Does your Brand need a makeover or reboot?

Your brand’s identity is what makes you stand apart in the consumer’s minds. The brand’s logo, colour, and design are some of the visible elements that identify the brand. These elements help humanize a brand and establish connections with its consumers. However, sometimes, you may need to evaluate if your brand identity needs improvement. Depending on your goals and brand conditions, you can opt for a makeover or a complete reboot of the brand. 

In other words, consider a brand refresh or a brand overhaul to improve your brand identity. Though both seem similar, there is a difference between the two. Let’s understand what is the goal of each of these and how they are different from each other.

Brand Refresh

A brand refresh exercise allows brands to maintain their competitive edge by keeping pace with changing industry trends. With time, businesses evolve and grow, and brands tend to adopt fresher logos and innovative ways to communicate with their target audience. A brand refresh will not modify your brand’s core personality but spruce it up, enhancing what you have already built. Your audience will be able to recognize the brand after the refresh, and the brand will remain relevant and feel revitalized. When done well, brand refresh can be very impactful. 

Examples of Brand Refresh

For example, MasterCard modernized its logo without making any major changes except removing its name. Their idea was to change their logo to reflect the brand’s global reach and a better fit for digital space. MasterCard realised through research that the red and yellow circles stood out for their customers and were instantly recognizable. 

Google has managed to maintain a visual connection to the brand identity while opting for a modern look by updating its logo fonts and colours. 

Starbucks is another example of a brand reinventing its identity over the years. The absence of Starbucks coffee from the logo was a bold move by the brand, proving that it is a household name that stands for much more than coffee. The brand refresh helped the company convey its minimalistic and experiential image to customers.  

At times, a brand refresh is needed by a brand simply to avoid brand fatigue and seem more relevant to newer target audiences. Here are some brands who followed this principle and went through a refresh:

Brand Overhaul

Rebranding attempts to influence a customer’s brand perception by reinvigorating the brand to appeal to existing or new customers. A rebranding exercise will help you redefine the image of the brand. If you want to reposition your brand to communicate a shift of focus to customers, rebranding is the right approach. Distinguishing your brand from competitors, business expansion, and new market penetration are also some of the reasons for which brands can consider an overhaul. Brands have adopted a rebranding strategy to evolve with growing competition, cater to changing audiences, and market new product offerings and services. Rebranding is needed when traditional marketing methods are not working, the brand’s identity is outdated, or the industry’s expectations have advanced.

Examples of Brand Overhaul

For example, Dunkin Donuts undertook a complete brand overhaul, unveiling a fresh and relevant look. The brand no longer had Donuts in its logo, establishing a new identity. 

Facebook undertook a brand overhaul, and the company behind WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and several other products introduced its new identity as Meta. Facebook’s logo, name, and typeface were changed, and a new website for the parent brand Meta was also introduced. The rationale for rebranding was to extend the reach of the brand beyond social media and encompass its interests in areas like AR, VR, Metaverse, etc. The company intends to grow in different business areas as they venture towards immersive experience beyond 2D screens. The transformation was in line with the changing vision, and the brand identity was updated to match it. 

Here are some other examples of complete brand overhauls that went beyond cosmetic retouches:

Brand Refresh vs. Brand Overhaul

A brand refresh is a tactical manoeuvre meant to give a fresh look or may entail choosing a fancy new logo for your brand. On the other hand, brand overhaul involves tearing down everything the brand stands for and rebuilding it again from ground zero. 

A brand refresh can mean changing visual cues, brand voice, and product or service offerings. A brand refresh includes

• Modifying the existing design or logo
• A new slogan or tagline for the brand
• Refreshing the colour palette for the brand
• Updating marketing collaterals
• A new font 
• Refurbished website

Rebranding, however, is a more dramatic change involving:

• A new brand personality
• Complete image overhaul
• Establishing the brand in a new market
• Business expansion to serve a larger market

Differences to Evaluate

Brand refresh and overhaul differ in the extent of change that the brand undergoes. All aspects of a company’s identity, such as its mission statement and core values, do not undergo a change when the brand is refreshed. Rebranding involves a major overhaul impacting the identity, logo, messaging, and core value. A brand refresh is usually a shorter process compared to a complete overhaul. A brand refresh may take one to two months, while a rebranding project might require six months or more based on complexity and scope. A rebranding exercise is likely to cost more due to the complexity and scope of the project as compared to a brand refresh. Brand refresh delivers outcomes that are subtle yet effective, assisting the brand to maintain its relevance and identity in the market. In comparison, a brand overhaul may result in considerable changes in customer perception from the mission statement, visual identity, and repositioning in the industry and target market. 

So, which one is right for your brand?

Your brand’s specific needs, objectives, and budgets will determine whether you should opt for a brand refresh or an overhaul. If a few tweaks are sufficient to strengthen your brand, then a refresh will be the right way to go. You can preserve the brand’s integrity by refreshing it and targeting a new set of audience. However, if your brand identity does not resonate with the target audience, a more comprehensive rebranding strategy would be a better option.

Remember, rebranding is more complicated and is more than a logo or website change. A new philosophy and brand story are imperative for a brand overhaul strategy. Whether you are rebranding due to a merger or entering a new industry, you can lose brand value if it is done poorly. Rebranding is risky, and it is essential to deliver a clear new message rather than playing around with the old one. 

Refresh and rebranding are two strategies that brands can deploy to boost sales, enhance brand identity, acquire new customers, and retain the old ones. To assess your brand’s current situation and devise a strategy to revitalise your brand, start a discussion with us at Hello@ Quello.com.