Is it Time to Rebrand?
A brand or brand experience is the look, feel, and voice of your company’s product or services. It distinguishes you from other products and services and – in theory – makes consumers want your brand over theirs.
Is it Time?
Knowing when to rebrand can be tricky. A fresh start isn’t always the best plan, but pressing “reset” or “undo” can feel so good. And if done correctly, it can make all the difference. So, how do you know when it is time for a rebrand?
Rebranding means you want to continue providing the same goods and/or services and doing all the things you have previously done that are working, but you maybe you need to breathe new life to parts that have fallen ill. Hitting “refresh” means it is time to figure out what isn’t working. Does your brand suffer from any of the following ailments:
- Outdated logo or typeface
- Outdated website or website interface
- No longer appealing to the desired audience
- No longer recognize your brand’s voice
- You want to grow your company
- You are breaking away to form another similar company
- Newly found competition
- New management or structuring
- Need a clean slate from a tarnished reputation
- Need a new name for legal or logistical reasons
- Moving locations or remodeling
Does your brand look, feel, and sound like you want it to? Does it appeal to your audience? Is it working for you? If your answer is no, you probably need a rebrand. Whatever the reason or reasons, your brand is everything! Without a great brand, your business will struggle, fail even.
Clients have options. They have a choice. Give them what they are looking for, put it in all the places they will be looking, and when they find it they will look no further.
The Process
All great brands or rebrands start with a brand audit. You sit down with the professionals and you have to ask yourself – and your team, if you have one:
- What does the market look like?
- What is working well?
- What doesn’t work well in this industry?
- Where are the trends headed?
- What is the climate of my target audience and community?
- What are my goals?
- What are my priorities?
Case Study
As you can probably tell, each branding experience is different, with many factors to consider. We can offer you a prime example, an Eleanor case study – if you will.
Ten successful years in an expeditious finance career left Marc Walters content with his accomplishments at State Farm Insurance, but ready to re-inspire. He opted for a change of pace and more ownership, literally – his own insurance company – still using his financial expertise, with a focus on helping the underserved populations of Lincoln, Nebraska to protect their hard-earned assets.
Marc knew this much – a rebrand wasn’t just a good idea, it was necessary. He was starting a new company, a new brand entirely, but he would be providing similar services. In Marc’s case, he hit refresh and reset. He also knew he needed help.
As we mentioned, Marc’s expertise is in insurance, not branding. That’s why he came to Eleanor. We walked him through our branding process. We were able to use Marc’s experience at State Farm to guide his brand audit and discuss his future goals for his new company as we created his new brand.
The Look
Marc wasn’t moving spaces, his logo and the interior branding of his current space were red! He likes red. He lives in Nebraska. Branding with a similar look would save money – which for most is a concern with branding – and still it appeals to his current audience.
The Voice
However, Marc wanted to appeal to an even wider audience, a less traditional audience – he needed to freshen up his voice. In owning his own company, he also had more freedom in the voice of his brand. His voice was now his own. He gave us a few words to guide us and we were on our way:
- Diversity
- Passion
- Customer Service
- Availability
- Speed/Responsiveness
- Integrity
- Energetic/High-Energy
- Community Focused
- Options/Flexibility
These words, combined with the interior space, and the logo of Walters Insurance gives a specific feeling. This is the goal of branding, bringing all the pieces together to create a brand that gives clients that loving feeling.
The Feel
About Marc: Marc understands the importance of integrity, relationship building, and a growth mindset. With Marc, you get a person, a son, a father, a community member – who is responsive, flexible, and uber personable!
He genuinely wants to know who his clients are and what fuels their passions. He is especially community-focused and aims to seek-out clients who would typically fall into underserved insurance demographics.
Walters Insurance provides warm, easy-to-understand options that will protect all clients from diverse backgrounds and populations.
We feel fortunate to have been able to create a brand that reflects Marc and what he provides for his clients.
