Do You Need A Brand Refresh? A Full Rebrand VS. Refreshing Your Brand Positioning. With Examples!
Full Rebrand vs. Refreshing Your Brand Positioning
A brand refresh might be just what you need! In today’s competitive market, keeping your brand fresh and engaging is crucial. A brand refresh to update your brand positioning can be your secret weapon to staying relevant Let’s explore what a brand refresh is, the signs that it’s time for one, and decide whether you need a full-blown rebrand or just a refresh of your brand positioning.
What‘s A Full Rebrand VS. A Brand Positioning Refresh?
Full Rebrand
A full rebrand is like hitting the reset button on your entire brand identity. We’re talking mission, vision, values, name, logo, messaging, and positioning—all getting a complete makeover. This usually comes into play when a company faces significant changes like if the company is bought out, major market shifts, or when the current brand just isn’t cutting it anymore with the target audience.
Rebrand Example: Burberry Then and Now.
Burberry’s rebrand journey is a more extreme example of a company being forced to go through a full re-brand. The brand, originally synonymous with British aristocracy and high fashion, faced an image crisis in the early 2000s when its iconic check pattern became widely counterfeited and associated with “chav” culture—a derogatory term in the UK for a certain working-class stereotype. This appropriation diluted Burberry’s luxury cachet and led to significant reputational damage.
Their rebrand was a tricky and culturally sensitive one to tackle both to reposition the brand from mainstream, working class to high-end luxury and also in an effort not to alienate Burberry’s traditional customer base while reaching a younger audience.
Challenges Burberry faced addressing its brand positioning:
- Cultural Reclamation To reclaim its check pattern they limited the use to specific, high-end items and carefully controlled its distribution to restore its exclusivity.
- Shifting Consumer Perception: Changing the public’s perception of Burberry from a widely accessible brand back to a symbol of luxury they invested heavily in high-profile marketing campaigns, featuring celebrities and influencers that resonated with a more affluent, fashion-forward audience.
- Modernizing the Brand: Balancing the brand’s storied heritage with the need for modernity and relevance. To update the brand to appeal to modern luxury consumers without alienating its traditional base, Burberry introduced a new logo and monogram, revamped store designs, introduced more boundary-pushing collections, and launched innovative digital campaigns blending Burberry’s rich heritage with a contemporary, edgy twist, aiming to attract a younger demographic.
- Regaining Exclusivity: to ensure Burberry products felt exclusive and worth the luxury price tag they reduced the number of discount outlets and increased its presence in high-end retail environments, reinforcing the brand’s premium positioning.
[Image: Burberry]
[Image: Dazed]
[image: Burberry]
The Middle Ground: Refreshing Your Brand Positioning
Refreshing your brand positioning is the sweet spot between a minor tweak, say adjusting your brand colors or tagline, and a total overhaul. It’s about modernizing and staying relevant without changing everything about your brand.
Fine Tune Your Brand Positioning
This could mean everything from tweaking your visuals and brand voice to . It’s also an opportunity to revisit and fine-tune purpose and values ensuring you’re meeting your customers’ needs better than ever.
This approach can include:
- Narrowing your target audience: Identifying your best, most loyal customers. Who gets the biggest win out of what you do and how can you focus your branding to reach more of those people?
- Revisiting your purpose: Fine-tune your mission, vision, values to ensure everything feels aligned with your north star and speaks to your ideal customer profile.
- Refining Messaging: Ensuring your brand voice and messaging around the value you bring aligns with current market trends and customer expectations. Is the way you present the transformation you promise to your dream clients a truly irresistible offer?
- Updating Visuals: Updating your logo, and refreshing color palette, typography, and messaging to better reflect current market trends and audience expectations.
- Enhancing Customer Experience: Improving how customers interact with your brand through updated packaging, website, and customer service experiences.
Do You Need To Refresh Your Brand Positioning?
