The 10 Commandments of Rebranding

We believe rebranding is the deliberate and systematic process of creating an inspired, forward-facing organization ready to grasp opportunity through the alignment and dynamic portrayal of your unique differentiators to stakeholders. Rebranding is resetting your core promise to customers, the reason you exist, your brand essence. It is your chance to embrace the future, not just bring your organization into the present day.

We offer these 10 Commandments to Successful Rebranding to ensure that your rebranding initiative delivers its greatest potential:

1. Use rebranding to accelerate growth. Big changes should deliver big outcomes. Plan strategically and opportunistically to revive your business and its growth.

2. Update your brand promise. True rebranding is not just refreshing your logo or adopting a new name, it’s the process of renewing your promise to customers and stakeholder, updating the core driver of your organization.

3. Revisit your mission statement and vision too. These foundational statements may need refreshing to address the same reasons you are updating your brand.

4. Give your new brand elasticity. This is the time to give your brand the ability to stretch and grow as the organization requires. Give it room to support your long-term strategic vision.

5. Engage leadership from the start. Change starts from the top. Leaders must communicate the business case for change and embody the new brand values.

6. Rebrand from the top down, and inside out. Leadership must first embody the new brand values and demonstrate them for employees who become your most important brand ambassadors. Only announce your rebranding once your internal ambassadors can deliver it externally.

7. Seize the opportunity to initiate cultural changes that reinforce new on-brand behaviors. Now is the time to instill desired new cultural dynamics.

8. Utilize change management principles to align understanding and support. Businesses don’t change, individuals do. It’s important to use proven processes for gaining understanding, acceptance and participation in your brand change.

9. Align all communications and actions behind the new brand. Every piece of communications, marketing and visual identify must reflect the new visual identity. Plan new signature events that activate your brand.

10. Formally launch your new brand. Set a date to flip all branding elements simultaneously for maximum impact. Go big and go loud. This helps you build anticipation internally and leaves little doubt that you’ve made this exciting, all embracing change.

When we approach the process with this level of engagement and substantive change, you are more likely to set a solid foundation for future growth and expansion.