Creating a brand is a challenge. But rebranding is a bigger challenge.

Rebranding , in principle, is all about changing the corporate image of a company or organization. It’s a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors, competitors, and other stakeholders for rebranding exercise.

There are certain myths around this subject though. Some perceive, rebranding as the last effort of a soon-to-be-extinct brand. But that’s not true. Some really big and successful brands have opted for rebranding at their peak as well. Personality transformation for the good is what rebranding is all about. And it’s a continuous process.

We did quite a few successful & lesser successful rebranding exercises in the last few years. And most of these projects managed to get a new lease of life. Some were on the verge of shutting stores too. But this is not purely a rebranding miracle. It’s also the undying spirit of some leaders who gave us the room to move out of our comfort zone. It was also their unmatched zeal to fight the challenge, and give the customers more reasons to opt for them. From renovation to product improvement, a lot goes behind every rebranding exercise. It’s never a mere change of logo, that does the trick. Hence, it’s imperative to partner with a branding agency that can go the extra mile for such an exercise to succeed.

Rebranding exercise we did for one of our clients, KS Bakers:

KS Bakers was launched in the year 1999. From a small unit to a celebrated name with 9 outlets, breaking into the big league was a natural next step. Though the brand managed to evolve over the last 16 years, the identity couldn’t keep pace. With changing times, a new vision, and increased competition, a rebranding exercise was the need of the hour.

The challenge with every rebranding exercise it the comparison with what was created in the past. People don’t wait for the new identity to sink in. They tend to pass instant verdicts. And that’s what makes this exercise a very delicate process. All this is topped with the sentiments & emotions attached to the old identity. And most brand owners struggle to let go of it. However, in our case, we were clear about making sure that the new identity is not completely in contrast with the old one. The idea was to create something that was more defined, edgy, young & time-proof.

One of the most important aspects of any rebranding exercise, however, is to communicate the same to the audiences. In this case, we did divided the audience into offline and online. For offline was all the communication that was done at the outlet level. For online, we did an animation video.

Rebranding is beyond brand identity:

Once the rebranding exercise was initiated, we were clear on standardizing all other customer touch-points accordingly. We extended the new identity to a brand that also talks young. The packaging, in-store branding, online & offline communication was created in a similar fashion. We used a combination of interesting line drawing art with some real product pictures. The idea was to combine creativity with the strength of the product.

Some Posters, Ads & Packaging we did for KS Bakers:

What’s more? An all new website.

The Bottom Line:

Well, an advertising agency can create a new identity, work on some fun communication, extend the identity into posters, and all other means of communication. But it’s important for a brand to have some risk appetite, align to the symphony, be patient, embrace consistency, have rock-solid belief, and not deter from it. Only then a rebranding exercise will turn out to be fruitful.

For a complete rebranding exercise for your brand, click here.