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Spring cleaning your brand - The five do’s and don’ts of a brand relaunch.
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Spring cleaning your brand - The five do’s and don’ts of a brand relaunch.

What do you need to consider when relaunching your brand - What are the do’s, don’ts and potential pit-falls?

With spring around the corner, you may be considering a fresh start for your brand - whether that be a new campaign, a new website, or even a new name or brand relaunch. In my five years working here at Pull I have managed a few re-brands and brand re-launches, here are my top five tips to consider when it comes to a brand re-launch.

1. Do your research

Research is one of the first steps to consider when undertaking a relaunch process. You should look at your competitors, the market and talk to your customers. You need to remember that you are not creating a brand for yourself! It is very easy to be too close to your organisation, so don’t be afraid to ask those outside of your business for their input. Whether it be the process of choosing a new brand name, relaunching your brand principles or launching a new website, get as much feedback as possible.

2. Don’t forget the “Why”

At risk of sounding like Simon Sinek, you need to remember the “Why” in your brand process - don’t forget about the reasons why you are relaunching. Is it easy to get caught up in the excitement of change, but you should always remember why you are making these changes in the first place, whether that is to redefine your business orientation, to improve conversions, or to increase the longevity of your brand; if you remember the “Why” this will help you stay on track and not get distracted by the excitement of change.

3. Don’t make changes for changes sake

You shouldn’t be making significant brand changes just for the sake of it, there should be a proper relaunch strategy in place – and you should stick to it! With so much to consider and so many touchpoints, it’s sometimes tempting to change everything, but don’t fall into this trap! Identify the key components for change and stick to these, don’t make changes where they aren’t required – this links back to the purpose and goal of the relaunch – why are you going through this process in the first place and what are the desired outcomes?

4. Do think outside of the box

As part of your research piece, do look at your competitors, but don’t feel that you have to be like them. What works for them, may not work for you! Stick to your principles and brand values and don’t make changes just to be like someone else. USPs and core brand values are incredibly important and shouldn’t be forgotten in a re-brand or re-launch process. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box and challenge your own perceptions.

 

5. Do enjoy it!

A brand relaunch, although hard work, is an incredibly exciting moment for your brand! It’s the next chapter in your brand’s story and not only should you be communicating this externally, but don’t forget that you should also communicate this internally to your colleagues, employees, stakeholders etc.

 

Getting other people in your organisations buy-in at an early stage is an important step to drive the excitement and momentum of a relaunch process. Communicate why you are going through this process, what the outcome of this will be to your business and how they can get involved. When people feel involved and valued in a big process such as a relaunch, the more likely they are to support the outcome!

So, now we’ve run through the do’s and don’ts, we take a look at some brands who have made the process look easy.

Jägermeister is a good example of a brand that knew it needed to re-position itself to appeal to a younger audience and get bought in bars by younger people in the clubbing scene. A once fuddy-duddy old fashioned drink brand, they relaunched themselves through clever marketing as a young, trend-led drink that university students the world over bought on mass. A testament to this is that in 2018 Jägermeister became the most consumed spirit amongst 18-24 year olds in the UK.

Another example of brand re-positioning done well, is the transition from Marathon to Snickers. The name change took place in 1990 when Mars decided to ditch the British brand and bring the chocolate bar into the wider marketplace. Along with this name change Mars paid $5 million to have Snickers and M&M's named the "official snack" of the 1984 Summer Olympics, effectively launching the new ‘Snickers’ name to a global audience.

So, there you have it, whether your brand relaunch be big or small, it’s worth bearing in mind these five tips to ensure that the process runs smoothly. And, if you’re ever stuck Pull is at hand, with its team of Brand specialists at your beck and call 😉.

Posted 5 March 2019 by Imogen Farnan

 

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