Business Reporter recently published an article entitled ‘Your business is always evolving. Your brand must too’, in which Lauren Hartstone explores the importance of keeping your brand up-to-date.
The business world doesn’t stand still, and neither should brands.
Whether a company has added new services or products, moved into new markets, or established new strategic objectives, brand identities must evolve simply to maintain an accurate reflection of ever-changing business models. Additionally, technology changes rapidly. What worked for your branding yesterday (i.e., platform choice, scalability), might not have the same impact today.
And lastly, we can’t ignore the steady ebb and flow of culture, trends, and social movements. The world around us changes constantly and it’s crucial that brands reflect that.
Some good points are raised here, reflecting the many reasons that your company may choose to rebrand. At Novagram, we help our clients with all kinds of branding projects: from full rebrands to subtle identity evolutions. Each project we work on is bespoke, and totally tailored to each client’s needs.
Stay relevant
The biggest risk of keeping a brand static is appearing out of touch with your audience.
It is difficult to maintain trust and confidence in a product if the brand does not appear responsive to the cultural and social context of today in terms of its language, tone, and motion. Particularly if there is a desire to grow your audience to a younger demographic.
Building trust and staying relevant can both be achieved when your audience is able to form a human connection with your brand. It’s important to show that what matters to your audience also matters to you.
Research repeatedly shows that millennials and Gen Z actively choose brands who reflect their values. What people think and feel about your company is increasingly the deciding factor between them choosing your business, product or service or those of a competitor.
With this in mind, it could be a good idea to reiterate your company values at every appropriate opportunity: especially if your target audiences include millennials and Gen Z.
How to evolve your brand
The renaissance of Barbie is the epitome of a successful transformative brand shift. The world has changed radically during the brand’s 64-year trajectory and if Mattel didn’t change the narrative, Barbie was at risk of dying. To combat this, Mattel stopped thinking about Barbie as a product and started thinking about it as IP. Not only did Mattel flip the story to reflect how society has changed, it recognised the power of creating that story at every single brand touchpoint.
Evolving your brand might be necessary to accompany a number of changes, such as expanding your offer, or striving to reach new audiences. Barbie is a great case study for this: we talked more about Barbie in a recent blog post.
That said, it is absolutely important to evolve strategically and authentically. Businesses with a clearly defined purpose and a set of clearly defined brand guidelines will find it much easier to stay true to their brand essence and resonate with consumers.
Evolution doesn’t mean forgetting your brand’s roots. It will take a trusted branding partner to help balance the old and new – something that Novagram is able to help with.
Commit to clarity
As consumer behaviour changes and the number of engagement platforms increases, make sure your brand is up to date with new platforms and technology. When customer experience feels disconnected and confusing, people are more likely to drop off — a clear, consistent brand prevents this.
As a brand evolves, old touchpoints will need to be revisited, and new ones will be created. Consistency can only be achieved through careful management of every brand touchpoint: something that requires an expert touch. This cohesion will make it easier for your audiences to connect with your brand.
Connect with your audience
Make sure you are resonating with your audience and matching the climate of today. Brands are so much more than products or services, they need to stand for something in order to generate brand loyalty and trust.
If you aren’t breaking through on an emotional, personal level, your messaging will not have the impact you want.
The most authentic way to approach this is to continually refer back to your brand’s core message and values. This will help you to attract an engaged audience, building valuable connections that will last.
Show your company’s personality
A successful brand evolution depends on finding and executing the right balance of change. One interesting way for established brands to evolve is through motion; injecting life through animation and film.
One application for this approach is your company’s website. If you are updating your website as part of a wider rebrand, adding animation and film could be a way to increase engagement and show some personality – helping to build those all-important connections.
Evolve with Novagram
If you’re ready to take your brand or website to the next level, get in touch. Novagram has been the trusted branding partner of countless organisations, and we’d love to partner with you too.
Let’s keep in touch
Join our mailing list for insight that can boost your business. Unsubscribe anytime.