Rebranding is not uncommon — many major brands, ranging from Dunkin’ Donuts to Uber, have successfully rebranded in the past.
Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors, competitors, and other stakeholders.
Reasons To Rebrand
There are few major reasons that companies consider to rebrand their businesses.
- New locations : You might need to refresh your brand if you’re expanding to international markets who might not identify with your current logo, messaging, etc.
- Market repositioning : As your company tries to target a broader audience, and the brand should reflect this. Brands are designed to connect companies with their customers, so if you reposition your business to target a completely new customer profile, whether through product, place, price, or promotion, your brand will need to follow suit.
- New philosophy : Your business’s mission, vision, and values should govern every decision you make, including brand decisions. If your MVV are shifting and pivoting the direction of your business along with them, you’ll need to reevaluate your brand.
- Mergers and acquisitions : When two companies come together, two brands come together, as well. If your company was acquired or joined with another company, you can’t just let both brands battle it out. Finding a new brand that reflects the new entity will prevent confusion and build trust.
- The brand is dated : After many years in business, your branding may not feel as contemporary as it should. Your 1990’s logo in neon-colored bubble letters could certainly use a fresh take.
- New taste trends have emerged : If technology has disrupted your industry, a rebranding could be necessary to keep up with competition and to reposition as a leading-edge company in the new environment. Perhaps the change is not necessarily tech-inspired; new consumer taste trends may be affecting your industry, such as the wave of organic and locally-sourced preferences in the food industry.
Let’s see which companies implemented some of those strategies this year.
Google Workspace
Google has introduced new Google Workspace icons. Google Workspace is a redesigned version of the Google G Suite apps, including Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Calendar.
The new icons take inspiration from Google’s four-color aesthetic and are a minimal version of the existing ones.
Individually, each icon is great! They are simple, colorful and a new take on their individual predecessors. The issue users are finding is that when the apps are grouped together in tabs or the home screen, they blend together.
Google Workspace is attempting to create an even more seamless experience of using their tools together, with new functionality allowing users to work across multiple apps without needing to change tabs.
GoDaddy
The new logo came with a new homepage, icon, and messaging. GoDaddy updated its look to appeal to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Although this marketing is new for the company, competition within the space is fierce. Hosting services like Squarespace, Wix, and Webflow began their company with a clear position from the inception.
The new, heart-shaped “GO” logo is a step up from the orange-haired “Daddy” of the 90s. The ‘G’ and ‘O’ are interlocking to form a heart-like shape.
Another big shift in its brand is the use of 3D animations. Again, nothing new in the space of company presentation but a step up for the company.
Fisher-Price
The new Fisher-Price logo reaffirms its position in the market. The changes are not noticeable at first glance.
A switch from uppercase to lowercase lettering reinforces a childlike experience. The hyphen between “Fisher” and “Price” is now a half-circle that looks like a smile. These small changes do more to tell the brand story.
Adobe Creative Cloud
Adobe’s Creative Cloud offers collection of over 20 desktop and mobile apps to stimulate your creative palette.
With so many applications it can be difficult to keep them within the same “family.” Adobe Photoshop does one thing, while Adobe XD does another. With additions like Adobe Dimension and Adobe Aero, there needed to be more connection between the products than simply adding “Adobe” to the front of each name.
Whether your company simply needs a facelift or a completely new brand identity to reflect its evolution, rebranding is instrumental in molding the right perception. Take rebranding as a great opportunity to strengthen and reaffirm your company’s identity and values, both internally with your employee base and externally with your customers.
Rebrands always run the risk of receiving a mix of positive and negative reactions. Keep in mind that when you do a rebrand, the goal is in representing your company’s image and message in the best way possible.