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What’s the difference between a brand refresh and a wholesale rebrand? How do you know which you need? Read on for a demystification of the difference—and tips for determining which approach is right for you.
A Tricky Distinction
Let’s start by defining each of these branding initiatives clearly.
What is a brand refresh?
A brand refresh is an evolution, not a reinvention, of your brand. It aligns the brand’s visuals and voice with current market trends, audience expectations or business goals, but without altering your foundational strategy or core brand identity. It’s focused on refining (and often modernizing) key brand elements like your:
- Logo
- Color palette
- Visuals (typography, etc.)
What is a rebrand?
A rebrand is a strategic transformation of your brand that involves a fundamental shift in brand strategy. It signals a significant shift—whether due to M&A activity, a pivot in business strategy or the need to redefine your relevance in a changing market.
Unlike a brand refresh, a rebrand goes beyond aesthetics, reexamining and rearticulating the company’s:
- Positioning
- Purpose
- Messaging
- Market differentiation
Building on this core brand strategy work, it may include a new:
Thinking in Terms of Spectrum
Perhaps you already know the difference between a B2B rebrand and brand refresh. But what if your brand needs something between those two extremes?
Consider this scenario. You want to retain your logo and name but feel your brand needs a new positioning, messaging, and potentially even an appeal to a new audience. A project like that is certainly not superficial tinkering, but the brand’s existing foundation will remain relatively intact. Is that a refresh or a rebrand?
This hypothetical illustrates an important point: what at first glance seems black and white is actually a blurry continuum. To determine how broad a project’s scope should be, it’s important to take the time to figure out where your company’s needs lie on that spectrum.
Getting to the Heart of the Matter
There are, of course, plenty of times where the traditional brand refresh is appropriate, especially in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) world, where standing out on the shelf is critical. On the B2B side, a refresh might be most visible when a company reskins its website or tweaks a logo. Think of the buzz around an update to a popular app’s icon. When Google tweaks that G, it’s a design change heard ’round the world.
However, a “makeover” doesn’t necessarily have to be visual. Perhaps your communications need some pizzazz. Or you need to reach out and connect with a new audience. In cases like these, reevaluating the brand voice or messaging strategy could be just as (or more) impactful than updating design.
Additional or tweaked messaging is also helpful when a company is entering a new market or introducing a new product. For example, we worked with an identity and access management company that was expanding from the enterprise space to the SMB space. The company’s brand and design language were relatively new, and were still working well. They came to us for a messaging refresh—a communications strategy that incorporated its new mid-market offer.
But will an update—visual or verbal—be enough? Sometimes the answer is easy:
- If your brand doesn’t feel authentic anymore, or if it’s actively hindering performance, it’s time to rethink the whole thing and rebrand
- If your brand still resonates across most audiences and just needs to catch up with the business, a brand refresh can be surprisingly powerful
Deciding Whether to Rebrand or Refresh
Quite often, clients approach us saying they want a refresh. They think because they want to retain their name, and because they want to make a change in quick and agile way, that a rebrand isn’t for them. However, although financial and time constraints are important, they shouldn’t lead companies to undertake misguided refreshes that won’t provide the solution that’s needed: a rebrand.
So if you’re not sure which way to go, know that you are not alone! Following these four steps can help you find your way.
1. Let the data lead
Research can play an important role determining if a rebrand is necessary, and if so, providing marketing leaders with a powerful case they can present to leadership when requesting resources—and later, when proving ROI.
Quantitative online surveys play a powerful role here; external polls about the brand’s equity, reputation, and level of recognition can signal whether the brand is still resounding with the market. Internal surveys are useful for gauging whether a brand is helping or hurting company culture, and whether employees feel empowered to channel the brand in their work and communications.
If the data shows that the brand still packs a punch—great! A simple refresh may suffice.
If the research reveals something else, it provides a powerful story to take to the boardroom as you make your case for rebranding. It also provides baseline data to compare to (probable) improvements post rebrand.
2. Don’t fear the rebrand
There’s no need to be afraid of a rebrand, if that’s where the data points. While the upfront investment may be greater, the ROI will be greater as well, since a rebrand fully addresses the problem instead of wasting resources on a short-term fix.
A rebrand might seem scary because of the fear that it will throw away the baby with the bathwater. But an effective rebrand need not abandon everything. Instead, a savvy agency partner will leverage the best of what you already have, complement it with what you need, and pull it all together in a way that:
- Stands out in the market
- Energizes employees
- Stays true to the company’s core purpose and values
The right agency will listen to your initial concerns, help you conduct the necessary research, and then recommend a plan that suits your needs and your budget.
3. Keep moving forward
Once a rebrand or your refresh is complete, that’s not the end of the brand evolution. Successful brands are dynamic and responsive, making frequent small, iterative changes.
This doesn’t mean constant rebrands, or even constant refreshes, of course. But it means that a branding project should never be considered “over.”
Markets change every day, bringing new trends, competitor developments, and customer challenges. The most effective brands have an eye on these shifts at all times, and are nimble enough to respond to, or even drive, those conversations.
Consider our client Stephens, an investment bank. Its core brand idea, “Capitalize on Independence,” hasn’t changed in many years. But the company constantly builds on that foundation with powerful, fresh campaigns and high-impact events.
For example, they’ve launched “This is Capitalism,” a video and blog series that tells the stories of extraordinary American entrepreneurs. Campaigns like these keep Stephens top of mind for clients, emphasizing a commitment to the values that undergird the still-successful brand.
Staying True to Who You Are and Where You’re Going
Whether you ultimately choose a brand refresh or rebrand, all branding changes are most successful when they grow from a solid foundation of research and authenticity—the very foundation that drives the decision to refresh or rebrand in the first place. What is it about the business’s future that requires you to tell a new story, or show a new face to the world?
When in doubt, reground in research and strategy. Stay true to your corporate goals, values, and the people who matter most to your business—and your choice will be clear.
Want help determining whether a brand refresh or rebrand can create more value for your business? Let’s talk.
Originally published November 14, 2019.
