During a recent routine marketing review at Tote + Pears, my marketing studio, we noticed something was different. Our clients’ perceptions and behaviors were shifting, as were their audiences’ expectations. We needed to respond quickly by adjusting our positioning in the market, shifting our services, reiterating our value through new messaging, and communicating these changes through a full-fledged marketing campaign. It was time for a rebrand.
Rebranding can be a significant undertaking, but its payoff can be remarkable, opening up new horizons and creating opportunities for growth. While many people associate rebrands with refreshing colors and logos, a true rebrand encompasses much more, including refining market positioning, services, and messaging to communicate an evolved identity, reinforce core values, and better connect with the target audience. As Tote + Pears shifted into a think-and-do model, here's what I learned along the way.
1. Make Your Audience Your Mainstay
One of the most important things I've learned in over a decade of leading rebrands is your audience should always be at the center of your efforts. During Tote + Pears’ latest transformation, this was no different. From the beginning of the project, we knew we needed to deeply understand the needs of our clients, how their needs had shifted over time, and how our company should meet those needs today and in the future.
One of the most important things I've learned in over a decade of leading rebrands is your audience should always be at the center of your efforts.
My team and I set up 1:1s with potential and existing clients to discuss their current challenges, review recent market changes, and get their feedback on where we could be most helpful. Then we incorporated their insights and feedback into our rebranding process by redesigning our packages and services to cater to their needs and expectations.
Using real-time feedback to adjust and refine your rebranding process can be key to creating a brand that truly resonates and ensuring your brand is set up for success right from the start.
2. Budget and Plan Ahead
Balancing the budget and our team's capacity is always a challenge, which is why I’ve often put off rebranding. But when you make rebranding part of your process and include it in your budget, it can be much easier to handle.
At Tote + Pears, we're constantly reviewing our brand and our clients’ brands to ensure they stay relevant and that we adapt to changes when needed. That means conducting annual and quarterly reviews to identify market changes and budgeting for brand refreshes and rebrands on a yearly basis.
I've found that over the years, we've had to update our website copy and sales materials quarterly/yearly, conduct a full refresh every one to three years, and a complete rebrand every five to seven years, depending on what's happening in the market.
Even with limited resources, we can implement innovative solutions when we plan ahead.
3. Be Strategic with Timing
Nevertheless, it can be hard to fit everything in, and when that happens, starting with small yet impactful changes can be powerful.
For us, the focus was on updating our services, messaging, and website, which included redesigning high-traffic pages, such as the Home, About, and Services pages to help ensure they resonated with our evolving brand direction. This phased approach created smooth transitions and kept our audience engaged while we worked on additional updates behind the scenes.
Timing your rebranding efforts and prioritizing changes based on their potential impact can help you avoid overwhelming your team while ensuring you have what you need when you need it.
4. Make Rebranding a Collective Effort
A successful rebrand affects all business areas, from operations to product development and tech. Our transformation from a marketing agency into a think-and-do studio involved a fundamental shift from project-based operations to a membership model.
It allowed us to offer continuous support and stay in tune with our clients' ever-evolving needs. Rebranding requires a collective effort, and it can be important to involve all stakeholders in the process to ensure everyone is aligned with the new direction. This includes employees, partners, and customers.
5. Generate Interest With a Comprehensive Campaign
Our rebranding wasn't merely a visual makeover; it signified our evolution into a research- and insights-oriented agency committed to strategic design for greater business returns. So we used the rebrand as an opportunity to spread the word about our new direction with a robust and integrated campaign, which included social media, PR, email, and content marketing. I also did a roadshow, which included live speaking events and personalized calls to our top clients and prospects.
Whenever we make any brand updates, we deploy a campaign to help generate interest and excitement around the brand's transformation and help us reach a wider audience. Rebrands are about serving your audience better. An effective rebrand campaign can be your opportunity to tell your customers what's in it for them.
The Takeaway
Rebranding is a significant undertaking that can require careful planning, execution, and ongoing evaluation, but it's also an opportunity to connect with your team and customers more authentically. By focusing on your audience, optimizing resources, timing changes strategically, deeply understanding your audience, embracing rebranding as a collaborative effort, and launching comprehensive marketing campaigns, you can help pave the path for a successful transformation and growth opportunities for your organization.
