Not always, no.

You’re possibly surprised to hear a brand agency saying that a refresh, update or reinvention of your brand identity may not be worth the bother – but sometimes it just isn’t necessary. It’s time that we all honestly appraised the businesses that we meet and find out everything we can about their current situation, longer term objectives and vision – before judging them on their current logo. If your organisation, charity or SME is successfully connecting with your customers, a change in image could alienate your audience – so is it really worth the risk? You may find you could achieve greater success utilising a new social media strategy, updating content on your website – or even updating your website completely – without reinventing your identity.

What if you are facing any of the following challenges though?

  • You’ve identified that you now have new competitors
  • Your current logo is not fit for purpose in some environments
  • You need to launch a new product, service or business
  • You want to introduce your brand to a new audience
  • Your want to attract new employees and engage and motivate existing ones
  • You want to build brand value before an acquisition or a merger or
  • You need to reconsider your identity after an acquisition or merger.

Do any of these sound familiar to you right now? These are some of the key triggers in the life of a business or charity that often do achieve a better outcome through a refreshed brand image. Why? Over the next few months we’ll go into some detail on each of these separate challenges to demonstrate how changes to your brand image can positively influence and affect the outcomes in each situation. The value of a brand refresh is not always clearly understood – it can be dismissed as an indulgent, visual enhancement with high costs and minimal impact on successful results. But it shouldn’t be like that. The right process will deliver so much more than an identity. Any brand agency worth their salt will be getting right under the skin of your organisation. They will be challenging you on your real values and helping you articulate them in a way which will not only help your employees understand you but will go on to attract the stars of tomorrow that you want working in your teams.

The right brand process can reveal opportunities to improve business and brand hierarchy and structure, making it far easier to clearly communicate your actual proposition to your customer. The rigorous process of objectively evaluating your business against its competitors can suddenly reveal exactly why you aren’t being noticed by a specific or larger audience. And what can a brand refresh do for your organisation when you want to get the very best deal in an acquisition situation? Of course it can build awareness, increase value and attract the right buyers.

So don’t consider a refresh on a whim. Consider your current business situation, any threats and opportunities you could be facing. And then ask whether any of those might be alleviated through a rebranding process. Always remember an intelligent approach to branding can deliver insight, analysis, value and competitive advantage. If you don’t need any of that then don’t have a rebrand.