If you find yourself cringing at the thought of giving a potential client your business card or website address, this may be a sign your brand isn’t meeting expectations. Your brand needs to be something you’re proud to show off. It needs to wow and excite others and be something that you want to brag about and boast. If your brand doesn’t excite you anymore, it may be time to rebrand.
You want to stay competitive in your industry. To do this, your brand needs to pop and have unique positioning and branding – this includes fonts, imagery, logo, tone, packaging and more. You want to make sure you’re not blending into the sea of brands out there. If business is down, maybe it’s time to try something different.
As brands evolve, naturally their audiences can change along with them. Even though your current branding used to appeal to your audience, if you’re shifting demographics or trying to expand your influence, a new approach may be in the cards.
Sometimes your target audience doesn’t change but what resonates with them does. If this is true, it’s time to reposition your brand more in line with their values and aesthetic to win over your consumers. It may be that your current branding feels too outdated or too young for your audience. Reevaluating your branding with market research and focus groups would be helpful to learn what your target market connects with.
When you grow your business nationally or internationally, the scope of your audience changes. There’s more to consider, especially when going international. You want to make sure your brand scales along with your business in a way that reflects your goals and objectives. What may have resonated on a smaller, local scale may need a boost to really thrive in this competitive market.
If you’re battling with a poor brand image or reputation, a rebrand may be the change your business needs to return to its former glory and boost sales. Sometimes this negative image is associated with the business itself, but it’s possible the negative association is with your brand’s imagery or name.
Even though your logo or brand name may seem fine to you, it could be evoking negative emotions with your target audience. For example, many people don’t know that the ninefivefour was originally going to be called brink. We were looking at positioning the brand as a way of being on the brink of success and helping brands push past that to their fullest potential. However, when conducting research, we found that the name “brink” had a lot of negative associations we hadn’t thought of, such as being on the brink of failure or disaster. In the end, we changed course and went in a different direction.
If you’re looking for the top talent and the highest-paying/most loyal customers, your brand needs to exude confidence and quality. You need to position yourself as game-changing, innovative and stable. It’s possible that your current branding is falling short and leaving consumers feeling less confident about your brand and its offerings.
Not everything stays relevant. We remember driving by a beeper emporium when I was younger. It’s completely possible you don’t even know what a beeper is! We don’t want to date ourselves, but we’re just saying that what may once have been trendy and relevant could be entirely outdated now. Trends shift, technology changes, and branding must evolve with it. Don’t get left behind. A brand reboot may be just what you need.
Are you leaning toward rebranding your business? We're here to help. We'd love to provide you with a free consultation to see if we would be a good match for your brand. We've successfully helped many businesses rebrand and would love to tackle your greatest challenge.
I'm Alyssa Ostroff— a designer, digital strategist, and marketer who works with brands looking to push creative boundaries.
