating. Let’s take a look.

Your Vision and Mission

A rebranding may call for a new vision and mission for your company. A vision and mission include the beliefs that your company was built upon. These values are the heart of your company. They represent the why and how of your company.

In creating a new identity for your company, you might want to change the things your company stands for. A mission statement guides you toward the right course of action to take when making decisions in the future.

Changing your company mission may look like shortening the mission statement, updating the old one, or even creating a whole new one.

Your Logo

What is a logo? A logo is a brand graphic that helps consumers to identify your brand in a quick and simple manner. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. Most rebrands feature a logo upgrade.

You may want to change your brand’s logo if you are seeking to target a new demographic with your product or service. A logo rebrand is a perfect way to maintain your company identity while sending across an updated message.

For example, you may consider changing your logo to a more sleek and professional logo to attract a business-based audience. Certain fonts impart a more sophisticated air. Color theory can help you understand the impact of different colors on a logo.

Other than that, a logo change might be needed to show your consumer base that you are constantly growing and changing with the trends. This might be even more important if your competitors have started revamping their logos to suit the current graphic design trends.

Your Brand Colors

Another way to rebrand your company is to change the colors used in your logo and adverts. Most companies stick to one color when doing their ads. Most banks use blue to establish trust and safety. Insurance companies in Uganda tend to use red on their billboards. Simply thinking about MTN makes you see yellow.

You may need to change your brand colors to get your message across better. You can choose to add a new color or consider varying the shading of the original color. Make sure to take a look at the psychology of colors and their effects on people’s decisions.

Changing brand color is an excellent way to set your company up for a new launch or to celebrate a milestone achieved.

Your Tagline

A tagline, slogan, or motto, is a short statement that gives customers an insight into the values a company seeks to provide.

MTN - Everywhere You Go.

This is the perfect example of a tagline that is consistently used in TV and radio adverts. It proves to people that MTN is a reliable brand that provides service everywhere you go. This makes customers rely on this telecom service even more.

As of February 2022, MTN rebranded its tagline from “Everywhere You Go” to “Yello’” to represent its evolution from a telecommunications company to a technology company.

Your Brand’s Personality

Some brands are fun and involved, while others give off a calm and composed personality. When communicating with customers, a first-person perspective can help to connect with younger audiences.

Another example may include a brand taking on a more neutral voice, rather than feminine or masculine, to attract all genders to buy their products and services.

An example of a brand voice is found in SafeBoda’s notifications that inspire a fun and light attitude while relating to people on a personal level.

What are the two types of rebranding?

Not all rebranding is the same. Some may require an entire overhaul of the brand image, while others may need a simple update to the brand tagline. Let’s take a look at the two types of branding.

Partial rebranding

As the name suggests, partial rebranding means that a company will change only a few things within its visual identity. A partial rebrand may be necessary to create new buzz before launching a new product or attracting a new audience.

Full rebranding?

A full rebranding usually takes place after mergers or acquisitions. Here, the new business entity will need to update its visual identity as well as its core values. The business may need a new name. Aside from that, a new logo will be important when advertising the new brand.

Rebranding, if done right, has the capacity to boost your traffic and increase your sales. But that’s not the only reason for rebranding. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons for rebranding.

Reasons to Rebrand Your Business

Rebranding stands to help with attracting more attention, increase sales, and influence new audiences. On the other hand, rebranding out of boredom is a bad idea because people might get confused and forget your brand when making purchasing decisions. There are a few reasons why you might need to rebrand your business.

Let’s take a look at some reasons why you might want to rebrand your business in Uganda:

Mergers and Acquisitions

Many mergers and acquisitions in Uganda come with a rebrand. A merger is when two or more companies join together to create a new entity. An acquisition occurs when a big company takes over another smaller company.

One of the most popular mergers in Uganda is the Airtel and Warid telecom company merger. Here, two companies came together under the Airtel name. They created a new logo, tag line, and had new values. Warid billboards were taken down and replaced with new adverts featuring updated fonts and brand colors.

In 2014, UK-based Africell, a telecom company, acquired Orange Uganda. This is an example of an acquisition that led to a rebranding. All Orange customers were moved onto the Africell network. New customers were attracted by Africell’s services due to the new adverts featuring a new logo, updated values, and refreshed services.

Attracting new audiences

A complete overhaul of brand components might be needed to attract a new customer profile. Some brands get into the habit of targeting either only older or only younger audiences. Since branding seeks to connect your audience to your company, a rebrand might be necessary to broaden the market size.

