Rebranding Requires Conviction

Rebranding your organization can be an emotional roller coaster experience. We work with companies year round who seek to accelerate their strategic plans and growth through a thoughtful and inspirational rebranding. And throughout the process, it is common to see leaders experience an ever evolving flow of emotions about the process and the outcome. It’s important that they double down on their conviction to the end result. Here’s what one entering the rebranding process can expect.

Wise business leaders that know their current band is outdated or not supporting their organization’s success have most likely been living in powerlessness and sense of vulnerability on what to do to evolve their brand face. Those execs that have big plans on taking the organization in new directions often face frustration hoping to make good with their smart business decision. For many organizations we utilize a rebranding business case to answer questions as to the need for the investment and create alignment around the cause.

Once the decision to move forward is made there is great anticipation but uncertainty as to how the rebranding process works, how much it will cost, how difficult it will be and how long will it will take.

Once the strategic and creative process delivers a new brand name and positioning a tremendous sense of relief and excitement emerges as leaders see the tremendous promise of how the rebrand will work harder to ensure the company’s success. But such a big change brings risk. Apprehension is quickly dismissed when proper research demonstrates the validity and future acceptance of the new brand. This evolves to eagerness to get the process moving, fast.

Once leadership has chosen to move forward, all the various work to support the rebranding is taking place behind the scenes: logo and graphic development, new mission and vision statements, new customer experience mapped, website renewal, collateral production, packaging and so on. While leaders are excited to see things taking shape impatience often sets in on how long some of these production changes take place. If the rebranding is supporting the launch into new markets, all the internal operations changes can take surprisingly longer than originally anticipated (sometime 12-18 months), and restlessness sets in. This is where project and change management play an important place in keeping the team on task and understanding how to gain adoption among stakeholders.

Building up to the rebrand launch brings exhilaration and delight which are fully revealed with the new brand. Pride tends to overwhelm leaders as they hear praise and feedback on the decision and exciting new brand promise. The new brand positioning, which should be aspirational and forward-facing, brings a renewed energy and passion for the future among internal stakeholders.

Over time, confusion sometimes emerges as to why people aren’t adopting the new brand name or still calling the company by its old name (we remind leaders it can take a year for this transition to take hold). It requires investment to repeat the message of your rebranding to stakeholders for them to fully embrace.

While this emotional filled process can at time be exhausting, we’ve seen incredible results in how to energizes leaders and aligns all stakeholders behind a more relevant new corporate and customer promise.

Our encouragement? Stay strong and show emotional fortitude. The end result will surpass your expectations.