The most recurring question in my working days (if we don’t consider “shall we have coffee?”) is “how do we communicate this message?” The reason is obvious: to communicate is to convey something. And the same is true for brands: their goal is to express the essence from which they are born, to create a connection with people (aka their actual and potential customers).
To do this, we have a really powerful tool called Brand Identity. In fact, it is precisely you that allows brands to describe who they are, what they do, how they do it, and even why they differ from others!
“Your brand is the single most important investment you can make in your business.”
Steve Forbes, Forbes Magazine
Beautiful, but also difficult! For example, if your Brand Identity did not clearly and consistently express the essence of your brand, you would risk conveying the wrong image of your business by invalidating the quality of your business offerings.
This is why it is essential to assess the “health” of your Brand Identity and determine whether it is time for a Digital Rebranding.
In this article we will discuss these issues:
- What is Brand Identity and why every business needs it
- Why (and when) digital rebranding is necessary
- What are the steps to follow and how to evaluate a Digital Rebranding
Let’s start with a brief review of the basics: when we talk about Brand Identity we are not just talking about logos and colors, but a broader ecosystem.
Brand Identity is the set of all the elements that allow a person to understand a Brand’s message and recognize its personality.
“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.”
Seth Godin
But there is more, every impactful Brand Identity is based on a unique and personal storytelling that allows:
- Differentiate from competitors and stand out in the market
- Connecting with people and creating two-way communication
- Create a consistent experience across all brand properties
- Amplify the sense of transparency and trust
In practice, a Brand Identity is divided into 4 parts.
Brand Core: encapsulates the foundation for brand growth and aspects that guide every decision made. It includes the definition of Purpose and brand values.
Brand Positioning: positioning in the marketplace and in the eyes of consumers. Target, Value Proposition, Brand Perception are explored here.
Brand Personas: every brand needs a personality that resonates with that of its customers. Tone of voice and Personality are highlighted at this stage.
Brand Design: this is the most “fun” part that involves defining all visual elements used in the creation of communication materials. The basis is naming, logo, payoff, color palette, typography, but also images, illustrations, etc.
The 4 Signs to Know If You Need a Corporate Rebranding
If you’ve come this far maybe you’ve already noticed “missing parts” in your Brand Identity, but now let’s go into detail about the “Rebranding Alert” signs that might prompt you to give your brand a refresh.
Visual not current and dated
This is certainly the most obvious reason behind Digital Rebranding.
The speed at which the market is evolving is much faster than in the past, which is why it is essential to stay abreast of changes in branding as well: logos are becoming outdated!
In fact, many logos were not made with their Web application in mind: some for example are too long, too detailed or too colorful. All characteristics that make them unsuitable for application on banners, sites, social, mobile apps, favicons, etc.
Over time there have been a lot of Rebranding with the purpose of actualizing not only logos, but the whole coordinated image of a brand. For example, Google has changed logos 7 times in the last 20 years!
Try analyzing the look and feel of your brand and its communication elements. Do they fit the various applications? Are they readable and visually current? Or do they look dated and overly articulated? The answers to these questions are early clues to the direction your Digital Rebranding should take.
Tips: a logo should be simple, clean, and above all, adapt to any resolution. That’s why it must be developed in multiple variations, designed for different applications. Colors and typefaces should also be designed according to the same principle. Always evaluate the brand’s impact on the market: it is not always necessary to overturn the Brand Identity, sometimes just a few tricks are enough to make a logo more modern without losing the recognition it has gained for its customers.
Google has changed logo 7 times in 20 years
Brand identity does not reflect corporate values
As we have already mentioned, the brands that best connect with people are those that are based on real values and closely related to the company’s operations. Therefore, it is essential to base your identity on purpose, vision, mission and value. If your brand fails to convey these elements, or even was not created with them in mind, this might be the right opportunity to consider a Digital Rebranding.
Every element you use (logo, payoff, colors, typography, tone of voice, etc.) is an opportunity to convey a message and tell others who you are and why they should choose you over your competitors. People, especially thinking about Millennials and GenZ, prefer brands with which they enter into assonance and base their choices on the values a brand represents, the principles that guide its operations. The Brand Identity must be designed to tell them in full: sustainability, inclusion, attention to raw materials, self-care…what is it that makes your narrative unique and personal?
Exercise: imagine that 10 years from now your brand earns the front page of a newspaper/magazine for achieving a major milestone. What masthead is it? What does the headline say?
Is it about a problem solved, a market positioning, or how the brand has changed people’s lives? What values would you like to convey and what would you like to be remembered for? This is the best place to set up your Digital Rebranding.
Read also: Tone Of Voice: how to identify the ideal one for your brand
Communication too similar to that of competitors
We all know it: differentiating yourself from your competitors is not only a wise move, but absolutely necessary to succeed in your target industry by earning your own slice of the market (as well as the trust of your customers). In some cases, competition is very high and brand innovations risk being “copied” by everyone involved: colors, tone of voice, brand personality… this leads to industry homogenization. To avoid this unfortunate situation, brands need to keep up to date while keeping their personality unchanged in an original and differentiating way.
Is your brand different from others? Is it unique, recognizable and memorable? Or over time has it become too similar to that of competitors?
Advice: it is essential to start with an analysis phase with respect to the competitive market in order to highlight guidelines that can guide Digital Rebranding. This is the only way to gain visibility into the industry and make thoughtful choices.
The business has evolved (acquisitions, new targets or product or market expansion)
Ultimately, a good Brand Identity must grow along with your business. Major changes in set-up, product or market must also be reflected in brand communication to be able to adapt to the new messages it will have to convey. In fact, communication strategy is not fixed, but adapts over time so that it can best support the evolution of your business. Think about entering a new market (cultural and image differences) or opening up to a new target audience (younger/older users) or introducing something new at the commercial offer level (new technologies, product line change): we will necessarily have to adapt our storytelling.
Read also: 10 things we learned from successful brands in 2021
Digital Rebranding Checklist: what to know before you start
Here are the pre-rebranding steps to keep in mind, according to our experience:
- Why: Identify why you are doing Digital Rebranding and communicate this clearly to the team (internal and external) and Decision Makers.
- Team: this is not a one-sided job, but the company, together with the creative agency, will also have to put their “hands in the dough.” Workshop will be the key word!
- Heart: purpose, mission, vision and values say who you are, always keep them in mind to articulate your Brand Identity and choose its development direction.
- Study: analysis, analysis and more analysis of direct and inspirational competitors.
- Plan: to avoid an endless process, follow a plan of attack with realistic timelines.
Finally, remember that an effective Brand Identity must work not only for you, but also for your team and the people who interact with the brand.
There is no time to waste; launch into your Digital Rebranding now. And if you feel overwhelmed by all this information, consider enlisting the help of an expert 🙂
