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Corporate Branding Explained

Corporate branding is a fundamental marketing approach aimed at shaping the public perception of a company. It reflects the unique personality of a company or nonprofit, communicated through various elements like the business name, logo, mission statement, and corporate culture. Creating a compelling corporate brand necessitates a clear and well-executed strategy to ensure alignment with target audiences. At Rockland Web Design, we’ve been branding and re-branding companies for 15 years, starting first with the fundamentals.

But before you consider rebranding, let’s discuss some elements you should consider before transforming your company brand for the future.

The Need for Rebranding

Rebranding may become necessary to update a company’s image or reflect a new business model. This can involve anything from a simple refresh of visual elements like color palettes to a complete overhaul of the corporate identity. Effective rebranding requires updated marketing materials, web content, and a strategic approach to social media, ensuring the brand remains relevant and competitive. It’s time and resource intensive.

Reasons to Rebrand

Companies might rebrand to modernize their image, connect with new audiences, or align with a new corporate mission. Other reasons include responding to industry changes, managing corporate transitions such as mergers, or rebuilding reputation post-crisis. Staying current and relevant in a rapidly changing market is crucial.

How to Execute a Rebrand

A successful rebrand should maintain operational continuity while aiming to expand the customer base and improve financial performance. It involves redefining the brand’s story, gaining leadership buy-in, and developing a comprehensive list of deliverables to effectively manage the transition.

Key Elements of a Rebrand

• Visual Identity: This includes creating a versatile logo and selecting a cohesive color palette and typography that enhance brand recognition.
• Marketing Collateral: Update all marketing and communication materials to reflect the new brand identity.
• Legal Considerations: Ensure that the new name, logo, and tagline are not infringing on existing trademarks.
• Internal and External Messaging: Update internal communications and train employees on the new brand values. Externally, communicate the reasons for the rebrand and any anticipated changes to customers.
• Marketing Budget: Allocate funds for creative development, media buying, events, and other promotional activities. Consider engaging a rebranding agency to streamline the process.
• Maintaining Brand Consistency: Develop detailed brand guidelines and style guides to maintain consistency across all communications. This ensures that the brand message is clear and consistent, whether through visual or textual content.
• Updating your technology: In this day and age, this is likely the most time-conuming element of your rebrand. Make sure that your phone systems, your emails, your document management systems, your CRMs, your invoicing systems, point of sale systems and other platforms are adjusted to reflect the new brand and messaging.

Less is More

Something often missed in many of these articles about branding and rebranding is the importance of simplicity. If you stuff too many elements into your rebrand, your message or your offerings, 85% gets lost in the minds of your target audience. Stick with the fundamentals. And if you have to throw out a lot of your products or services in your communications, in favor of your best sellers, do it. Because it’s better to have one best seller as your leader, which leads to loyal customers.

The iPhone is a perfect example of this. Buy an iPhone. Then sign up for iCloud for storage. Then, AirPods for calls, iTunes for music, Apple TV for entertainment, the list goes on and on. Lately, the messaging has become more convoluted at Apple, but the core offering is so strong that it can be depended upon for several more years, before they inevitably need to rebrand again.

Announcing Your Rebrand

Utilize every available channel for a synchronized launch of your new brand identity. This includes press releases, social media, email campaigns, and possibly launch events to ensure wide visibility.

Is Your Brand in Need of an Update?

Evaluate your current branding effectiveness with a brand audit and consider contacting professional branding experts for an insightful consultation.

For more insights into corporate branding or to initiate a rebranding project, visit us at Rockland Web Design. We’ve been building and rebuilding brands since 2007, and would love to help your company, organization or cause to do the same.

Sign up for a brief 30 minute consultation, and get a free copy of 30 Days to a Better Brand, by our company founder, Tom Ossa.