Your brand needs to be far more than just a logo or a colour scheme.
A true brand is a living entity that communicates your values, mission and promise to your customers.
But what happens when the world around you changes, and your brand starts feeling a little outdated? That’s where the concept of a “brand refresh” comes into play. Something that event the largest and most recognised brands experience; a perfect example is the QANTAS brand refresh of 2016
In this article, we’ll dive into the question, “what is a brand refresh?” before explaining how to go about a refresh and why it will help reinvigorate your business moving forward.
What is a brand refresh?
A brand refresh is a lot more than a simple makeover; it’s a strategic evolution.
It’s important to think of your brand as a dynamic, rather than static entity. A brand refresh is its way of adapting to shifts in the market, technology and consumer behaviour. It’s an opportunity to realign your brand’s identity with your business’ current goals, values and market position.
Put simply, a brand refresh is your chance to redefine your business position in the competitive landscape.
Why undergo a brand refresh?
There are eight compelling reasons to consider a refreshing your brand.
1. Keeping up with the times
In the fast-paced digital world, staying visually relevant is essential. A brand that hasn’t evolved in years appears outdated and out of touch.
2. Capturing attention:
A refreshed brand captures attention in all the right ways. Subtle changes from a refreshed brand can spark conversations and create buzz, allowing you to influence the conversation around your brand.
3. Staying competitive
If your competitors have revamped their brands and are gaining market share, it’s time to level the playing field. A refreshed brand can help you reassert your presence and differentiate yourself.
4. Internal alignment
A brand refresh isn’t just for your customers; it’s also for your employees. It reengages your team, aligning them with the company’s renewed vision and goals.
5. Addressing change
A brand refresh becomes necessary when your business has undergone a significant change to its operation. Whether it’s a new product line or a shift in your target audience, your brand should reflect these developments.
6. Cultural reinforcement
Use a brand refresh as an opportunity to realign your company’s culture and values. It sends a powerful message both internally and externally and can shift your team back toward an ideal mode of operation.
7. Strategic intent
A brand refresh showcases your strategic direction. It communicates to stakeholders that you’re committed to growth and staying relevant in a dynamic and ever-evolving market.
8. Future-Proofing
Investing in a brand refresh is an investment in the future. A well-executed refresh can last for years, making it a cost-effective strategy in the long run.
How to implement a brand refresh
So, how do you actually conduct a brand refresh?
1. Start with clear objectives
A brand refresh involves several critical steps, though, the best place to start is by identifying why you want to refresh your brand in the first place.
Are you seeking to modernise? To expand your target audience? It’s integral to set clear objectives to guide the process.
2. Evaluate your position
Once you have a clear understanding of what you would like to achieve from a brand refresh, it’s important to assess where your brand currently stands in the market.
After all, to get where you intend to go, you need to first understand where you are right now.
Ask yourself:
- Are you effectively differentiating yourself from competitors?
- Is your visual message resonating with your audience?
- Does your value proposition align with your core values?
With the answers to these questions in mind, the path to a reinvigorated brand will be far clearer and your actions moving forward will be much more intentional.
3. Create and implement a strategic plan
First, according to your goals, realign the visual elements of your brand like colours, fonts, and imagery as well as the verbal aspects such as your tone, messaging, and storytelling with your brand’s NEW underlying vision.
Then, create a detailed plan for implementing the brand refresh across all major touch points. This includes your website, social media profiles, marketing collateral, and more.
4. Monitor and Adapt
After the brand refresh is complete, it’s important to monitor its impact and assess its success.
A great way to do this is to collect both employee and client feedback. What do they now associate with your brand? What could be improved?
Ultimately, although a brand refresh is complete, businesses that stay adaptable and are ready to make tweaks based on real-world feedback will thrive over the longer term.
The lasting impact of a brand refresh
In today’s competitive and quickly evolving business landscape, a brand refresh is more than a cosmetic change; it’s a strategic decision that can shape the trajectory of your business. It renews your brand’s energy, reengages your team, and positions your business for future growth.
Remember, a brand refresh isn’t about forgetting everything you’ve built up until now. It’s about brand evolution—taking what works, improving what doesn’t, and creating a brand that’s agile, relevant, and captivating.
Your market is evolving. Isn’t it time your brand evolves with it?
If you’re considering a brand refresh but are lacking direction or feeling unsure, then seek the advice of the branding experts at Font & Swatch and embark on a journey to redefine, reignite, and reshape your brand for a brighter future.
How does Font & Swatch help your business?
To achieve business success today and tomorrow, you need a brand marketing partner that you can trust, with the marketing expertise you can depend on.
Font & Swatch are a specialist Branding Agency based in Sydney. We are experts in Branding and we work with businesses to develop and implement effective branding strategies that drive demand and connect your brand to your target audience.
Every customer touchpoint with your brand should communicate personality, value and invoke the desired emotional response.
At Font & Swatch, we work to unlock the true power of your brand to make it remarkable.
If you like what you see, give us a call, send us an email, follow us on our socials or come in and see us.
An initial branding discussion is exactly what you need to set you on the course to business success. mailto:create@fontandswatch.com
