Question

Topic: Branding

Rebranding Strategy

Posted by Anonymous on 10/15/2010 at 9:43 PM ET 25 Points
I would like a guide or an outline to keep me focused in major rebranding strategy that im about to undertake for a client. A check list or areas to cover would be helpful
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  • Posted on 10/16/2010 at 12:54 PM Accepted
    Phil is right. There isn't a one-size-fits-all solution for re-branding. It all depends on your target audience, the industry/product category, the reason for the re-branding, and the ultimate objective. How will you/the client judge/measure success? Why is the client doing this?

    Much as I know this sounds like a commercial, re-branding is one of those things that begs for outside expertise. It's the PROCESS that you need, and if you haven't been through it a dozen (or more) times already, it will be inefficient and probably yield a sub-optimal result. Experience really pays off when you're re-branding. It's harder than introducing a new brand ... at least when you do it right.

    If this is an important initiative, you will serve your client best -- and you'll learn a lot for next time -- if you find an outside consultant who specializes in branding/re-branding and positioning and turn the project over to him/her. Trying to create an outline or guide for re-branding is all but impossible.
  • Posted by Chris Blackman on 10/16/2010 at 8:32 PM Accepted
    Can you please describe the extent of the rebranding:

    1. Is it just a logo change, while the name and service/product portfolio remains the same?

    2. Is it a name change? Why?

    3. Are the products/services in the portfolio being overhauled? If so, how?

    4. What are the objectives of the rebranding, e.g. are you distancing yourself from something negative in the past, are you targeting different segments, have you failed to protect IP and now find a competitor has queered the pitch or muddied the waters, or what?

    5. What reactions are you expecting from customers?

    The more info you give, the better the assistance will be.

    Thanks

    ChrisB

  • Posted on 10/17/2010 at 10:16 AM Moderator
    Start with the end in mind. What does success look like for you? How will you know if you've done a good job? How will you evaluate and measure the result of your rebranding effort?

    Once you understand that, you can develop a list of the things that will be important to achieve the [measurable] objective.

    Force yourself to create the written Creative Brief, just as though you were assigning the project to a rebranding expert. Spell out the objective and the constraints. Include a brief discussion of the reason for the exercise, what you want to keep from the current positioning, and what you feel needs to be changed.

    And make sure the Positioning Statement has been polished, reviewed and approved by the important stakeholders. If you don't do this, then you're likely to find that after you've "succeeded" you've failed.

    And if you've never done something like this before, get outside help. It's a lot more difficult to do it right than it might appear. And doing it wrong is a lot worse than doing nothing at all.
  • Posted by Chris Blackman on 10/20/2010 at 5:40 PM Member
    I'm not sure of the value of the SWOT part of the process. SWOT is generally about understanding where the business fits into the environment in terms of how it stands up against the competition, whether it responds to some opportunity out there, whether it is threatened - none of which are particularly impacted by a name and logo change.

    Yes, you should do a SWOT as part of your business planning cycle, and recheck it regularly, but it isn't really going to change with a new logo or name, is it?

    I think what is of far greater importance is what meaning and value the target market(s) construe upon the new design.

    So running the focus groups is absolutely critical - you need to establish firmly what the segments perception and positioning is for the existing name and brand imagery, and then what is their perception of the new name and imagery.

    It would also be worth throwing your competitor brand names and imagery on the table at the same groups to understand where you fit, on a relative basis, in the prospects minds.



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