Sometimes it’s difficult to recognise that it’s time for a brand refresh. Why continue with a brand refresh if your business is growing successfully? Many high-growth organisations grow organically, without any calculated direction. Things take off. Your team grows. New offices open. Your product line triples. And growth mode may take place without making plans for how the brand will adjust and flex as the organisation develops.
At these times, decisions are frequently made that assist an internal team deal with change. In a number of different cases, this means that some of the main brand components end up holding more meaning for those inside of the company, however, lack meaning for other important audiences – prospects, customers as well as recruits – who also matter to the success of the brand.
The warning signs of an exclusively internal-facing brand are plentiful: internal names for your product, add-on brands or – alternatively -a website that has been pieced together, mirroring the evolution of the company. These common indicators demonstrate that important audiences have been forgotten. If this sounds all-too familiar, your brand needs to start looking outside itself.
An Outdated Look And Feel
Just because you are still able to wear clothes from high school or university doesn’t mean you should! Fashion styles are frequently representative of their era and – as time passes – those styles change. Similarly, some brands just look visually dated really need an update. With a few exceptions, failing to convey a progressive “with the times” message visually can be a detriment to your brand.
Remember that the point of branding is to stand out from the competition however you don’t want to stand out for totally the wrong reasons. This doesn’t need to be a wholesale change – just a modernising of the overall brand look. Apparently, you’ll want to leverage the equity that you already have in your existing brand, however, bring that brand into the modern era.