10 Questions to Help You Evaluate Your Brand
- Does Our Brand Truly Reflect Our Mission and Vision?
- Can people see our business goals and mission in what we say and how we present ourselves?
- Do We Know Our Customers as Well as We Think We Do?
- Are we sure about who our customers are, or have we assumed we know? Does our brand’s style and message really connect with what they want? Do we present an offer that speaks directly to their needs and is truly irresistible?
- Is Our Brand Consistently Presented Everywhere?
- Do our logo, colors, brand visuals and the way we talk about ourselves match up across our website, social media, and everywhere else we show up?
- How Do People See Us?
- Have we asked our customers what they think about us? Does their view match how we want to be known to our dream customers?
- What Makes Us Stand Out?
- What’s unique about our brand, how do we stand out from the crowd? Are we making that distinction clear to everyone who might choose us over someone else?
- Do Our Visuals Catch Their Eye?
- Does our logo, website, social media, and ads look and feel relevant and fresh to our dream clients?
- Does Our Story Resonate?
- Is our brand story interesting and real to the people we want to buy from us? Are we sharing customer stories that make them want to be a part of ours?
- Do Our Values Match Theirs?
- Are we telling people what we care about, and does that match up with what our customers care about too?
- Can We Change With the Times?
- Can we keep our brand strong even as the market and what our customers want changes?
- Are We Getting Smarter?
- Are we using what our customers tell us and what we learn about the market through data and insights to keep making our brand even better?
10 Amazing Benefits When Refreshing Your Brand Positioning
- Customer Re-Engagement: New or renewed interest within your target audience. Rekindling interest from existing customers and attracting new ones.
- Brand Clarity: A relaunched brand clarifies your brand positioning in the market to gain better market share and helps customers better understand what you have to offer.
- Increase Awareness: The most powerful brands in the world are well-known and recognizable. When done strategically, relaunching your brand increases brand awareness and helps customers recognize it more easily.
- Brand Loyalty and Referrals: Strong brands create loyal customers. A relaunched brand can help to boost your business’s relationship with customers and nurture the loyalty you want. When customers feel like you are for them, they will spread the word about your brand.
- Competitive Edge: Elevated positioning, stronger messaging, and a fresh look help you stand out in a crowded market.
- Engaged Employees: Improvement in the quality of internal communications as a result of brand education and awareness. A brand refresh can also streamline business operations by clarifying the vision, aligning efforts, and improving efficiency, enhancing processes and systems. Ultimately boosting morale and engagement within your team, energizing employees with a brand that they are proud to represent.
- Greater Impact, Greater Trust: By niching down your audience and focusing your offer you can provide solutions that create significant value for your target group and create greater impact. You will also build trust and establish a reputation as a brand that truly understands and caters to its audience.
- Efficient and Effective Marketing: More efficient and effective use of marketing resources. Alignment of brand elements across all channels to ensure they meet the needs and interests of your audience.
- Modern Appeal: Keeping your brand visually and contextually current in the eyes of your dream clients so it feels fresh, relevant, and appealing in the marketplace
- Capitalize on new opportunities: Businesses that relaunch their brand can harness new opportunities, such as launching new products and services or expanding into new markets that wouldn’t be possible within the scope of the current brand.
14 Key Steps and Actions To Refresh Your Brand Positioning.
- Set Clear Objectives
- What do you want your brand refresh to achieve? Make sure it aligns with your overall business and marketing goals.
- Get to Know Your Market
- Who are your competitors? What are the emerging trends? Look for opportunities and gaps where your brand can make a unique mark.
- Listen to Your Team
- Your employees have insights! Engage them in the process to ensure everyone’s on the same page.
- Understand Your Customers
- Dive deep into who’s buying from you. Analyze data on demographics, buying habits, and how they interact with your brand.
- Create Detailed Customer Personas
- Build profiles of your ideal customers based on what you’ve learned. This helps keep your branding efforts focused and relevant.
