Brand New or Brand Renewal?

Sometimes, a brand just needs a splash of color. However, if last season was as hard on your brand as it was on many others, you may want a head-to-toe transformation. As always, a trusted professional can listen to your goals and help put some spring back in your step.

Get an honest opinion

You see a lot of brands cut themselves a lot of slack. They can even convince themselves that they’re projecting a certain image, when they’re really not. For better or worse, you can always ask the people who know you best: your customers. Maybe it’s time to check in with your audience and find out how they see you. “Does this marketing make us look [whatever]?” Of course, if you’re not ready to hear the answer…

A little lift

Sometimes a new look or a change of attitude is all it takes to boost your confidence and remind customers what attracted them to you in the first place. A “brand refresh” can help when you want to:

• Reinforce your existing image
• Enhance the brand’s personality
• Prevent customers from confusing your brand with similar options
• Adapt the communication to reflect new products, services or delivery methods
• Invite new people to the conversation
  

An extreme makeover

If the situation calls for a change in the core business — or if it’s going to take more than a nip and a tuck to make your brand stand out — then it might be time to do some serious work. Beware: Even something that seems like a “no-brainer” — like a line extension or a name change — has major implications for your brand. Consider a rebrand when your business needs to:

• Communicate a new sense of purpose, or realign customers when your company’s vision has been clouded
• Respond to a change of vision and/or values
• Introduce a new core business
• Announce a move into a new market or business sector
• Address the global marketplace and respond to customers in different cultures
• Refocus your brand around a single name, trademark and visual identity
• Consolidate two brands into one
• Split your business into two or more brands
• Reposition the company against the competition
• Reinforce a good reputation, or reestablish trust after a setback
• Restore relevance to your audience
  

Be true to you (and your customers)

An effective brand initiative should help align the company’s purpose with its customers’ expectations. In other words, the outside should match the inside. But in today’s brand-aware world — where buyers are hyper-informed and even more skeptical — the truth lives somewhere in-between. Serve your customers and invite their feedback. They can actually help reshape your brand and make it even stronger.

Put your best brand forward

If you’re ready to make some changes, start by taking stock and taking time to think about your objectives. Accentuate the positive, but be careful — customers can pick out even the best attempts at concealing more serious issues.

Bottom line, real change comes from within. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should do it alone. And that’s where MasonBaronet comes in. We think good design looks beneath the surface and addresses real goals. We believe good thinking helps customers see your brand for what it is — and appreciate you for who you are. We’re committed to both, and we’re dedicated to results.