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Branding     
 
This question has been closed, and points have been awarded.
Where Do You Start When Re-branding A Company?
Posted By: Jo* on 1/7/2005 11:02 AM (CST) 250 Points
My question regardsa large but thinly spread, national housing association which has strong links with the Christian Church in its history. The company has two problems: 1) not many people have heard of it because it is so thinly spread and dispersed as regards housing stock. And 2) the Christian/Church links are hindering its reputation in some areas of the country, as it's viewed as being exclusivist. To top all this, a survey revealed that their logo was immemorable and disliked. Therefore they have been advised to re-brand. Where should they start? And can you recommend any articles that would be relevant?

Posted by: JBtron Member Response
1/7/2005 11:15 AM (CST)
Joanne,

WELCOME TO KNOW HOW EXCHANGE!

One thing to keep in mind: always check the "Search Questions" section of this forum. If you had, you would have found all this information:

http://www.marketingprofs.com/ea/qst_searchResults.asp?action=go&qstCategor...

NOW, since we talking MY TOPIC OF CHOICE - BRANDING - I caution you the way I caution all my clients:

WHY ARE YOU REBRANDING?

I see the research info you've mentioned, but are you losing sales? Not gaining market penetration? What's the business dynamic that says we have to rebrand?

The research points to a weak brand, but REbranding? There's so much cost associated with it, I just hope they're aware of the expense: signage, stationery, collateral, Website, premiums, promotions, etc, PLUS the cost of the redesign itself. Based on the organization's business, it doesn't sound like they are a high-margin company.

IF YOU MUST REBRAND...
Start with the name.
Is that a barrier by itself? Without the typogaphy, do people get turned off by hearing the name?

If so, then perhaps all you need is a new name and some graphics to go with it.

There are MANY MORE STEPS to go, but that's all the time I have right now. Get in touch OFFLINE. My expertise can be of great assistance. (Just ask around...!)

Hope THIS HELPS!

Best,

::JBtron
 
Posted by: thinkmor Member Response
1/7/2005 11:45 AM (CST)
Hi Joanne

JB is right but regarding your research, were ALL stakeholders involved in the brand audit?

& did you receive the same opionions from current and potential customers or have the reasons to re-brand been voiced internally by some key stakeholders?

Have you recently had and major Senior Management changes?

As a starting point, search the questions as JB advised but also go through articles and papers at http://www.brandchannel.com

Look forward to your replies.

Zahid Adil
 
Posted by: Bill Moore* Member Response
1/7/2005 12:15 PM (CST)
Joanne -

What are your organizations top 3 objectives? Be wary of crummy logo = need for re-branding. Did the survey yield at least a 50% response? If not it is statistically not valid. What other factors did the survey bring out?

Also re-branding is expensive, a real pain in the you know what and is often serves to confuse your audience.

You really need an objective and through analysis to determine your needs, Before this happens you will need some objectives.

Not the answer you were hoping for but hopefully it stimulates your thought process.

Cheers Bill Moore
 
Posted by: davidr Accepted Answer
1/7/2005 1:12 PM (CST)
I recommend taking the following 5 steps:

1. Within your company leadership, decide what you want to be. This is your "aspirations"-- what you see your company being and meaning in the next 1-3 years.

2. Talk to your target market. Blindly ask them, "if you were buying a product like this, what KIND of company would you buy it from (high-tech? personal-touch? global? local?). This lets you know what brand attributes your target market values. Also ask for some specific companies that they think would be worth buying from.

3. Survey your market (as a second part of the prior step, or separately) to find out what they think about your company and some of your competitors. Here you find out what brand attributes they currently ascribe to your company.

4. Do a gap analysis. Do they want local touch and consider you gloabl? Do they want low prices and see you as premium-priced?

5. Develop a strategic plan to close the gaps (and make good use out of the correlations). If the customers want to buy from a company known as friendly and your compamy rated high on the aloof scale, look at friendly graphics for your web site and mailers, friendly and approachable words in your marketing materials, friendliness training for your sales reps and call center, etc.

Good luck!
 
Posted by: mgoodman Member Response
1/7/2005 10:13 PM (CST)
I suspect you're seeing the trend of the responses to your question. You need to step back from the issue and address the broader question of how to build the business. Maybe re-branding is part of the answer, and maybe it's not. Don't jump to re-branding too quickly.

Davidr has the right idea. Figure out what your target audience values and how the various companies/brands stack up against those critical features and benefits. Use that knowledge to develop a positioning statement and marketing strategy. Then see whether re-branding is the critical element in implementing the strategy.

Most of the time, re-branding is not the answer. Sometimes, it is. You have to go through the whole exercise before you can make that decision for your particular situation.

Hope this helps.
 
Posted by: Papadoc (Steve)* Member Response
1/8/2005 12:43 PM (CST)
You might also consider the motivations and/or professional expertise of those who specified rebranding. If it is someone that would benefit from such an endeavor or if they do not have serious expertise in REBRANDING, then there may be some personal motives or sometimes just fear or misunderstanding of what is involved.

Interestingly enough, I vey likely know what organization this is. If so, you do NOT need rebranding... you just have a weak brand. There is also a certain point that all established businesses must come to in the realization that their brand is exactly what they are. If you throw off your history, company character, and every personal perception, then what you have is nothing. In most cases, it is far easier, faster, and more successful to build on what you have, repackage part of it as necessary, shine it up, and use what is out there already as your leverage.

Change the logo, the colors, etc., even though I would try to keep enough of the old elements for people to make that transition. There's nothing wrong with puttin on a bit of make up, but that doesn't mean you need a complete makeover.
 
Posted by: W.M.M.A. Member Response
1/8/2005 2:28 PM (CST)
I haven't seen any responses to the concepts yet. The first one being....WHY?
If you are reading these posts, let me suggest that these profs have taken their valuable time to assist you, with no feedback or response.

Out of courtesy for their efforts to assist you...please respond.

Randall

WMMA
 
Posted by: Jo* Author Response
1/10/2005 4:47 AM (CST)
I'm sorry W.M.M.A. there must have been a mix up. I have been posting comments! I've been replying to the e-mails sent to me - this obviously isn't how you do it, please excuse me, I'm a first time user to this website.

Anyway, I would like to thank all the Marketing Profs for their excellent insight into my complicated question. I am accepting David's response as he outlined very usefully the next steps that we need to consider. However, I also found Jerry's and Steve's comments very usefull.

I was surprised to learn that every one of you recommended to seriously consider NOT rebranding. I agree, I think that firstly we need to try out all those things that David suggested, and then consider if we still need to rebrand.

Lots of food for thought - thank you.
 


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