If you’ve just added the finishing touches to your company’s new brand identity, how do you introduce it? The short answer: cautiously and strategically! We can probably all think of examples of companies that have rebranded to a controversial reception – but, provided that the new brand itself has been carefully crafted, here are some steps you should follow to roll it out.
Whatever the reach of the rebranding, be careful
Rebrands can vary in how far-reaching they are. Perhaps you just want to make your company’s packaging and letterheads look a little neater; alternatively, you might have decided on a more dramatic overhaul that includes a whole new logo. Whatever the nature of the rebranding, it’s worth launching it internally before you take it out into the wider world.
There’s one especially simple, but very good, reason for this: if your employees don’t take to the new brand, why expect your customers to? Furthermore, it’s crucial to first ensure that your employees are well-versed in the new brand before they are tasked with communicating it to your customers. Otherwise, the rebranding could come across as inconsistent and botched.
Tips for communicating the rebrand internally
Showing those employees your new brand shouldn’t just involve giving them new pens, magnets and paperweights with your new logo looking all nice and shiny on them. You need to also encourage your workers to believe in your brand and develop a passion for it.
By way of example, CSC made a new website, the CSC Styleguide, which provides reams of information for understanding and using the company’s brand identity. The website has an internal section to which only employees have access. Through the website, CSC provides readily accessible information enabling workers to thoroughly teach themselves about the brand.
Getting on a roll with the rollout
Once you have got your own staff on board with the rebranding, you can start introducing it to customers and the broader public as well. You could draw upon email, advertising, direct mail, websites, social media and other marketing mediums as the rollout gets underway. How many of those you should use could depend on the number of rebranding tweaks and, judging from consumer research conducted during rebranding, how customers will likely react to those changes.
However, some clever creativity can go a long way towards raising awareness and acceptance of the new brand identity. Upon splitting from Time Warner in 2009, AOL gave its brand identity a makeover and previewed that in a video, which you can watch below. The new logo was trendy and modern, shutting the door on AOL’s stuffy image as a mailer of dial-up America Online CDs.
If your company’s brand identity could do with a refresh, our designers here at JAK can give it exactly that. We can give you a new logo and suitably redesigned stationery, leaflets, flyers, brochures and more – all with the aim of providing a pleasant and consistent message for your customers. Email sales@jakinc.uk, call 0191 3882 698 or visit our website to learn more.