12 Signs It’s Time to Rebrand.
The Dirty Dozen: 12 cautionary cues that you need to rebrand your business.
Your brand is one of your most valuable assets. It communicates who you are and why you exist. Your brand can differentiate your company, products and services from the competition. In a nutshell, your brand is a signal to the market why you’re the best in your category, why you matter, and why customers should buy from you.
However, what happens over time is that the organization’s mission changes. New products and services are created. Consumer and market preferences evolve. New customer segments are developed. What once was “you” and your brand, no longer wows customers and prospects.
Here are 12 Telltale Signs it’s Time to Overhaul Your Brand.
At Agency McKenna, we call these the dirty dozen. Readers beware, left unchecked these erode trust in your brand instead of strengthening it.
How many of these warning signs apply to you?
Your organization has evolved, but your brand hasn’t.
Your brand name, tagline or logo no longer mirrors your brand vision. Your brand needs to see 20-20 and you’re using glasses from 10 or 20 years ago.
Pride in your brand has diminished.
You’re self-conscious about your website, business card and sales materials.
Your brand is looking and feeling generic or commoditized.
You’re vanilla in a 31-flavors world, and not as yummy or different from the competition.
Your positioning roadmap is unclear and may be missing the mark.
You’ve lost your North Star; your brand has diminished clarity or focus. Your desired perception is not catching on with your desired audiences.
Disconnected products, services from the overall brand.
Your strategy for products and services has transformed, but your brand has not kept pace. The cart is leading the horse. And your brand, like a stallion, needs to lead.
The sacred cow—your brand’s heritage—is holding you back.
You’re bigger and better than ever and realize you have outgrown your current brand. Leadership is holding onto a legacy that is not focused on the future. It’s time to say “change or be changed.”
Growth or consolidation is forcing one brand to win at the risk of the other.
You’re engaged in a merger or acquisition with a promising-looking future. Which brand stays on top? It may be survival of the fittest, but is that the best strategy? Or is it time for a new mark, new clarity and new direction?
Regional, national or global growth require a broader brand to emerge.
Manifest Your Destiny. You’ve expanded beyond your original territory and continue to grow. Your brand needs to support today and scale for tomorrow’s frontier.
Bad news and negative feedback have hurt the brand.
Trust is the foundation of every brand. You need to disconnect your brand from negative perceptions as bad news erodes trust. From there, you can build the sizzle that creates preference, the goal of every brand. Shed the bad. Grow the good.
Low perceived value and less in the cash register.
You’re struggling to raise prices and demonstrate customer value. You want loyal customers and increased profitability. You’re struggling with turning customers into brand ambassadors who will help you find more top-paying customers at scale.
Your top, middle and end of funnel are struggling.
You want to say hello to new audiences and grow engagement, increased sales and market share. You’re struggling to stand out and share your unique story.
Your brand today is not a magnet for top talent tomorrow.
You are the company you keep. You’re not attracting talent and your HR pipeline shows it. Your brand can be a culture creator to get and keep the best and brightest.
Score yourself against this list.
If you see your company and its brand challenged by:
1-2 of these 12 issues: Contact us! Maybe in a few strategy sessions or a few “outside looking in” deliverables, we can help set your brand straight toward bullseye.
3-4 of these challenges sound like you: You need a four-letter word. No, not that one. You need: help. Own it. And let’s move some mountains! In 3-6 months, we’ll get your brand refocused, recommitted to customers and revitalized to stomp the competition.
5-12 of these dirty dozen: Stop the presses. Unplug the router. Do a hard reset. In 9-12 months, we’ll get your internal staff, leaders and Board singing your new jingle and radiant about your rebrand. We’ll have external customers, media partners and social media engagement glued to you and what’s next from your brand.
This is what we do every day. We help brands stay Relevant. Relatable. And Real.
Have you already decided to rebrand?
Here’s what you need to do next.
Get leadership buy-in.
Build the right internal team.
Define goals, budget and timeline.
Find the right brand agency partner. Hello Agency McKenna!
It’s hard work, enjoy the journey.
LIKE WHAT YOU READ?
BROWSE SIMILAR ARTICLES
