As brand research specialists, we explore and analyse changes and trends emerging across various industries. The insights we uncover through this research formulate the basis of brand strategies, brand design and brand activation plans.
Unsurprisingly, brands have faced another turbulent year of change in 2022. Some of this has been due to the pressures of the year, some change has been inevitable and necessary in ensuring brands evolve, stay relevant and connect with their audiences.
There are several reasons why an organisation will rebrand itself – sometimes its reputational, but mostly it is to communicate a change to the business intent, target market, offer provision or structure. For example, changes that may constitute a rebrand or refresh include:
If your organisation has experienced a significant shift, a rebrand can be the best way to communicate this change to the market, customers, investors and internal stakeholders. Important factors to consider when rebranding include:
When engaging a brand agency like BrandMatters, the first thing to establish is what the goal of the rebrand is? Understanding what is driving the decision to rebrand is important as it will dictate the level of change, activity and investment required.
It is also important to understand the market, competitive landscape and level of brand awareness and target-customer expectations. Firstly, what level of change will be required to have the desired market impact or shift in perception and secondly, what level of change will maintain or enhance levels of brand equity, that is, be accepted within the organisation and by existing clients.
Finally, and importantly, consider the ROI of the rebrand. A good and thorough rebranding process is not inexpensive, but it is up to marketing leaders to demonstrate that investment in brand is vital for the organisation’s growth and success.
At BrandMatters, we have executed a number of rebrands this year. We always start the process by engaging in some level of brand research to ensure that the decisions are based on insight and fact rather than opinion and trends.
In this article, we take a closer look at some of the rebrands we’ve completed along with some that have taken place in the Australian market in the past year or two. Rebrands certainly do not happen overnight, so rebrands you are hearing about now have most likely been in the planning and strategy stage for at least 12 months prior.
It is important to allow time for a rebrand project so that the decisions are not rushed and the investment is not wasted. If you have a specific event coming up, for example a merger or acquisition, it would be better to start planning the brand strategy before completion. See our previous article on decisions to be made on branding pre and post M&A.
Here are a few examples of rebrands that have recently been launched. We’ve included some rebrands that were completed by our brand agency as well as some more mainstream brands that you may notice as you drive down the street or walk along your local supermarket isles.
Miramar is an underwriting agency specialising in property, liability, and engineering risks. Established in 2005, Miramar has evolved from a local, independent agency to being part of Steadfast Agencies and it was time for their brand to reflect its new position in the market and vision for the future.
Armed with the dynamic new logo and visual expression framework, Miramar was able to move forward with confidence and pride. The refreshed brand identity has given the brand a distinctive new look that not only represents its new position in the market but also creates sharp differentiation for the organisation in a crowded and competitive market.
Read more about the work BrandMatters completed for the Mirimar refresh brand project.
William Buck is a leading firm of accountants and advisors with offices across Australia and New Zealand. Across its 125-year history, it has built a strong heritage serving the Australian SME market.
BrandMatters were engaged to refresh and contemporise the brand identity, in order to credibly position William Buck alongside other active competitors within the domestic mid-tier market.
Read more about the work BrandMatters completed for the William Buck refresh brand project.
Toblerone is a globally renowned Swiss chocolate brand, known for its distinctive shape, a series of triangles each piece of chocolate with an engraved letter of the brand. As brand advocates and chocolate-lovers, we couldn’t help but notice this rebrand when it hit the supermarket shelves.
When looking initially at the refreshed logo, it almost feels familiar, like we have seen it before? That is because the new work mark brings back some of the nostalgic traits of past logos for the brand. The reintroducing past traits along with new campaign concepts created a nice connection from past to present of a brand that has been endeared for more than 100 years.
To read more about Toblerone brand story, visit their website. Image source: BrandNew.
Another brand that Australians have known for many years is Red Rooster. Red Rooster has been a player in the fast-food category for over 50 years, while they are not the biggest, they are home grown is a point of difference from their deep fried competitor.
The new logo and branding is much more modern, bold and clean but the change is subtle enough to ensure the brand equity will be transferred safely across.
Source: Marketing Week
Demonstrating immediate ROI on a rebrand can be quite difficult. Unless you invest significantly in launch communications, the change may take time to cascade through the industry. Rebranding or refreshing your brand is often an essential part of staying relevant and fresh in an ever-changing market. The measured ROI of sales and performance post-rebrand does not take into consideration the decline in business that would most likely occur if your brand did not make the change.
One of the biggest changes we notice with our clients is their renewed sense of pride in their brand. It ripples throughout the organisation and unites the team with a renewed sense of purpose.
ROI can be measured with brand tracking and other brand measurement tools. We suggest initiating this at certain points of the brand lifecycle – 6 months, 12 months and so on.
At BrandMatters, we specialise in B2B branding. Over the past few years, brand is playing an increasingly important role in B2B organisations as it expands the lead generation with a one-to-many relationship and enables your sales and business development teams reasons to connect with their clients, past and potential.
To learn more about rebranding and refreshing, our e-Book – The refreshing guide to rebranding is free to download and a great place to start.
Building a brand identity is much more than just creating a logo. While your logo serves as a symbol of your business, it is not the only facet of your brand identity.
At BrandMatters, we’ve refreshed, rebranded, renewed or reinvigorated many B2B brands, you can explore some of our work here, or contact us to discuss your particular industry and the work we’ve done in your space.
In today’s economy, a strong brand strategy is vital and will directly impact your overall business strategy.
Contact us to discuss your current brand challenge or where you would like to take your brand in the future.
