<div class="gn-article"><div class="gn-hero gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-hero__image"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11da60fdd6766f4b5ce8_651d3d3c5f7cac5a8d8e769a_63a1151f5b0fe692a13ccc40_brand%252520identity.png" alt=""></div> <div class="gn-hero__head"> <span class="gn-kicker"><span class="dot"></span>Growth</span> <h1 class="gn-title">Evolution or Revolution: Defining and Refining your Brand Identity</h1> <div class="gn-meta"> <strong>The GO Network</strong> <span class="pip"></span> <span>24 June 2022</span> <span class="pip"></span> <span>10 min read</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gn-body"> <p class="gn-lede gn-reveal">A brand identity is more than just the logo – <strong>but how strong is yours?</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal">In this week's free virtual workshop from GO!, our creative, branding and research experts shared their best practical advice, tangible strategies, and common mistakes to avoid to help you build a brand with impact.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong><em>Download: </em></strong><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/resources/the-go-networ-re-brand-workbook-a-guide-to-branding-and-brand-identity"><strong><em>The (Re)Brand Workbook</em></strong></a></p> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">01</span>Getting Started With your Brand Identity Project</h2> <h3 class="gn-reveal">When to review your brand identity: Triggers and timeframes</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">As with any marketing project, knowing when to start a project is half the battle. The need for a rebrand or a brand refresh might not always be clear.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">We asked our experts where, and how, you start when changing up your brand.</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Starting at the beginning with your brand identity project</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">For <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlturner001/"><strong>Sarah Turner</strong></a>, Managing Director of <a href="https://www.carterwongdesign.com/"><strong>Carter Wong</strong></a>, it's important <strong>not to change a brand for change's sake.</strong></p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"If a brand becomes toxic or has negativity attached to it, this would be a good indication that it needs reviewing. When you do, <strong>make sure you start at the beginning of your journey</strong>."<cite>Sarah Turner · Managing Director, Carter Wong</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">One of the biggest challenges Sarah has seen in businesses is their <strong>lack of insights and knowledge around customers and clients.</strong></p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>Look at the challenges and know your customers</strong>. Think about how often you want to review your brand and where you want it to end up; what will make it fit for the future? <strong>Your brand is more than just a logo, it's more holistic than that.</strong> It can be difficult to explain why this is important, but you need to step back and start from the beginning."<cite>Sarah Turner · Managing Director, Carter Wong</cite></blockquote> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Sarah Turner of Carter Wong discusses when and how to define and refine your brand identity" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11d960fdd6766f4b5c52_62b562367a4574125332bfbe_Carter%2520Wong_Article%2520Quote.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Sarah Turner, Managing Director of Carter Wong, on starting at the beginning of your brand identity journey.</figcaption> </figure> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Strategic changes that may impact your brand identity</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">There are many different triggers which might indicate a brand-change is needed.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Many of these revolve around major strategic changes, such as turning around a failing business, having a medium or long-term plan to sell, or sales/customer satisfaction decline."<cite>Sam Rowlands · Strategy Director, Delineo</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">Overall, the most common 'triggers' are:</p> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">What this means for you</div> <h4>Common triggers for a brand change</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Turning around a decline.</strong></li> <li><strong>Change of vision/ownership.</strong></li> <li><strong>Product and service innovation.</strong></li> <li><strong>Acquisition.</strong></li> </ul> </aside> <p class="gn-reveal"><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/events"><strong><em>View our upcoming, free-to-attend events</em></strong></a></p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Getting started: Questions to ask yourself</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">To help decide if a full rebrand project is right for you, there are a series of questions you can ask yourself. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonallman/"><strong>Simon Allman</strong></a>, Creative Director of <a href="https://absolute.agency/"><strong>Absolute</strong></a> takes us through them.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"The first stage is the investigative stage. <strong>Ask as many questions as you can</strong>, even the most stupid ones."<cite>Simon Allman · Creative Director, Absolute</cite></blockquote> <ol class="gn-reveal"> <li><strong>Is your brand clear with what it stands for, and does it have enough of an engaging personality?</strong></li> <li><strong>Is your brand clearly different from your competitors. A lot of businesses get by for many years and are successful, but then begin to find the market becoming crowded.</strong></li> <li><strong>Has the brand become convoluted and lost its clarity? There's nothing worse than handing over a brand toolkit for clients for them to begin to add to it and dilute it. You can avoid this by making sure you have a good internal brand manager in place.</strong></li> <li><strong>Does it look dated? If so, it might need a refresh. Experience tells us that rebranding can realign teams and help everyone focus.