To gain some actionable advice and takeaways for companies that are looking into rebranding, Digital Journal spoke with Rohan Thambrahalli, President of UpstartWorks, B2B consultant. Thambrahalli has himself led a successful rebranding strategy for his own company.
Digital Journal: How important is the brand for a business?
Rohan Thambrahalli: Simply put, the brand of a business is synonymous with its definition and reputation. It’s impossible to be anything without first knowing who and what you are.
DJ: Why do some businesses seek to re-brand?
Thambrahalli: Rebranding can happen for various reasons. Some of the most common drivers include the change in the value proposition or the desire to expand and have a more robust brand. Many businesses rebrand in order to survive and adapt to an ever-changing landscape. It’s important in the early stages of development to think about the characteristics and principles of your brand that will possess longevity and adaptiveness.
DJ: What are the complexities involved with this?
Thambrahalli:The decision to rebrand is exciting, but it shouldn’t be taken lightly; after all, it touches every aspect of your business. Some of the complexities of rebranding include seeking internal and external alignment, financial investments in marketing and communications, and channeling appropriate visibility to build up brand equity.
Subject to the nature of your business, it’s important to involve your customers in the process too. For example, a B2B business is far more likely to succeed in their rebranding efforts if they involve enterprise customers for feedback.
DJ: Why does rebranding sometimes go wrong?
Thambrahalli:Rebranding can go wrong when the aforementioned complexities aren’t carefully executed with the appropriate strategy and speed. At times, rebranding also causes a disconnect between the brand and the customer – something that has happened even to giants.
In the case of Slack, the company’s original logo was a colorful hashtag sign, reflecting the symbol users saw when creating a channel. The trouble was that it had eleven different colors and looked terrible on all backgrounds other than white. After years, Slack has opted for a change, but faced some early backlash from the community.
The new logo switched to an aubergine background, making it difficult for many users to find, both on desktop and mobile. Soon afterward, Slack decided to change the background white but faced criticism for looking too similar to apps like Google Photos. Criticism escalated when many users picked up on negative connotations based on the design, showing the importance of symbolism. Lesson learned: Think practically, and take your audience into account.
DJ: What are some tips for getting re-branding right?
Thambrahalli:Always think about the core values of your business. Rebranding isn’t a decision to be based on a whim or a current trend – because once the hype is gone, you risk becoming irrelevant. So engage characteristics and principles that will be long-standing in the future, and let your company’s uniqueness stand out and be a strength in building brand equity.
Also, execute thoughtfully but swiftly. Set a clear timeline and try to stick to it as much as possible. Rebranding is a complex process, and this critical step will help you navigate the transition.
Finally, make sure you have a clear alignment between internal and external stakeholders. You should invest in a solid communication strategy that provides clear guidance along the way.
DJ: How successful has your own re-branding exercise been? How have you measured that success?
Thambrahalli:At UpstartWorks, we have been adamant and committed to successfully rebranding ourselves, and with every project, we know that there’s a process that we have to trust. We have dedicated the time to hear everyone’s thoughts and rebuild a brand that is honest and in harmony with our company’s core values.
We are still in the process of making the full transformation, but up until this point, we’re pleased with our results based on the following KIPs: engagement, brand identity/differentiation, consumer reach, aesthetic, and brand recognition. Of course, there’s much more in store, and we look forward to making our brand the very best it can be.
