A refreshing rebrand – when, why and how?
After 60 years of their signature black and gold palette, Strongbow have announced a rebrand, with the biggest change being their new colourful can designs. Rebranding is a natural part of any company’s journey, but how do you know when the right time is?
According to reports the cider category is in decline, so Strongbow have decided to freshen up and modernise their branding in order to encourage a new wave of consumers and combat the declining interest. It may have a minimalist feel in terms of design, but the new vibrant colour palette and boldness of this rebrand will create maximum impact both on the shelves and on marketing materials – ensuring they tap into the lucrative younger market, whilst also feeling more gender-inclusive than ever before.
If you’re looking to reposition your business within your current market, broaden your appeal, or looking to expand into a new space then it might be time to consider refreshing your look and feel.
But, if you’re still unsure here’s five signs to help you decide…
1 Your brand is out of date
A sign that you should consider rebranding your business is when you notice that your brand is outdated. A rebrand doesn’t always have to be a complete strategy change though, it can just be a creative evolution – a way to visually refresh your brand in order to stay on-trend and up-to-date, in line with your customers preferences. Design trends change as quickly as the UK weather; colours, fonts can quickly be considered as old-fashioned, so it’s not always about the trend of the moment, but about being timeless.
Customers and clients engage/buy with their gut, and they will judge a book by its cover, within the first 90 seconds in fact. So if they feel that your designs are outdated, you're less likely to be an attractive option. It’s important to keep up-to-date with the market your in, observe trends and get feedback from your customer base to assess their wants and needs to ensure your still relevant. The Airbnb evolution is a great example of this:
As a millennial woman I would prefer to stay at somewhere branded with option 5 over option 1 – the modern vibe feels more professional and reliable. It tells me they will understand my needs and likely have an intuitive website/way of working.
2 You look like everyone else in your industry
Another sign that it's time to consider rebranding your business is when your customers can't tell the difference between your brand and the competition. Sometimes brands within the same industry can start to look alike, especially when a certain style is on trend, or a particular colour theory has been used.
Communicating what differentiates you from the competition is key to growth and success. Rebranding your business can help you define and market your differences to give you a competitive advantage. This way, your audience knows what sets you apart and why they should care about your product.
If you sell a physical product, like Strongbow, the visual representation of your business also includes how your brand stands out at the store level compared to other products. You can see how these cider brands all merge together, with no single product standing out. But, with Strongbow’s new bright palette, it would be hard to avoid.
3 You’re not proud of your current look and feel
This is quite common, especially for smaller businesses. Maybe your current branding was just enough to give your business a simple identity when you first started, but now you’re ready to enlist some expert help to give you a more polished, trustworthy and professional feel, with some real creative strategy behind it.
Your business should be something you want to shout about from the rooftops; if you’d rather tuck it away under a duvet – it’s time for an evolution.
4 You want to attract a new audience/you aren’t attracting your ideal customer/client?
Ensuring you are talking to the right people is crucial. If you’re trying to spark the attention of a newly profitable audience, it’s probably time to rebrand your business. It’ll allow you to redefine yourself, reaching new audiences and giving them a fresh perspective of your offering, ensuring you communicate how your product or service serves their needs.
If this is your reason for rebranding you should also be thinking about tone of voice (how you’re speaking to your customers), as well as the visual communication.
A great example of this is Tiffany and Co’s slightly controversial ‘Not your mother’s Tiffany’ campaign – a strategic move to entice a younger audience. Many felt this goes against Tiffany’s timeless and classic style, and it’s trans-generational status as their products are often passed on from mother to daughter. However, as reported by one of our regular clients Business of Fashion, by 2025, Millennials and Gen Z will account for 45% of global luxury sales – so it’s no wonder Tiffany want to start positioning themselves a little differently.
If you’re branding is aligned to your business correctly, your target consumer should know almost immediately if the brand is talking to them or not. You can see how the Tiffany campaign has done this in the example below.
Two of the key differences, is the use of younger, edgy models and the bold typography – this is before you even look at the product. Who you use to portray your brand immediately acts as a way to attract the desired target audience, allowing them to resonate and feel represented by the brand – they can, quite literally, see themselves buying the product.
5 Your branding does not reflect who you are and what you're about
It’s only natural for businesses to evolve over time – the services you offer may have changed or the list of products you sell may have grown. If your brand doesn’t reflect the focus or strategic direction of your business, rebranding your company is critical. You don’t want to send mixed messages about who you are or what you do. Rebranding or refreshing your business can help you realign and clearly define your market position, and get you audience feeling excited again – just like Strongbow!
Rebranding isn’t a quick win but when it’s done correctly it’s all worth it. If any of these signs sound like you – let’s chat.