</strong></li> </ol> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">What this means for you</div> <h4>Key points for knowing where to begin with your brand identity efforts</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Don't change a brand for change's sake.</strong> Make sure there's a reason that's <strong>backed up by the data</strong>.</li> <li><strong>Look at the challenges</strong> and <strong>understand your customers</strong>.</li> <li><strong>Many reasons for a rebrand revolve around your wider business strategy.</strong></li> <li><strong>Ask as many questions as you can</strong> at the investigative stage.</li> </ul> </aside> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong><em>Read more from Delineo: '</em></strong><a href="https://www.delineo.com/culture/making-brand-archetypes-work-for-you/"><strong><em>Making Brand Archetypes work for you</em></strong></a><strong><em>'</em></strong></p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Measuring the success of your current strategy</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">To better know what your future brand strategy needs, it's important to be able to measure the success of your current one.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">For advice on how to do this, we turned to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolette-robinson-4911463/"><strong>Nicolette Robinson</strong></a>, Strategy Director of <a href="https://www.mimobrands.com/"><strong>Mimo Brands</strong></a>.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"To measure the success of your current strategy, there are plenty of tools to help you do this. When working in the B2B space, the focus can shift to competitor analysis. This can be done with any size of business and budget."<cite>Nicolette Robinson · Strategy Director, Mimo Brands</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">There are a few ways to look at this, including:</p> <ul class="gn-reveal"> <li><strong>Competitor analysis</strong> through tools, desk research, or specialist understanding</li> <li><strong>Brand monitoring tools</strong> and support</li> <li>Talking to current users, <strong>and non-users</strong>, of your brand</li> <li>Assessing whether your brand is able to command a <strong>price premium as a point of difference</strong></li> <li>Working out your value equation and <strong>unique equity</strong></li> <li><strong>Bespoke research</strong> through specialist support, key stakeholders, consumers, wider markets</li> </ul> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"You will more likely get good advice from people who have actively chosen <strong>not</strong> to use you. For B2B projects, it's also <strong>good to interview key stakeholders</strong>."<cite>Nicolette Robinson · Strategy Director, Mimo Brands</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Common blockers to understanding your own business</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">One of the final points of identifying where to start with your rebrand strategy is to understand the common blockers of knowing your own business.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">For <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/suebenson861/"><strong>Sue Benson</strong></a>, Managing Director of <a href="http://thebehavioursagency.com/"><strong>The Behaviours Agency</strong></a>, "one of the biggest blockers of understanding your own business centres around conflict.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">If you interview stakeholders vs customers, you will see that <strong>there is a complete disconnect between these two audiences</strong>.</p> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Sue Benson of The Behaviours Agency discusses when and how to define and refine your brand identity" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11d960fdd6766f4b5c5c_62b5627f5f88201c6925b2dc_The%2520Behaviours%2520Agency_Article%2520Quote.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Sue Benson, Managing Director of The Behaviours Agency, on the disconnect between stakeholders and customers.</figcaption> </figure> <p class="gn-reveal">Even internally, there will be a conflict between what CEO/Founders vs other people in the business. When you overlay this with consumer opinions, you will notices a big disconnect. Spend time unravelling this and understanding the real perception."</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong><em>Read More from The Behaviours Agency: '</em></strong><a href="https://thebehavioursagency.com/reports/brand-mental-availability/"><strong><em>Winners and Losers of Brand Mental Availability</em></strong></a><strong><em>'</em></strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal">So how do you do this? Look for data points, evidence that can be shared with the Senior Leadership Ream around the actual reality.</p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">02</span>Evolution vs. Revolution: The practicalities of a rebrand project</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">Now we have some understanding of where to get started, it's time to understand the practicalities of a rebrand.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">To do this, you need to be able to decide whether your brand needs a full overhaul or a few tweaks here and there to get it up-to-date.</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Rebrand or refresh? Knowing how far to go</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"I'd like to go back to Simon's point earlier around clarity. <strong>Is your brand concise enough?</strong> Knowing if you need to do a full rebrand could be as simple <strong>as finding evidence that your brand is no longer relevant to your audience.</strong> You need to respond to consumer and business needs, and this comes back to relevancy. Does it stand out, and does it say what you want it to say effectively?"<cite>Sam Rowlands · Strategy Director, Delineo</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">For Sue, two metrics can be used to decide between a rebrand or a refresh.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Two metrics can be used here, <strong>fame and distinctiveness</strong>. For the things you are famous for, such as the colour red for Coca Cola or Starbucks' mermaid, you don't want to do anything with them. <strong>Build on them and give them purpose.