Master Rebranding Uncertainty
Rebranding an organization can be an emotional roller coaster. Throughout the year as a rebranding agency, we collaborate with companies striving to enhance their strategic plans and growth through thoughtful and inspiring rebranding. Amidst this journey, leaders commonly undergo a dynamic range of emotions about the process and its outcomes. It's crucial for them to remain steadfast in their commitment to the ultimate goal. Let's delve into what to expect when embarking on the rebranding process and understand how you can master rebranding uncertainty.
Forward-thinking business leaders who recognize their current brand is outdated or unsupportive of their organization's success have likely felt powerless and vulnerable when considering how to evolve their brand's image. Executives with ambitious plans to steer their organization in new directions often encounter frustration in their endeavor to align their intelligent business decisions. For many organizations, we leverage a rebranding business case to address the need for investment and to foster alignment around the cause.
Once the decision to move forward is made, there's a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty regarding the rebranding process – its intricacies, costs, challenges, and duration.
As the strategic and creative process yields a fresh brand name and positioning, a profound sense of relief and excitement emerges. Leaders recognize the tremendous potential of the rebrand to amplify the company's success. However, significant change entails risks. Apprehension is swiftly dispelled as thorough research validates the new brand's credibility and future acceptance. This transitions into eagerness to expedite the process.
Upon committing to the transition, a multitude of activities transpire behind the scenes to support the rebranding: logo and graphic development, new mission and vision statements, customer experience enhancements, website renewal, collateral production, and packaging updates. While leaders are eager to witness progress, impatience arises due to the time-consuming nature of these changes. Particularly, if the rebranding is tied to entering new markets, the internal operational adjustments can take unexpectedly long (sometimes 12-18 months), leading to restlessness. This is where effective project and change management come into play, keeping the team focused and facilitating stakeholder buy-in.
Leading up to the rebrand launch, a sense of exhilaration and delight builds up, culminating in the revelation of the new brand. Leaders experience a surge of pride as they receive praise and feedback on their decision and the exciting promises of the new brand. The aspirational and forward-facing nature of the new brand positioning infuses internal stakeholders with renewed energy and enthusiasm for the future.
With time, confusion may arise as people cling to the old brand name or address the company by its former name (we advise leaders that this transition can take up to a year to take root). Consistently reinforcing the rebranding message to stakeholders is necessary for complete adoption.
While this emotion-filled journey can be draining at times, the results have been remarkable in invigorating leaders and uniting all stakeholders around a more pertinent corporate and customer promise. Our advice? Stay resilient and exhibit emotional strength. The final outcome will exceed your expectations.
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