- Audit Your Current Brand Positioning
- Check how your brand message and visuals stack up with your dream clients. This audit should cover all aspects of your brand, including your website, social media presence, marketing materials, and customer service interactions. Identify areas that need tweaking to appeal better to your ideal target audience.
- Craft Compelling Brand Messages
- Develop clear, engaging messages that speak directly to your audience’s values and aspirations. Keep it consistent across all platforms.
- Update Your Visuals
- Your visuals play a big part in how your brand is perceived. Freshen up your logo, colors, and designs to align with your new brand positioning in a way that resonates with your ideal clients.
- Revamp Your Marketing Strategy
- Focus on channels and content that effectively reach your ideal customers. Where do your dream clients hang out online to discuss the problems and challenges your brand addresses? How can you meet them where they are?
- Improve Customer Experience
- Make sure every interaction reflects your updated brand. From your website to customer service, ensure it’s all in sync.
- Create a Rollout Plan
- Plan how you’ll introduce the refreshed brand across all touchpoints. Communicate changes clearly and generate excitement with a launch event.
- Listen and Learn from Feedback
- Continuously gather feedback from your new audience. Use insights from customer surveys, reviews, and direct interactions to refine your strategy and stay relevant.
- Keep an Eye on Competitors
- Watch what others are doing in your space so you can remain different and stay ahead. Find ways to stand out and improve based on what you learn.
- Monitor and Adapt
- Track key metrics to see how your repositioning is working. These might include engagement rates, conversion rates, customer acquisition costs, and customer satisfaction scores. Be ready to adjust based on what the data tells you.
6 Examples: Brand Positioning Refresh Success Stories!
Glossier: Founded by Emily Weiss, Glossier disrupted the beauty industry with its minimalist skincare and makeup products designed for everyday use.
- Before Rebranding: Launched with a minimalist aesthetic, Glossier’s visuals were clean and focused on product simplicity.
- After Rebranding: Enhanced its digital presence with interactive social media campaigns and user-generated content began to be noticeable around 2019. During this period, Glossier shifted its visual strategy to feature more community-focused content, highlighting real customers and influencers to showcase natural beauty and the everyday use of their skincare and makeup products. This change marked a move from their original minimalist aesthetic to a more vibrant and engaged online community presence.
And if the rumor mill is true, Glossier might be gearing up for a full-scale re-brand sometime soon. This summer Glossier quietly introduced a new logo for its summer collection, featuring retro-inspired designs and vibrant colors, moving away from its iconic minimalist look. This has the beauty sleuths wondering if the Millennial Pink makeup giant is soft-launching to test-drive the new look.
[Photo: Glossier]
Spanx; Founded by Sara Blakely, Spanx initially revolutionized shapewear by introducing comfortable and slimming undergarments. Over time, Spanx expanded its product range to include leggings, bras, and activewear.
- Before Rebranding: Initially known for functional shapewear, Spanx focused on practicality and fit.
- After Rebranding: Spanx’s rebranding, which expanded its product range and emphasized body positivity and empowerment, began to take shape around 2017. Initially known for its practical shapewear, the brand’s visuals evolved to feature a wider variety of body types and lifestyles. This shift highlighted comfort and confidence across its new categories, including leggings, bras, and activewear. This rebranding effort marked Spanx’s transition from being solely a shapewear brand to a comprehensive lifestyle brand promoting body positivity.
[Photo: Spanx]
Outdoor Voices: Founded by Ty Haney, Outdoor Voices differentiated itself in the activewear market by promoting inclusivity and recreational fitness over performance-driven athletics
- Before Rebranding: Entered the market with activewear that emphasized inclusivity and recreation over competition.
- After Rebranding: Strengthened community engagement through offline events and online campaigns. Visuals shifted to depict a diverse range of individuals engaged in active, balanced lifestyles. The brand expanded its product offerings to include athleisure wear suitable for various activities beyond traditional sports.
