Rebranding Resources Center for Busy Marketers and Business Leaders

Rebranding: When and Why

The fear of being left behind often leads to a knee-jerk reaction: Let’s rebrand! However, while an organization’s brand is a critical ingredient to its business growth (and survival) strategy and it needs to evolve, the decision to rebrand should not be a rushed response to changing market dynamics. Rebranding must be done for the right reasons. So before you go all in, answer these fundamental questions: What is my challenge? Why is rebranding the solution?

Step-By-Step Guide to Conducting a Brand Audit
Rebranding: The Moment of Truth
Rebrand vs. Refresh: What’s Right for My Company?
10 Must-Ask Questions for Brand Evolution
Calculating the ROI of Branding

Brand Research and Strategy

Your brand is not a logo, or a tagline or an identity system. Your brand is a perception that exists in the minds of your audiences.

Without a clearly defined brand strategy and fully articulated brand platform as a compass point (see the Brand Development section), marketing becomes fragmented, ineffective and lackluster, and companies find themselves repeatedly grappling with the same old questions: Who are we? What is our value? How do we effectively communicate it to our customers?

The following resources will help you answer these questions and more:

Knowledge Is Revenue: How to Conduct Killer Customer and Competitor Research
Is Your Brand Strategy MIA?
The Brand Strategy Playbook
The High-Value Impact of Leading with Brand Strategy

Brand Development

Your brand platform is the blueprint for your brand. It defines all the elements required to execute a strong brand strategy and directly informs all business and marketing strategies, internal and external communications, corporate culture, customer experience and more.

Beyond the Box: The Intriguing Challenges of Branding Service Companies
Do You Understand the Anatomy of Your Brand?
Anatomy of a Brand [infographic]
The Forgotten Audience: Crafting Your Brand to Attract and Keep Talent
The Bigger Truth About Purpose-Led Brands (Why “Why” Is Not What You Think It Is)
Brand Purpose Is the New Brand Promise
A More Valuable Way to Think About Value Proposition
Brand Personality: The Best-Kept Secret of Top Brands

Brand Experience, Activation and Management

Your brand strategy and platform are not going to create impact and deliver results unless they are effectively and flawlessly translated into every aspect of your business and marketing.

Brand activation (execution) includes everything from verbal and visual identity and experience design to content and all forms of internal and external marketing communications.

A Brand Management Master Class
Branding Evolved: The New Brand Management Manifesto
The Central Role of Visual Design in Branding
Branded Customer Experience: Attract, Engage and Win
Marketing’s New Role: The Master of Experience
Why Is Everyone at Starbucks So Nice?

See the following case studies for examples of how meaningful brand platforms can be translated into living, actionable brands through compelling design and marketing communications.

Helping an Ambitious Brand Realize Its Purpose
Increasing Relevancy and Perceived Value of a Landscape Architecture Firm
Helping an Engineering Firm Raise the Bar
Redefining the Value Proposition for a Technology Company

see more case studies »

Rebranding Is a Process, Not a Deliverable

Successfully navigating your company through a rebrand can be a career high point. It’s also a monumental challenge.

What’s more, so much energy goes into brand development that many companies find themselves out of steam when it’s finally time to officially launch, and anything beyond that point gets set aside as “something to think about later.”

Even those with enthusiasm to spare are often at a loss when it comes to designing a winning rollout strategy and a long-term plan for embedding the new brand in the organization. Unfortunately, this is a huge mistake that can put your entire brand investment at risk.

The Rebranding Challenge: What’s an In-House Marketer to Do?
Launch! How to Execute a Breakthrough Brand Rollout
Living Your Brand: Thinking Beyond Brand Launch
Rules of Brand Etiquette: Moving Relationships Forward Faster
Brand Builders: 5 Practices for Keeping Your Brand Strong

You don’t have to venture into the complicated world of branding alone! Substance151 can be your guide in a rebranding process – from start to finish. Contact us to schedule a conversation.