Additionally, you might be introducing a new product to your portfolio. For example, a business that sells only smartphones may start to sell laptops. This means that their target customers have increased from just phones to laptops.

In order to get the word out, you might consider rebranding. A new logo or even a name change can help you to attract more customers.

Refreshing an old brand

While there are advantages to being consistent in your brand image, there are also benefits in refreshing your logo and company values. A brand may lose its relevance if it stays unchanging even when its competitors are evolving and adapting to market trends.

Brands may lose meaning if they don’t continuously improve and find out what their audience likes. The world is constantly changing. What was attractive ten years ago might not be relevant today. With a new set of values, a brand might be able to appeal to new audiences.

Values such as giving back to the community, helping with climate change, and being inclusive are popular today. Brands that don’t commit to these principles may lose their standing with their current audience.

How to Rebrand Your Company in Uganda

Rebranding helps you to connect better with your audiences. But how do you rebrand your business? This section will explore the steps you can take to rebrand your business.

Understand the reason behind your rebranding.

Your rebranding strategy should start from the “why?” What is the purpose of the rebrand at this time? Are you rebranding to create buzz over a new product? Are you trying to follow the new trends and update your business?

A merger or acquisition creates a compelling case for a rebrand. However, other times we might want to rebrand because we are getting tired of our old logo. This might be a bad decision because you might lose some customers.

Research your audience

Once you have established the purpose of your company rebrand, it’s time to do the research. Look into your customers - what age group do they fall under? How do people perceive your brand? If you are planning to target a new audience, who are your competitors?

Revamp your visual identity.

One of the most effective ways to rebrand is by introducing a new logo. Launch your logo around the same time as a new product to attract more customers. You can also update your brand colors for an instant rebrand.

Consider improving your tagline. This can be added to your adverts to show your potential audience what you are willing to offer them if they commit.

Update your company values.

Another way to rebrand your identity is to serve new values. A new mission statement can change your whole business. Commit to creating a deeper connection with your customers. A new mission statement can add to your old one, be completely new, or be a shorter version of the original.

Build your website and online presence.

If you own a business, your website can be the most important channel for communicating with your audience. Most people will only take your brand seriously if you have a website. A website helps you to control the narrative around your business.

A website is the heart and soul of your business. Needless to say, during a rebrand, your website will also need a revamp. Keep up to date with the trends by redeveloping your website to suit the new design trends.

Your visual rebranding efforts must also extend to your social media profiles. In fact, your social media is one of the easiest ways to establish a rebranding. Think of all the people on social media right now.

Launch your rebranded company.

As mentioned above, your social media will best reflect your rebrand. Your fans will be the first to know the news about your brand refresh. Customers will notice the new logo, brand colors, and tagline.

Rebranding Examples in Uganda

Let’s look at some examples of rebranding in Uganda.

Airtel Rebranding

One of the most notable examples of rebranding in Uganda is the Airtel rebranding. This is an example of a full rebrand owing to a corporate merger. Airtel merged with Warid telecom and became one company, now called Airtel. This led to Airtel adopting a new logo, slogan, brand colors, and an updated set of values.

Africell Rebranding

This full rebranding venture began owing to the acquisition of Orange Uganda by Africell, which was UK-based. The telecom company Orange, providing high-speed internet at the time, was sold to Africell and turned into a mobile phone network carrier.

MTN Rebranding

In February of 2022, MTN did a partial rebranding to accentuate its evolution from a telecommunication company to a technology company. They scrapped their old logo and opted for a minimal black text within a black oval. They also updated their tagline from “Everywhere You Go” to “Yello’.”

Stanbic Bank Rebranding

In 2019, Stanbic Bank updated its tagline from “Inspired. Motivated. Involved” to “Moving forward.” The statement was changed to reflect the company’s effort towards focusing on the right connections.

Daily Monitor Rebranding

Daily Monitor executed a name change from The Monitor in 2005. This name change allowed for a brand refreshment and to update their values to guarantee the independence of its journalists and editors.

Are You Ready to Rebrand?

In this article, we have understood all there is to know about rebranding in Uganda. Whether you are opting for a partial or full rebrand, it is important to make the right choice in your rebranding partner.?

Sadja WebSolutions can take care of all your rebranding needs. As they specialize in digital marketing will take over your website, logos, values, brand colors, taglines, and other components needed to refresh your brand and attract new audiences.