[Photo: Outdoor Voices]
Rent the Runway: Co-founded by Jennifer Hyman, Rent the Runway pioneered the concept of fashion rentals for designer clothing and accessories.
- Before Rebranding: Introduced as a fashion rental service for designer clothing and accessories.
- After Rebranding: Expanded into subscription services and sustainable fashion options. Visuals showcased a broader range of fashion choices and highlighted sustainability initiatives, promoting luxury accessibility through rental and second-hand fashion options.
[Photo: Rent The Runway]
Huda Beauty: Founded by Huda Kattan, Huda Beauty gained fame for its diverse range of makeup products and beauty tutorials.
- Before Rebranding: Initially gained fame for makeup tutorials and a diverse range of products.
- After Rebranding: Focused on global expansion and engaging with a wider audience through social media influencers. Visuals evolved to include skincare and fragrance lines, with campaigns showcasing diverse beauty standards and celebrating individuality globally.
[Photo: Hudda Beauty]
The Honey Pot Company: Founded by Beatrice Dixon, The Honey Pot Company specializes in natural feminine hygiene products crafted from plant-based ingredients.
- Before Rebranding: Specialized in natural feminine hygiene products crafted from plant-based ingredients.
- After Rebranding: Expanded its product line to include a broader range of menstrual and personal care products. Visuals emphasized empowerment and education around holistic feminine care, with campaigns advocating for women’s health issues and promoting natural personal care solutions.
[Photo: The Honey Pot Company]
10 Ways to Create Effective Branding For Women and Minority Groups
When branding or rebranding a business whose customers are women or minority groups, businesses too often approach the exercise superficially and don’t take the time to fully understand their customers and their needs. So in the end they come across as completely tone-deaf in their marketing.
- Real Representation: Showcase real women and individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds in your marketing materials. Use authentic images and real stories that reflect the diversity and richness of their personal experiences.
- Address Real Issues: Acknowledge and address the real issues faced by women and minority communities. Offer products or services that cater to their specific needs and concerns, showing genuine understanding, support, and respect.
- Listen and Engage: Actively listen to feedback. Create opportunities for your customers to share their insights and participate in shaping your brand’s offerings and messaging.
- Celebrate Diversity: Celebrate the diversity within women and minority communities. Highlight individuals of different ethnicities, cultures, abilities, genders, and sexual orientations to authentically represent the breadth of your audience.
- Empowerment, Not Stereotypes: Focus on empowerment rather than perpetuating stereotypes. Showcase positive stories of empowerment, resilience, and achievement within these communities to inspire and uplift.
- Educate and Inform: Provide valuable information and resources that empower. Offer educational content, tools, and support that address their unique challenges and aspirations.
- Build Community: Foster a sense of community and belonging. Create inclusive spaces where they can connect, support each other, and engage with your brand authentically.
- Authentic Brand Voice: Use a sincere and inclusive brand voice that resonates with your customers. Avoid tokenism or superficial gestures, and instead, communicate with respect and empathy.
- Collaborate and Co-create: Collaborate with influencers, activists, and leaders from these communities. Co-create content and initiatives that genuinely reflect their perspectives and values.
- Continuous Improvement: Continuously evolve your approach based on feedback and evolving societal norms. Stay committed to learning and adapting to better serve the diverse needs and expectations of your customers.
By prioritizing authenticity, inclusivity, and meaningful engagement, brands can effectively connect with thier people in ways that are genuine, respectful, and impactful.
Examples of Brands That Do It Right
Billie, the feminine razor brand, embraces body positivity and inclusivity, featuring diverse body types and natural body hair in their advertising campaigns. Billie is known for its “Project Body Hair” campaign, which normalizes body hair and challenges societal norms. This socially conscious marketing challenges conventional beauty standards and resonates with many women who appreciate a more realistic, inclusive representation and value social change.
[Photo: Billie]
SheaMoisture: SheaMoisture formulates products specifically for natural and textured hair, meeting the unique needs of Black women.
