Lead Forensics

Common Pitfalls of a Company Rebranding


Even if you hear a few complaints about your company rebranding, sometimes you have to just ride out the storm.

Maybe you started your company when you only had enough cash to ask an artistic friend to sketch a logo. It may be that you have a great logo, but your color scheme has become dated or you have changed your name. You’ve decided it’s time for a company rebranding.

A rebrand can require a significant investment, so make sure you avoid the following pitfalls:

Asking for too Many Opinions: Sure, you want buy-in from your key employees and investors, but be careful about casting too wide a net when seeking opinions on your rebranding. Determine instead that you will ask people for their feedback about specific aspects of your new identity. For instance, if you rent mountain bikes, you might ask friends if a particular logo evokes a sense of adventure more than another option.

Not Doing Your Homework: It might be a second-tier domain name, or it could be a name that is commonly associated with another industry. You want to create the Oasis Smoothie shop, but if folks around town associate the name with Oasis Lawncare, you’re going to have a hard time gaining any traction for your company rebranding.

Failing to Plan a Rollout: You’ll need to decide a time and a format for rolling out your new brand. For smaller companies, it may be a combination of a press release and an email to employees and customers. If you’re a bigger organization, it might involve holding a live event to unveil your company rebranding and multiple communications across a variety of channels.

Give the public plenty of time to catch on to your new brand. Consider placing an explanation on your website, and leave it there for six months. It might surprise you how much time elapses between your first announcement and the residual questions you receive about your new brand.

Second-Guessing Yourself: Before you start investing in company rebranding, assure yourself that some people won’t like it. You might receive a lot of feedback that may make you feel attacked and tempt you to abandon your new brand.

In most cases, the initial furor dies down and the brand settles into the market. In others, the rebranding has somehow offended the customer base and it becomes suicidal to refuse to back down. When Gap released a new logo in 2010, they made history for the massive outcry that demanded the brand abandon its new look. The navy square was reinstated and will likely hold its place for the life of the company.

If it’s time for a company rebranding, it’s time to meet our team at SJC Marketing. We specialize in creating comprehensive redesigns for companies ready for a new look and feel to their brand. From creating a logo that’s all you in just one glance to a color scheme that is both on-trend and timeless, SJC has the expertise to successfully launch your rebranding project.

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