If your brand is 3 years old or more then the time is now!
Everyone who invests in a brand identity will feel very attached to it – it becomes part of the family does it not? In fact you become so attached that you start to break out in a sweat when someone suggests it may be time to even contemplate an update. Or… you actually just think it’s not important to make change, and, well you’re kind of OK with how it is, because there’s no reason to change it… is there?
OK, so maybe you need to think about this…
Love it or hate it… brand loyalty is actually becoming less prevalent. Time was that our valued customers needed security, hating change because they thought the company had actually changed, not simply the identity, look and feel. Now though, delivering what you promise, providing real customer interaction and giving great customer service are the key ingredients that everyone desires. Which means that as long as the customer still receives what they always have done, you can safely make changes to your brand.
So why bother?
In todays fast moving world it is important to maintain communication with your existing customers and say all the right things to attract new ones – one could say it’s a bit like writing a dating profile – you need to say the right things, without over promising (you’ll only get caught out in the end), and with a tone of voice that gets across your real personality. All of which embodies your brand, and just like people, brands evolve, grow and change direction. You may have new services, benefits and offers to shout about, or you may want to appeal to a different type of audience, which means you need to keep your ‘profile’ fresh as a daisy.
Will it hurt?
16,000 new food and drink products launch every year in the UK (London Stock Exchange Group) – companies who challenged their brand, assessing how their image, message and packaging appealed to today’s savvy culture. In 2019 what your brand says about you is ever more important. You cannot afford to be political, judgemental or opinionated. all of these things will, now, alienate your brand. So we’re back to good old honesty – what I like to call the ‘it does what it says on the tin’ approach. So will it hurt? Yes a little, as you may need to rethink your offering structure – making it more streamlined and easy to digest. But the process of refreshing your brand will be pain free if you are on board with what your customers need from you.
Be bold, make the right changes, but keep your personality
Many brands no longer have to play up to trends, for instance a lot of food companies thought they had to play up to the ‘organic’ trend, perhaps with a ‘country cottage’ style, or a ‘lean, green’ look to reinforce the organic nature of products or sustainable messages. But brands of all sizes are now launching or refreshing with slicker, simpler, bolder looks. A refined, distilled style is all that you need, it can help clearly communicate what you’re about and, executed properly, can also give a more commercial ‘big brand’ feel – which can attract more customers and buyers.
You can keep your quirky personality through literary content but make it brighter, cleaner and more current.
You should challenge your brand, continually assessing how you could do better and how your identity and packaging communicates to your target market against your competitors. Look at what other people are doing and learn from it – why is it working for them? Or not working for them?
Or let someone do that for you…
Want more from your brand, let’s have an informal, no cost chat.
jennifer@waboom.co.uk
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