Five Warning Signs You Need a Rebrand

Life is a journey, and because your brand is a living entity, it has been on a road trip since its inception. When launched, your brand was instilled with a set of aims and aspirations, a mission, and likely some specific goals. But, your brand wasn’t there yet. Those were destination points. Places you wanted your brand to reach.

So, how is the trip? Is it going exactly as planned?

Unless your brand just recently set off on its journey, it is probably time to take a look at what has happened along the way. Like a trip of any extended time and distance, there are challenges to be faced. Some will be unexpected. With others, there will be indications of what lies on the road ahead. When you look at your brand today compared to where it started, is it as far as you want it to be? Or, are you having a gut feeling that something just isn’t right? Could there be warning signs that you haven’t recognized – or are you choosing to ignore?

Perhaps somewhere between then and now, your brand ventured into unfamiliar territory. Your teams became divided over your brand mission and purpose. Your competitors are succeeding in ways your organization is not. Your brand is getting lost in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

Reacting to the signs that your brand is heading for trouble is crucial to protecting your brand equity. Here are five that we feel you should be looking for:

You No Longer Set the Pace – The Yield Sign

Five, maybe 10 years ago, you were king of the hill. Your organization was the one your clients and your competitors looked up to. But, that was then. Today is a different story. You’ve begun to yield to the competition – or worse. You haven’t just slipped into second place. You’re not even a contender.

Rebranding can help you regain your place at the head of the pack. An updated or new logo, tagline and a refreshed personality can be like a jet pack for a brand, propelling you from the middle of the crowd back up that hill.

How Did We Get Here? – The Detour Sign

Is what you do today the same thing you did when you started? Not likely. Products improve. Services expand. Society changes. You have changed to meet new demands. But, has your brand? Or is it covered in dust?

When your organization has changed course but your brand has not, or when your brand has strayed from your core values, a rebrand will get it back on track. By hitting the “reset” button, you can regain control and put your brand on a path that is in line with your direction today.

Somehow, We Got Turned Around -- The “Wrong Way” Sign

The world is moving faster every day. Times have changed and technology has put us lightyears from 50 years ago. Has your brand kept up with the audience it serves? Is it even headed in the same direction? Or, has it struggled to keep up? Instead of making the corrections your organization needs, have you been pretending the problems you face will go away?

When your brand has gone a different direction from the rest of the world, a rebrand can turn it around – and give your organization the opportunity to catch up to the world that is leaving it behind.

Things Aren’t Going Smoothly Anymore -- The “Rough Road” Sign

One look at the stock market will prove things don’t always go as planned. A stagnant economy, high-interest rates, a finicky buying public, or a lack of disposable income can affect everything from your company’s production and sales to the size of your workforce.

When your brand needs a boost to get past a rough spot in the economy or a downturn in the industry, a rebrand can be the solution. A rebrand will remind the public why it came to you in the first place. It will highlight your place in their lives and how you’ve built more than profits, you’ve built trust. A rebrand will show that you are not just brick and mortar; you are made up of people, and that when times are tough, there is no “us” and “them.” It’s all us.

Didn’t See This Coming -- The “Dead End” Sign

Has your brand come to the edge of a cliff? You've begun to realize that acquiring new business is much more of an endeavor than it used to be. You take a hard look at your brand and see that its once attractive luster has succumbed to tarnish.

When your brand has nowhere to go, it isn’t time to jump. It is time to build a bridge. A rebrand is an opportunity to restore the connection between your organization and the people it serves. Don’t look down. Look ahead.

You Need More Than a Map

Like your car’s check engine light, these five signs are warnings that you need to act. But with a “check engine” light, it is right there in front of you. It is telling you what to do. The signs that you need a rebrand aren’t always so obvious. That is why you need a brand professional to act as a sort of travel agent; even as your GPS, to help guide you toward your destination – and beyond – for the many brand adventures that lie ahead.