</strong> The other side is being <strong>distinctive</strong>. You need to be able to build strong, distinctive assets to stick in the consumer's mind."<cite>Sue Benson · Managing Director, The Behaviours Agency</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Heuristics: making a brand stick</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">In terms of what works for a rebrand project, Sue says it's important to create a brand that is top of the mind for customers.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>We're trying to create connections in the brain</strong>. These connections are built up of four key things: <strong>Brand assets</strong>, <strong>Category associations</strong>, <strong>Consistency of delivery</strong>, and <strong>Emotion</strong>. We start by looking at the heuristics; how a brand sounds and looks, the language it uses, the visual assets. <strong>This will help you understand if you need a rebrand or simply need to refine your existing brand.</strong> Often, marketeers come in and feel like they need to change things. Before going through a change, ask whether <strong>you will disrupt memory connections</strong> people have with your brand."<cite>Sue Benson · Managing Director, The Behaviours Agency</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">How often should you undergo a rebrand?</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">It can be tempting to continuously adapt your brand as your business grows, but this can put your brands standing at risk.</p> <aside class="gn-quote gn-reveal"><q>A good brand relaunch should last between 5-10 years minimum.</q><cite>Nicolette Robinson · Strategy Director, Mimo Brands</cite></aside> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Nicolette Robinson of Mimo Brands discusses when and how to define and refine your brand identity" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11d960fdd6766f4b5c56_62b56296d9a46741ea5ab03d_Mimo%2520Brands_Article%2520Quote.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Nicolette Robinson, Strategy Director of Mimo Brands, on the recommended timeframe between brand relaunches.</figcaption> </figure> <p class="gn-reveal">"I'm not a fan of little and often changes. Soft launches appear that you lack confidence to make a change that is solid and robust. You can risk losing the trust of your audience."</p> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">What this means for you</div> <h4>Key points for implementing your brand strategy</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Understand whether you need a rebrand or a refresh.</strong> Do this by asking if your brand is <strong>concise and relevant</strong>.</li> <li><strong>Create a brand that is top of the mind</strong> for customers.</li> <li><strong>A good brand relaunch should last between 5-10 years.</strong></li> </ul> </aside> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong><em>Download: </em></strong><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/guide-for-agencies"><strong><em>Guide for Agencies</em></strong></a></p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">03</span>Investing in your brand strategy</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">When budgets are limited and need to be used wisely, we asked our panel of experts some of the most important areas of a brand strategy that you should invest in, starting with Nicolette.</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Invest in insights that build your brand's foundation</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Invest in research and insights. <strong>Find out what makes you totally unique</strong> that can in turn make you stand out from the crowd. This is often overlooked when looking at where to invest. People can get frightened about research because of budget, but there are quick and easy ways of doing it."<cite>Nicolette Robinson · Strategy Director, Mimo Brands</cite></blockquote> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>What people say and do are two different things.</strong> People have a perception of how people behave, and it's often not true, so do your research!"<cite>Sue Benson · Managing Director, The Behaviours Agency</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Invest in people who understand your brand</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">For Sam, it's important to invest in people.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>Get a good brand strategist.</strong> It's no good just handing over a brand book and expecting them to run with it. We don't want to find that it's dismissed by operations, make sure those dealing with it are living and breathing it and keep it implemented."<cite>Sam Rowlands · Strategy Director, Delineo</cite></blockquote> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Sam Rowlands of Delineo discusses when and how to define and refine your brand identity" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11d960fdd6766f4b5c65_62b562af7a4574339f32bfc6_Delineo_Article%2520Quote.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Sam Rowlands, Strategy Director of Delineo, on investing in people who live and breathe your brand.</figcaption> </figure> <p class="gn-reveal">This point is backed up by Simon, who says, "<strong>investing in people is key.</strong> When you're building your marketing team, have good people in place.</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Invest in your brand narrative</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">He goes on to also stress the important of good copy and a good narrative to help the success of a brand strategy.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>Narrative is key to success.</strong> Where you are marketing across different channels, you need a robust and engaging narrative strategy across all of them."<cite>Simon Allman · Creative Director, Absolute</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">Narrative is also a key point for Sarah.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Make sure everything is joined up, and that your tone of voice and narrative are all trying to tell a good story for your business. Having a strong tone of voice is important. <strong>You need to join up across the business and ensure everyone is telling the same story.