Rebranding can be a great way to re-ignite your Brand and begin an era of new success. You may be heading in a new direction that the old branding simply does not match, expanding your business or simply want to rejuvenate an old brand that simply doesn’t feel ‘right’ anymore.

Whatever the reason, rebranding done right can be an incredible success for your business. Whereas, rebranding done wrong… less so.

With that in mind, there are a few simple things that you should not do when it comes to rebranding.

‘Just Because’ Rebrands

Rebranding for the sake of rebranding is (universally) considered to be a bad move. A brand should tell the story of your company and make you immediately recognisable to customers. For example, if Google were to suddenly change its name it would lose the long history of reliability that is woven into its brand story and even its status as a verb, “Just Google it!”

Rebranding just because is a one way to undermine the power behind your brand instantly. So, don’t do it!

Failure to Integrate

Putting a new label on your business and nothing else is not a good rebranding strategy. The more superficial your rebranding, the less successful it will likely be. A rebrand must trickle into every aspect of your business. A brand is more than just a name, so you must ensure that your financials, best practices, and company bottom line is now compatible with the new brand promise that you have chosen.

Unless you commit 100% to rebranding, it cannot possibly be successful.

Using the Two Brands Simultaneously

Confusing your customers is the last thing you want to do, but it is very easy to do so if you lack the foresight to rollover your new brand all at once. This is most obvious if your branding is particularly prominent on products. If you sell something in a supermarket, for example, you may have old stock still on the shelf when you ship out the new branded items. It may not seem like a big deal, but for consumers, it can be confusing and prevent a purchase.

Why is there a different image on the package? Is it a one off? Limited release? Or is it a permanent change? Of course, you may not think to inform your consumers of a rebrand before it takes place – but, you will certainly wish you had when phone calls, emails, and letters come to your company demanding an explanation.

The juice brand Tropicana experienced this in 2009 when they rebranded their packaging – the confusion of the rebranding significantly damaged the company’s bottom line for a period. Ultimately, the company had underestimated the ties that people had with the original branding and the confusion it brought alongside the older branding. The new packaging was scrapped and the old branding reintroduced. It was a lesson learnt: complete overall of your brand can be more damage than it is worth.

People Become Attached

Your customers become comfortable with your brand, they trust you and everything that you have to offer them. But, rebranding can disrupt this. People become attached to branding and efforts to alter brands can have a significant impact on your consumers. Gradual changes to your branding may be a better way to ease this transition and make it more comfortable for your customers.

Or, if you are a particularly established company with a brand that has been constant throughout your history then rebranding may be something you need to consider extremely carefully. Small changes here and there may over a long period of time gives your customers a chance to adjust.

At EMC we strive to offer our clients the best promotional products possible so that you can promote your brand and keep it visible all year round – supporting you through the rebranding process!

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team to learn more about what we have to offer or to order a product!