The 7 Deadly Sins of Rebranding

A nice follow up to the 10 Commandments to Successful Rebranding might be the 7 Deadly Sins that are sure to sabotage even the greatest rebranding effort. Our experience at The Rebranding Experts identifies these missteps that are sure to limit your success:

Not embracing the full potential of rebranding. This is your chance to embrace the future, not just bring your organization into the present day. This is your chance to re-envision the future, strategize growth and new revenue streams. It is so much more than a new name or logo. Your new brand should give you the elasticity to experience unrestrained growth. Failing to be aspirational now will only require you to revisit this process when your new positioning becomes restrictive again.
Not engaging leadership. Not only do you need accomplished rebranding process expertise to design and lead the effort – whether it is your senior marketing officer or an outside consultant – but you need all leaders of the organization aligned behind and visibly championing the initiative. Organizations rebrand from the inside out, and top down. Your leaders play critical roles embodying on-brand language and behaviors for employees to follow.
Being too rigid. Now is the time to be change ready and accept that everyone will need to deliver new behaviors, new stories and new energy to support the brand.
Not taking the necessary time to rebrand successfully. Expect the process to take longer than expected.
Not budgeting enough to implement successfully. Expect it to cost more than you originally assumed. Training, communications, collateral updates, new marketing materials, event signage, etc. Your brand is expressed in many different ways and places; they’ll all need to be updated plus you’ll want to proactively communicate the great news.
Not anticipating resistance. Change is hard, especially for individuals with long-term relationships with your brand. Plan for spending time and energy appropriately to gain their support.
Failing to recognize all your potential stakeholders. Lots of individuals have contributed to your organization’s success to date. They all need to be in on the rebranding for it to be successful.