Here are 6 keys to a truly refreshing rebrand.
So…you’re considering rebranding your automotive OEM supplier company.
Remember one thing above all else: Execution is everything.
The stakes are high, the margin for error is slim.
Here are six keys that will help you execute your rebranding process properly.
1. Your brand is way more than your logo.
Your brand is an asset with significant value, and it should be managed carefully. It’s the sum total of the many messages, interactions, and experiences your customers get about your products, services, and people. For them, a strong brand adds up to a promise fulfilled.
Your brand should stand up against these criteria:
• Your brand story is a story only you can tell
• Its meaning is telegraphic and focused
• It’s a mix of functional benefits and emotional reward
• The graphic design has visible, tangible, and felt associations
• It provides a platform for current and future products/services
2. The rebranding process is a strategic commitment.
It requires a thorough analysis of your organization and situation. Objectives must be defined. You should identify what sets you apart. You need to understand your competition, where your market is headed, how your customers think and act, what they need and how you can give it to them.
Rebranding delivers the best results when outside experts are involved. They see you and your brand from an entirely different perspective. They’ll see what you may be ignoring, or help reveal what has been buried over time. They’ll most likely open your mind to things you may not have considered.
3. Focus.
The world is noisy and complex. It’s best to be focused on one thing, and to build everything from that one thing. Tide’s one thing = clean clothes. They have dozens of product line extensions, but if it says Tide on the container, it cleans clothes. FedEx = guaranteed delivery. Next morning. Next afternoon. Two-day. Ground. It’s not when it gets there, it’s that it will get there when FedEx says it will.
Concentrating your brand essence on one thing and one thing only is good for you, too. When you want to add new products or services, it’s easier when there’s one critical brand benchmark to satisfy.
4. Hammer it home, no matter what.
Always, always support and promote your brand consistently. Successful brands are a constant presence in the marketplace, no matter what the economy says. Research indicates that brands consistently supported during a down market increase sales and share when the market bounces back versus companies that don’t.
5. Everyone can be a brand champion.
Every employee can be an ambassador for your brand. Make sure you have an internal campaign that clearly tells the brand story, and that your employees “get it.”
6. Make a clean break.
Come launch day, make sure you dispense completely with the old. If your employees have work attire bearing the old logo, replace it immediately. Recycle old letterhead, envelopes, business cards, collateral material. Change your email signature and presentation formats. Don’t let the old brand identity live once it’s dead.
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