Realising it’s time for a change is just the beginning. Next comes the question “how much of a change?” Customer expectations and current trends can change quickly, and brands need to move with the times. Chances are you’ll find yourself facing the crucial dilemma: brand refresh vs. rebrand, which is better for you?
There are numerous signs that your business needs a makeover or a step in a new direction. If you’re no longer attracting the engagement and conversions you used to, your customers are turning to your competition or your approach is looking dated, it’s time for the next phase in your brand identity evolution.
Refreshes and rebrands aren’t just for small-to-medium sized businesses either. Large companies also refine—and sometimes transform—their brand identities as they grow their services and move into new markets. Apple evolved from a computer manufacturer to a tech giant. Facebook rebranded to Meta in order to build a virtual reality universe. McDonald's rebranded their packaging in 2021 to a minimalist approach that removed language barriers for the global market.
Anchor Digital has helped many purpose-driven brands develop their brand identity and launch strategies that succeed. If you’ve found yourself stagnating lately, we can help you choose the right path to get back on track: rebrand vs refresh.
What Is Rebranding?
A rebranding is a metamorphosis: a thorough overhaul of a brand’s core identity, value proposition, strategy and messaging. It’s more than a few simple tweaks to your logo or communication style. When you rebrand, you change everything (or close enough) about your company. Companies typically rebrand when they want to change their market position, attract new demographics and overcome current limits and negative connotations.
Because they’re such large-scale endeavours, rebrands are a risky business. But when they’re done well, your business reaps the rewards. Of course, they can also be disastrous, as shown by Elon Musk’s takeover and rebrand of Twitter to X.
Sometimes a partial rebrand is enough to steer the ship to where you want to go. But if your goal is a complete identity shift, a full rebrand is necessary.
What Is A Brand Refresh?
Despite the similarity in their names, a brand refresh is a much more moderate approach to making changes to your brand. With a refresh, the core identity of your brand remains the same, but subtle changes to its identity or messaging keep you up-to-date with the current market. The brand’s heart doesn’t change, but details like the logo, tone of voice and visual identity often do.
What’s the difference between a partial brand rebrand vs. refresh? A partial rebrand is something of a middle ground, taking a more transformative approach than a full refresh but keeping much of the business’s core identity intact.
Rebrand Vs Refresh: When Are They Necessary?
You may know you need a brand identity evolution, but sometimes it’s hard to know whether a brand refresh vs. rebrand is the better option. A brand refresh can reinvigorate a brand that’s falling behind in the marketplace, while a full rebrand addresses the problems lurking deep within a company and its strategy. Here are some of the most common situations when each approach is best.
Rebrand
On average, a business undergoes a rebrand every 7-10 years. However, the main signs a company is due for a rebrand include:
- Its products have changed or undergone significant developments.
- The target demographic has changed or expects different things.
- The current marketing strategy is no longer gaining results.
- The brand’s approach is out of date in the current marketplace.
Brand refresh
A brand refresh is a common approach for companies that want to remain current or attract new customers without overhauling their existing brand identity. Some common signs that your business really needs a brand refresh include:
- Your visual identity and brand assets look dated or are out of step with the current marketplace.
- Your brand assets and messaging lack consistency across different touchpoints and platforms.
- Internal changes in leadership, direction or brand values.
- A reduction in sales or loss of market share.
The wrong reasons to refresh or rebrand include shaking things up for the sake of ego or attention, or trying to cover up a crisis.
How To Successfully Brand Refresh or Rebrand
Brand refresh vs. rebrand: whichever you choose, big changes to your company need to be approached carefully. Some tips for rebranding a company include:
Research your target demographic
If you’re pivoting to different products or services, your target audience and their needs might be different to what you expected. A successful rebrand starts with detailed market research. This identifies who your current customers are, their buying habits and which rebranding strategies can reach them most effectively.
Redefine your company mission and values
Evaluate and, if necessary, reevaluate why you’re doing what you’re doing and the key values of your company. This will help you make strategically beneficial decisions during your brand identity’s evolution. Your values underpin the mission of your brand as well as your goals and strategies for the future.
Reconsider your name and logo
If you’re making significant changes to your brand identity, it might be time to update your name and logo to better reflect your current stage. Your new logo and brand voice should reflect your current identity and give the public an indication of what to expect from you moving forward.
If a brand refresh is your objective, some steps to pulling it off successfully include:
Perform a brand audit
This is a comparison of your brand’s current performance against your goals. It allows you to understand your place in the market compared to the competition so you can determine when and how to change course.
Create new messaging
A change in direction calls for some new messaging. Your new messaging should not only address the facts, it should also connect with your target audience on an emotional level as well as a purely persuasive one.
Create new brand standards
Your shift in brand identity has to be consistent across all touchpoints. This is the time to put together a detailed guide to your brand standards so you can create consistent experiences for your customers.
Update your brand assets
You’ll need to audit and make changes to your templates, your online content and the rest of your marketing collateral.
Keep Your Business Evolving With Anchor Digital
Brand refresh vs. rebrand: there’s so much involved in making major changes to your brand. That’s why Anchor Digital is happy to help. Drawing on our years of experience, we can modify your brand strategy or even create a completely new one for you. Our services include in-depth research into your target demographic, consistent brand design and assets to visually enhance your company and represent your distinct personality through tone of voice.
Your logo and the rest of your visual brand assets are among the most recognisable aspects of your business, and Anchor can be the web design agency you turn to for new ones. Paying close attention to both usability and aesthetics, our web designers and developers have a close working relationship that guarantees the consistency of your vision.
To find out more about how we can enhance your brand, contact the Anchor team.