Thier marketing campaigns feature real Black women and their stories, emphasizing authentic representation, and often incorporates cultural storytelling in its marketing, celebrating the heritage and traditions of Black women. Their campaigns frequently pay homage to African roots and the historical significance of their ingredients.
The brand actively engages with the Black community through social media, sponsorship of cultural events, and support for Black-owned businesses. Their “#BreakTheWalls” campaign addressed the segregation of ethnic beauty products in stores, advocating for inclusivity.
[Photo: SheaMoisture]
Bevel is a Black-owned razor brand founded by Tristan Walker. The company is known for its grooming products specifically designed for men with coarse or curly hair.
Bevel designs products specifically for coarse and curly hair, addressing common issues like razor bumps and skin irritation. Their marketing emphasizes these tailored solutions, resonating with Black men who have struggled with mainstream grooming products.
Bevel’s marketing often taps into cultural pride and heritage, celebrating Black identity and personal grooming as a form of self-care and empowerment. Their campaigns frequently highlight influential Black figures and everyday heroes, creating a strong emotional connection with their audience.
In 2018, Bevel relocated its offices to Atlanta, a city known for its vibrant Black business community and cultural significance. This move was part of the company’s strategy to better connect with its target demographic and leverage the city’s diverse talent pool.
[Photo: Bevel]
Pay Attention to Emerging Trends
When you’re diving into a rebranding journey, it’s crucial to tune into the larger cultural shifts happening around us. These shifts aren’t just trends—they’re reflections of how society’s values and behaviors are evolving, shaping what consumers expect from brands over time. By tapping into these movements, brands can create deeper connections that feel authentic and resonate on a personal level.
This approach isn’t just about staying relevant; it’s about building a brand identity that’s resilient and adaptable in today’s fast-paced market. By embracing these cultural shifts, businesses can forge meaningful bonds, cultivate loyalty, and set themselves up for long-term success.
Let’s break down how branding strategies have evolved over the past decade:
- Digital Dominance
- Then: Customers often relied on face-to-face interactions or customer service calls before making a purchase.
- Now: Customers are online. Websites, blogs and social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are where your customer spends time. Customers explore, review, and decide on products based on what they find online, shaping their entire brand experience before they even click ‘buy’.
- Personalization and Data-Driven Insights
- Then: Brands started using data to tweak their marketing messages for different customer segments.
- Now: It’s all about hyper-personalization. AI and machine learning help tailor experiences across every touchpoint, turning customers into loyal fans by understanding their every preference.
- Purpose-Driven Branding
- Then: Brands started adding a splash of social responsibility to their mission statements.
- Now: Purpose is at the heart of brand identity. Customers gravitate towards brands that stand for something meaningful—whether it’s diversity, sustainability, or community support.
- Sustainability and Ethical Practices
- Then: A few brands at best dipped their toes into eco-friendly practices at worst fully embrace green washing.
- Now: Consumers expect brands to walk the talk on sustainability. From sourcing to packaging, every step counts towards building a green reputation.
- Visual Identity and Adaptability
- Then: Logos went minimalist to stand out in a digital crowd.
- Now: It’s about being bold and adaptable. Think striking designs that shine whether they’re online or on a billboard.
- Transparency and Authenticity
- Then: Brands started pulling back the curtain on their operations.
- Now: Customers demand honesty and openness in every interaction. Authenticity isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the foundation of trust.
- Technology Integration
- Then: Brands experimented with AR and VR to wow customers.
- Now: AI is the secret sauce behind personalized customer service and predictive analytics that keep brands one step ahead.
- Omnichannel Excellence
- Then: Brands aimed for consistency across online and offline channels.
- Now: It’s about delivering a seamless, integrated brand experience wherever your customer lands, from Instagram to your storefront.
- Emotional Branding & Story-Driven Marketing
- Then: It was all about product features and benefits.
