First thing’s first: What is a brand? In reality, it can be one or more of the following:
- A promise
- A logo
- A reputation
Really, a brand is the sum of what comes to mind when people think of you. It’s the culmination of thoughts and images that enter a consumer’s mind when encountering your brand.
We know – it sounds ambiguous. And it can be! But at Smith Kroeger, we have a formula to help our clients decide if it’s time for a rebrand. Often it comes down to a multitude of different reasons.
There are also different types of branding. Some rebrands might require only a few updates, as opposed to an entire rebranding effort that could call for a total overhaul of assets. Below are four examples of each type of rebrand – including Google’s latest rebranding effort changing their icon visuals from the former G Suite into what is now Google Workspace:
1. Brand Alignment
2. Brand Update
3. Brand Evolution
4. Brand Revolution
So, how do you know if it’s time to rebrand? Here are a few key indicators:
- Brands need to be merged so that multiple products can be marketed together
- The overall look and feel of the brand is outdated
- A major merger or acquisition has taken place
- Significant growth, change or service expansion has occurred
When thinking about the logo, ask yourself:
- What emotions does it evoke?
- What do you think about the color?
- What do you think about the elements that make up the graphic?
- What do you think about the font?
- What do you think about the tagline?
- Overall, what does it say about our brand?
These are the things we considered when Community National Bank Retirement Plans Division came to us with a rebranding project. In addition to these foundational questions, Smith Kroeger implemented a research process that included an assessment of the competitive landscape, distribution of an online survey to customers and phone interviews with employees and select customers.
The new logo chosen used the bank’s original burgundy color and a slightly updated crescent “C,” which were unique and important to the brand, but added orange for a dynamic highlight. The shortened name CNB Custody and the tagline both resulted from our customer research. They defined and differentiated the organization and positioned it as a premier partner.
So where do you go from here? Start at the heart of your brand. Remind yourself “why.” Then, reach out to our team so we can help do the heavy lifting, from the website redesign to the digital and traditional media buys.
