One of the inescapable parts of life, whether that life is a human being, a fish or a company, is that change will occur. The teenager becomes an adult, the smolt grows into a salmon, and the company which once mowed lawns now provides full landscaping services. Growth, change and a refocus on traits that have proven successful are key parts of any company’s development. That’s why it’s important for firms, especially ones that have been in business for a while, to consider reviewing their present branding campaign to decide if those efforts are still effective, or even true! In a recent blog entry on this website we explored the importance of branding for a business. Today we’re going to examine how that ‘brand’ can get stale and could be in need of some serious revision.
You don’t have to go far to see the effects of such a soul-searching effort. Nanaimo’s Evolution Business Media Group (EBMG), the company producing this blog entry, was until very recently known as Evolution Business Consulting – a name that no longer accurately reflected the functions or aspirations of its founder, Chris Cathers. “That’s what the company, basically me, was doing. Providing consulting services to assist businesses with their marketing efforts,” he explained.
Even Evolution Business Media Group had to go through its own re-branding effort
“Today the company, working with a network of writers, web developers and graphic artists does much more. The name was no longer a reasonable description of the work carried out. We now do web work, video, writing and many other things. The name had to alter to reflect that change, that Evolution so to speak.”
According to advertising guru Sergio Zyman a brand is: “essentially a container for a customer’s complete experience with the product or company.” This means that when people think of your company name or see its logo an image should pop into their minds, ideally carrying with it positive memories of their interaction with you and your firm. But sometimes a brand can become stale and require a facelift or perhaps a complete makeover due to change. Apparently Pepsi has rebranded itself 11 times, Kentucky Fried Chicken is now KFC and Apple Computers is today simply known as Apple. Even the major players have to occasionally reinvent themselves. The same thing could also apply to your business.
There are a number of solid reasons for rebranding a business, changes that can go far beyond the cosmetic alteration of a logo or company letterhead. A major one may be that the purpose behind your firm has changed over the years. The hypothetical example of the lawn mower expanding into landscaping as mentioned above is one. Perhaps your business is now offering more services, is targeting a different population demographic or geographic region or it may have moved into a new product entirely. It could be your brand is linked to a single community and you want to expand into other areas. Whatever the reason for making the change, rebranding is part of the long term growth of any business. As you change and refocus your business strategies or product lines, so must the image your business presents. If you feel the face your firm presents the world doesn’t really tell the whole story any more, then contact us and together we can find the right voice and the right face to tell that ever changing tale.
