Welcome back to the blog, everyone, and Happy Friday! Today, we’ll be chatting about a super important concept relating to brand sustainability and growth: rebranding. What is a rebrand? Are you in need of one… and how do you know when? Find out everything you need to know about rebranding and our experience at Esquire below.

Rebranding…How and Why!

• Mission and Vision: Almost all companies undergo fluid re-evaluations of their mission and vision as they grow and evolve. Especially for entrepreneurs and employees working at start-ups, it’s almost a guarantee that your initial direction will veer into new courses time and time again as you work out the flow of your business. If your company has evolved away from its initial identity, functionality, purpose, and especially in what it provides to consumers, right now is a key moment to assess the need for a rebrand. Think about it like this, you’re not changing the intent of your brand, but instead re-aligning in a way that makes sense to its current identity.
  • Extra Tip: Another ‘alarm bell’ that should sound the idea of a rebrand occurs if your intended consumer demographic changes! Are your products geared toward a different age group than originally focused on? New geographical area? Are there seasonality elements to consider? Think about the way your products are perceived and the look/feel of your overall brand, as well as the way your consumer demographic perceives and engages with brands.
• Audience Appeal: Let’s bring it back to our own brand at Esquire! As you each have evolved through your career and as candidates, so has Esquire; in order to stay connected in an authentic way with our audience, it’s necessary that our growth is continuously reflected in our logo and brand design. When we experienced a color and logo update in 2020, it resulted in our audience being better connected to our brand “vibe,” appearance, and message. We also hoped that in doing so, we would continue to differentiate from competitors; brand differentiation is especially crucial to success as we live in the ‘digital age’ and during a time where saturation of companies and accessibility is more prevalent than ever! When consumers are afforded the luxury of assessing brands and choosing where to invest their money and engagement, you must cater to their preferences, expectations, and needs.
• Design: After the hypothetical re-brand is complete and the vision is clear, it’s time to assess the need to redesign your logo! This may require a partnership with a creative firm, which will introduce your team to a variety of color and font choices, as well as applications of each as they appear on websites, business cards, or other components of our brand. Designing the logo is so much fun! Make sure to make this a team-wide effort, and engage as many employees as you can so that they can feel a part of the process and end result! Remember, a variety of perspectives is key to success and to reach a variety of consumers as well, so take all employee opinions and identities into account when determining your redesign!
• Launch! Rebranding is undoubtedly a TON of work, so make sure to create a meaningful and exciting announcement to unveil your new look and feel. Does your company have a presence on social media? If so, blast it across all platforms! Doing so will not only create momentum and excitement, but will ensure that your consumers and customers view the change and are aware that your brand remains the same, but elevated!