Find your way through the messy middle of a rebrand
The rebranding process is going great. You have a deep understanding of where you are today, you’ve figured out where you want to go, what you want to change, and what success looks like to you. But as a rebrand progresses, for every dozen people who sing your praises there may be one person who hits sour notes. They’re skeptical. Doubtful. And the longer the rebranding process takes, the more they’ll say, “See? I told you this was a mistake.” They are the bog in bogged-down. After a while, if they say the same thing often enough, they might even seem to make sense. This is the phenomenon known as the “messy middle.”
Uncertainty is natural
Embrace what you can’t control. Know that the only thing you really can control is the process through which you reach your decisions. Let’s take a look at how sitting in this uncertainty can help you get through the mess.
The messy middle can be overcome by logical, objective demonstrations of progress and the idea that this work is so important it transcends one, or a few, opinions. Celebrate that progress and impact — especially at the early stages, celebrate the important things. Whilst you should avoid ‘fake wins’, celebrating quick wins and progress milestones is important.
The messy middle can cause friction, but if we use this friction correctly by simply understanding that it is going to happen, it can unlock the full potential of working together. This hardship brings your teams together and equips you to endure for the long haul. Do not be surprised or discouraged. It's a natural phenomenon when changing anything.
There are lots of emotions around change like this and using this opportunity is an important moment to build confidence between the client leadership team and the consultant so we can sort out the best path forward.
A rebranding process has many decisive moments, each with its own relevance and weight. We’ve identified The 10 most important moments in a rebrand to help you map out the journey during yours.