A rebrand vs. a brand refresh. You might be thinking, aren’t those two interchangeable? Like tomato, tomato? Not quite.
It is easy to get confused when these two seem to come hand in hand. However, there is a large difference between a company rebranding and a brand refresh. A company rebrand is like tearing down your building and starting from the foundation again. While a brand refresh is a cosmetic upgrade, like a fresh coat of paint and a new mailbox.
Today we are going to discuss the difference between a rebrand and a brand refresh, so you can decide what is right for you and your business!
What is a Brand Refresh?
A brand refresh is a sharpening up of your company. Most commonly, this is your company’s visuals – including your logo, website, colors or any type of cosmetic upgrade. However, this can also be your brand culture – message, slogan, services or environment.
There are many common reasons for a brand refresh. Maybe your business’ visual identity feels outdated, your visuals don’t fit the culture of your company, or your culture needs to change. Here are some questions to think about:
- Have you received negative feedback on your website design?
- Has your mission been rewritten in the past year or two?
- Are you sick of your business colors?
- Does your website lack that wow factor?
- Are there new products or services that are not being advertised?
- Does your business’ visual identity fail to capture the essence of your brand?
These are all smaller details you should be thinking about when deciding between a brand refresh and a rebrand.
What is a Rebrand?
A rebrand is a different marketing strategy from a brand refresh. When you rebrand, you are changing the corporate image of your company. A rebrand is necessary if there is a foundational shift in your company like a merger, a change in leadership, etc. A change in the foundation of your company is a change to your identity, and a rebrand is essential.
Some things to think about if you are considering a full rebrand:
- Are you trying to establish your company in a new market?
- Do you want to improve your company’s reputation?
- Did your company just merge with another company?
- Are you changing your company name?
So, What is the Difference?
A rebrand and a brand refresh do seem very similar on paper. However, it is important to remember the difference. A brand refresh is what it sounds like – a freshening up of the look of your business. Especially your company’s online presence. A rebrand is a total revision of your company identity, going deeper than just the looks. It involves your values and your business operations.
Do I Rebrand or Refresh?
The main goal of both a rebrand and a brand refresh is to have an impact on the audience. As a company, you need to decide what is going to work best for you. According to Forbes, your business has around one tenth of a second to seven seconds to make a good impression.
What can your business do to make a good impression in that amount of time?
Does that mean you spruce up your company colors? Does it mean updating your website with new content? Or is it a name change? A change of message? This is for you and your company to decide.
Brand Refresh:
- Update your website with fresh content or a new look.
- Try a new advertising strategy.
- Update your company logo and colors.
- Announce a new product or service.
- Update your social media! Become more active, post new content, find new graphics and visuals to use.
Rebrand:
- Reestablish your target market or audience.
- Update your vision, message and company values.
- Change your company name or change your logo.
- Revise your slogan to fit your company’s new morals.
- Rethink the culture and environment of your company. What does it feel like to work there and interact with?
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