Smart Steps
Women business leaders and entrepreneurs from various industries share their tips and advice in a "quick read format" on a variety topics.
Topic: Time to Refresh Your Brand
April 2023
Charlene Moore
CEO & Co-Founder of Kind Marketing Photo Courtesy: Kind Marketing, Inc. |
Charlene Moore is a transformational leader and market maker, with a track record of building meaningful brands that garner lasting recognition across the BtoB and BtoC markets. As the CEO and co-founder of Kind Marketing, Inc., Charlene leads business growth, and on the client-side, heads brand and market strategy, investor and analyst relations, in addition to serving as acting public relations officer. Staying true to her and her business partner’s passion, the industries of primary focus are climate tech, AgTech, Regenerative Ag, natural products, biochar, and new industries working on climate solutions.
Her superpower is knowing: how to authentically differentiate; how to build genuine trust in the marketplace; and when it's the right time to implement a brand shift or launch a new brand. Because Charlene measures success and positive impact together, both her clients and their investors have gained great insight and market success through her agency. Prior to starting Kind Marketing in 2017, Charlene headed another successful marketing agency for over 12 years where she and her team successfully created and launched over 30 new product and corporate brands. Charlene’s mission is to help grow socially responsible companies, so they can truly be a force for change, and to have a great time getting there! |
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"The foundation of a well-developed brand entails strategy and establishing its unique position in the marketplace. Part of this work also includes establishing a purposeful vision, mission and values that are imbued within the company and felt by the employees, customers, investors and partners." ~ Charlene Moore |
Many business leaders get stuck when it comes to their brand, and it’s not always clear when it may be at risk of becoming stale or irrelevant. Knowing when to act on a brand refresh can literally rocket a company far beyond its competition if done properly.
The foundation of a well-developed brand entails strategy and establishing its unique position in the marketplace. Part of this work also includes establishing a purposeful vision, mission and values that are imbued within the company and felt by the employees, customers, investors and partners. Of course, the brand visuals and how it’s communicated and experienced in the marketplace is crucial for connection as well. But, without a good foundation, a weak brand will likely create market confusion, as clarity and continuity will be a challenge to maintain.
I always recommend reviewing the brand annually to ensure it’s on track and true to purpose. If a brand has been around for a very long time, it’s not uncommon that it either loses its strong differentiator, or it just looks and sounds out of touch.
To stay relevant, or keep a leading brand position, it’s important to: keep tabs on industry trends; invest in market research (or do it yourself); understand your competition; and periodically partake in market surveys of your brand and how it’s perceived in the marketplace. All of this gives one clues and real insight as to when it’s time to look at a brand refresh or a full rebrand.
There are a few areas to look at to better asses when a refresh can be done without reinventing the entire brand.
It’s time for a refresh when:
- The brand looks dated.
- The brand is beginning to lose connection with the target audience.
- I like to give credit to intuition. Many industry experts who own or run companies can see when there is a shift coming in the industry and when it may be the right time to make a shift to gain market advantage or simply to further differentiate.
- The brand looks dated and is losing customer awareness/interest.
- The brand is not growing, or it’s losing market share.
- The brand has become irrelevant in the marketplace.
- The brand is failing to connect to the target audience.
If you have established that it is time for a brand refresh or a full rebrand, here are some general Do’s and Don’ts:
Do’s:
- Revisit your brand strategy, vision, and mission to assess if you are on track.
- Ensure you have all key stakeholders on board with the decision and are up to speed on all updates so there is no misalignment with expectations.
- If you are updating your logo, make sure to share the rationale of the new logo with the stakeholders, and how it fits with the brand refresh. This will serve to guide the final selection.
Don’ts:
- Avoid flash in the pan trends for a company brand – hot today, gone tomorrow. Some products may get by with it, but company brands should last long enough to build brand equity.
- Don’t revise your brand because you are bored with it.
- Don’t change your brand often as it will cause market confusion.
There are a lot of nuances to successfully refreshing and then updating internally with your teams and within the marketplace. If you have questions regarding your brand, feel free to reach out to us at: [email protected]
We wish you and your brand(s) bountiful success!