- Now: Emotional connections rule the roost. Brands are weaving stories and compelling narratives that tug at heartstrings and resonate with values.
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Then: Brands used big data to fine-tune strategies.
- Now: Real-time analytics, predictive modeling and marketing automations steer every move, from marketing campaigns to product launches.
Current Trends vs. Cultural Shifts: Navigating the Branding Landscape
Think of short-term trends like the latest TikTok dance—fun and attention-grabbing but fleeting. They come and go quickly, driven by events or tech breakthroughs, and can spice up your brand momentarily.
On the flip side, cultural shifts are more like the slow dance of societal change. They reshape values and attitudes over years, influencing how we live, think, and spend. These shifts are the real game-changers for brands, affecting everything from customer expectations to brand identity.
Why Avoid the Trap of Short-Term Trends in Rebranding?
Jumping on a short-term trend might give your brand a quick boost, like a sugar rush. But like yesterday’s meme, it can fade fast, leaving your brand looking out of touch.
Instead, rebranding should tap into deeper cultural shifts. These enduring movements—like sustainability, diversity, and digital empowerment—show what really matters to your audience. By embracing these shifts, your brand builds a solid foundation. It’s about staying relevant not just today, but for years to come.
The Path to Lasting Connection
By focusing on cultural shifts, brands build trust and loyalty. It’s not just about catching eyes; it’s about capturing hearts. Understanding what truly resonates with your audience ensures your brand evolves with them, fostering a bond that withstands the test of time.
Navigating Current Trends and Events in Your Rebranding Strategy
- Stay in the Know
- Market Pulse: Keep your finger on the pulse with regular market research. Dive into industry reports, watch your competitors closely, and analyze how your customers are behaving.
- News and Media: Follow industry news, social media trends, and major news outlets to stay updated on current events and emerging trends.
- Spotting Trends vs. Embracing Shifts
- Track Trends: Watch for those quick-fire trends sparked by tech innovations, viral memes, or buzz-worthy challenges.
- Recognize Shifts: Dive deeper into societal shifts—like sustainability, diversity, mental health awareness, or the remote work revolution—that reshape how people live and buy.
- Align With Relevant Trends
- Embrace the Buzz: Seamlessly weave trending topics into your weekly content to show you’re tuned in and up-to-date. Whether it’s hopping on a hot new social platform, riffing on trending hashtags, or rolling out limited-edition products, keep it fresh and now.
- Avoid Fads: Be wary of trends that might clash with your brand’s core values or long-term vision. Authenticity is key—ensure that any trend you adopt is authentic to your brand values.
- Embrace Cultural Shifts
- Green is the New Black: As the cultural shift towards environmental consciousness grows, authentically integrating sustainability into your brand can resonate deeply with consumers. This could involve eco-friendly packaging, sustainable sourcing, or green marketing campaigns. Just make sure your efforts are not just surface-deep.
- Intentional Inclusivity: Reflecting the cultural shift towards greater inclusivity can strengthen your brand’s connection with a diverse audience. Just make sure you do your homework and align closely with the needs and values of your customers to avoid being culturally insensitive or completely tone-deaf!
- Go Digital or Go Home: If your brand isn’t already online welcome to the 21st Century. The shift towards digitalization has only been further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, so make sure you have a strong digital presence and are reaching out to and talking to your customers in the places they gather online.
- Respond to Current Events
- Handle with Care: Gone are the days when brands can simply avoid hot topics, our customers expect us to care about the things they care about and are impacting their lives. Be prepared to adjust your branding strategy in response to major events, such as economic downturns, natural disasters, or political changes. Showing empathy and responsiveness can enhance brand loyalty.
- Community Counts: Step up for what matters. Engage in social good initiatives, support local communities, and show your customers you’re not just about profits—you’re about making a positive impact.
Get Started Today!
Download this worksheet to help you assess whether you need to refresh your brand and identify the key areas you need to focus your attention on to get your brand back on track.
