You don’t need a “re-brand”…you need brand clarity
I hear a lot of entrepreneurs talking about “re-branding”. As I have seen it, it’s almost 100% related to getting a new logo, updating a business name, or launching a new package.
But none of that is truly a re-brand.
Why not? Let’s discuss.
What is a brand?
Your brand is what people think about you when you leave the room. So, if you were TRULY going to re-brand, that would mean making your business mean something else to people (vs. what it does today).
And what contributes to what people think about you?
Your logo? Your business name? What you call your packages?
Nope, nope and nope.
So why is that what we think a re-brand is?
To be simple? Loose language.
We think a re-brand is any change that’s associated with a business. Especially a VISUAL change. But the fact of the matter is, any business that DOESN’T change over time, goes out of business. It’s not so much a change as an EVOLUTION.
Let’s use Walmart as an example.
Since 1962, Walmart has had 6 different logos. In fact, the newest version of the logo was created to improve perceptions of the brand with higher income families.
But what do people EXPERIENCE from Walmart? Discounts.
Because when it comes to values, that’s what the brand stands for.
When Walmart created new logos in 1964, 1968, 1981, 1992 and 2008, it didn’t change the fact that they are about discounts. Which means, the way their brand is visually portrayed may be different, but their underlying BRAND is the same.
Changing of logos, taglines, products, etc. does not CHANGE YOUR BRAND. But we need SOMETHING to call changing visuals, so we get lazy, and just call it a re-brand.
But if you’re not trying to change your EXPERIENCE, then a re-brand isn’t what you need.
So if I don’t need a re-brand, what do I need?
I’ll be simple again: brand clarity is what you need.
In the example of Walmart, brand clarity is this:
We are all about saving.
The Walmart marketing team works to communicate this in their messaging (queue current tagline of “Save Money. Live Better.”).
The Walmart buying team works to get the best prices.
The Walmart logistics team works to minimize shipping costs.
And everything ends in a discount price. Which meets the brand experience expectation.
But imagine the Walmart teams DIDN’T know that they were all about savings? Would they be encouraged to take the same actions?
Absolutely not. Which then is the REAL thing that breaks a brand experience…different parts of the business running off different values.
Finding clarity for your brand
Most entrepreneurs forget that their business is built on their personal brand…either by default, or design. When you show up to serve your clients, you do it in a way that feels good to you. That way is driven by your personal values.
Whether you have clarity on them or not, they’re there. Leading the way. But what more can you do when you KNOW what they are, and take action that’s aligned with them?
Small businesses never turn into a big business like Walmart without this clarity.
So, no matter what you’re been doing up to this point, you already HAVE a brand. You don’t need to CHANGE it. You need to know what it is so you can use it on PURPOSE.
And if you’re ready to use it on purpose, we should chat.
