The differences are not mere semantics. But can have stark real-world business consequences.
“Rebrand” is a word packed with baggage—not least of which is significant dollar signs, especially over a more minor “refresh”.
A refresh implies a sprucing up. It’s a way of saying, “We haven’t changed—we’re still the same thing, we just look a little better”.
Whereas a rebrand goes to the core, redefining the structural aspects of a brand -- a face lift as opposed to a little lipstick.
Frankly, I don’t like either term.
I prefer “revitalisation”, which strikes at the essence of the mission to reignite the consumer’s love for a brand, while generating intrigue, excitement and growth in an authentic way. Think of it as "a holistic transformation from the inside-out".
The difference between a true rebrand, a true refresh and a true revitalisation are not mere semantics, but something that can have stark real-world business consequences.
Consider that Tropicana famously spent $35 million on the campaign around its rebrand in 2009, only for it to cost the company $30 million in sales in just two months.
Gap rebranded in 2010. Days later, the company returned to its original logo after the minimalist logo got a negative reaction.
Instances such as these show that money spent on "refreshing" and "rebranding" is sometimes unnecessary, even wasteful.
The delicate art of revitalisation
Every business faces existential challenges at some point or other: When your business model is under continuous attack from the future. When what made you red-hot relevant yesterday may have cooled imperceptibly overnight. When someone somewhere has figured out a better way to do some part of what you do or how you do it.
Failing to spot these shifts turns out to be the single-largest cause of stalled growth. The better you can sense it, the better you can respond to it.
The best organisations don't start by saying: "We need to rebrand!" (It's relatively lower down on the list of priorities anyway).
They start by asking the question: Is what we are doing still relevant? And follow it up with: a clear and compelling intentional narrative that they use to fuel and focus innovation.
They recognise where the brand is today, and can see the long view of where they want it to go. Narrative helps make the intangible, tangible.
The use cases of a narrative-based approach to revitalisation is company-wide with company-wide implications. It helps:
- Explain your intention and wild ambitions to the world.
- Revisit the assumptions that guide your business after a profound change in the world.
- Set a meaningfully high bar for your talent, products and service development.
- Position you in a higher-value category.
- Give you a bigger role in a changed market.
- Create an underlying idea to inspire your design and user experience.
- Every manager in your organization to understand what to prioritize.
- Enroll suppliers and partners in your mission.
- Create a decision filter for what you should put money behind.
- Justify your price premium against hot new competitors.
- Create a firewall against hostile investors and activists.
And many more.
That’s probably why most of the project teams we see involve a founder or CEO, a COO and a head of product as well as a marketing leader.
So the next time you're thinking of "re-branding", pause. You might need more than a cosmetic make-over.
Let's have a chat about how our StoryDoing approach could help you find new growth and relevance.