</strong>"<cite>Sarah Turner · Managing Director, Carter Wong</cite></blockquote> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">What this means for you</div> <h4>Key areas to invest in your brand identity efforts for better outcomes</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Insights development</strong> and consumer research (it doesn't have to be a heavy lift!).</li> <li>Going out to your <strong>non-users</strong> as well as your existing users.</li> <li>Investing in people <strong>who understand and exemplify your brand in your team</strong>, particularly around content.</li> <li><strong>Copy and narratives</strong> that can translate across your business.</li> <li>Support on <strong>managing a smooth process</strong> throughout.</li> <li><strong>Tone of voice development</strong> to implement in your project.</li> <li><strong>Objective brand strategy expertise</strong> from people who aren't facing inwards.</li> </ul> </aside> <h3 class="gn-reveal">How to avoid getting stuck with stakeholders</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">Of course, to get investment for any project, you will need the support of internal stakeholders. This can often be a sticking point and one of many reasons that a project never gets off the ground.</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Take them out of their comfort zone</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">One way of getting them onboard, says Sue, is to take them out of their comfort zone.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>You need absolute engagement with stakeholders along the journey.</strong> We like to take people out of their world and into the real world on a 'retail safari', looking at how customers engage with different brands and seeing it through their eyes."<cite>Sue Benson · Managing Director, The Behaviours Agency</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Involve stakeholders in your brand identity efforts from the start</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">For Simon, it's important that you involve stakeholders immediately. "Going into a brand project, things get stuck because stakeholders aren't aligned to the vision of the brand.</p> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Simon Allman of Absolute discusses when and how to define and refine your brand identity" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11d960fdd6766f4b5c68_62b563ddb55d78705afc1cfb_Absolute_Article%2520Quote.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Simon Allman, Creative Director of Absolute, on the importance of involving stakeholders from the start of a brand project.</figcaption> </figure> <p class="gn-reveal">One of the core problems that I've seen is that certain people haven't been consulted from early on.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">It's important, when engaging with an agency, to work collaboratively. Interview as many people in the business to understand these challenges. <strong>Interview the naysayers, get back on side and change their opinion.</strong>"</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong><em>Sign Up: </em></strong><a href="http://www.thegonetwork.com/content-pages/join-the-go-community"><strong><em>The GO Network Newsletter</em></strong></a></p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">04</span>Final advice: Trust your external partners</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">And finally, Sue wanted to leave us a piece of advice that is crucial to any successful brand-agency partnership, <strong>trust</strong>.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>On the client side, you need to understand and trust your agency to do the right thing for you.</strong> You employ an agency because of their experience. If you engage an agency, understand that part of this is allowing them to do that job and give you the right answers. The goal is to make your business better. If an agency is undertaking research, trust what you're told the results are. They are the best results, underpinned by research and discussion. It's important to have the trust of the client."<cite>Sue Benson · Managing Director, The Behaviours Agency</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>The GO Network is a free-to-use marketing intermediary, connecting in-house marketers with vetted agencies that fit their specific needs. If you're looking to review or take on support, </strong><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/get-in-touch"><strong>let us know here.</strong></a></p> </div></div> <aside class="gn-related gn-reveal" data-auto="related-reading"> <div class="gn-related__label">Related reading</div> <ul class="gn-related__list"> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/standing-out-from-the-market-with-visual-branding" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Standing Out from the Market with Visual Branding</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Assess your identity&#39;s impact, build consistency across digital and offline, and avoid common mistakes when running a visual brand update pr</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/101-ways-to-get-more-from-your-ppc-strategy-in-2024" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">101 Ways to Get More from your PPC Strategy in 2024</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Avoid common PPC mistakes and unlock campaign insights that power SEO, brand awareness, and customer intelligence across your full agency of</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/round-up-5-common-mistakes-to-building-your-brands-online-reputation---and-how-to-tackle-them" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Round-up: 5 Common Mistakes to Building your Brand’s Online Reputation - and How to Tackle them</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Agency experts pinpoint the costliest Digital PR pitfalls, from wrong influencer picks to internal resource gaps, and share how to fix each </span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/differentiation-in-category-building-brand-recognition-in-2024" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Differentiation in Category - Building Brand Recognition in 2024</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Six agency experts cover defining USPs, standing out in category, and measuring the long-term ROI of brand recognition strategies.</span> </a> </li> </ul> </aside>