In modern societies, life is surely on the fast track as we juggle between family and work, and most of the time we end up in a vicious routine which, in the long run it may also result in boredom. We find that the resolution for this is to take a break from it all, to refresh, recharge and restart with new vigour. This also applies to businesses.
In fact, there is one thing which is certain to happen at one point or another, and that is change. Disrupt the usual patterns, create a fresh alternative, sculpt another facet to look at in a new way.
Change is needed at some point in time, even within organisations, as it brings with it a much-needed boost, especially when things seem to have hit a hard wall, sales seem to have reached a saturation point, or the initial hype has subsided. When a company feels that they aren`t penetrating the market as they used to, well, they seek change in the form of rebranding and/or restyling, to display something new to their audience.
Restyling vs Rebranding – Explained
The above-mentioned are often confused or interchanged with each other, but in reality, they are two totally different approaches.
- Rebranding – is when a company feels the need to totally change their position, route, path, mission statement, and message to their audience, thus completely changing the content
- Restyling – is when a company decides to change their logo, colours, maybe even the name, thus only the outside label has been altered
Therefore, rebranding the company changes the image and ideological part of the brand, while restyling it only refreshes the visual component of the brand.
However, although as aforesaid we mentioned that these are two different and separate approaches, still, restyling can also be part of rebranding. Let us delve deeper into each one.
Rebranding
So, when is it necessary to rebrand? Companies start to see signs from their statistics that they have hit a plateau as figures remain put across the board. These concerns are then pointed out and discussed during internal meetings with sales and marketing teams obviously involved.
New approaches will be recommended, among which the possibility to rebrand and seek new pastures, target a new audience, or even remain within the same niche but present their product/service in a fresh way to attract attention and curiosity. The ultimate goal of rebranding is to extend the company`s and brand`s life span.
In 2021, Beeline changed its mission statement from “Live on the Bright Side” to “On Your Side”. At the time, the old slogan was relevant, but they felt that nowadays the race for endless coolness seems to drive people into depression. Therefore, Beeline reasoned that they need to be with their clients, not push them to meet certain requirements, but instead encourage them to be who they are.
This can be taken as a good example for any business out there that they should be interested in what their clients want and that they are willing to solve their problems or meet their demands, and not make them a better version of themselves.
Another good example is Alpen Gold, as following an analysis of their audience, they changed their product`s recipe. They added more grated cocoa and altered its positioning, stating that their chocolate is for those who want to live brightly every day and feel the real taste of life.
Danone yoghurts, over time, started to get lost on the shelves among competitors` alternatives, so they decided to rebrand and changed from a quick, nutritious, and convenient snack, to emotionality releasing their new statement “helps distract from affairs and gives oneself a moment of joy and pleasure”.
Even fast food chains like the renowned McDonald`s had to rebrand at some point. They were seen (and most probably still are) as unhealthy and associated with obesity. When lifestyle trends started to change with emphasis on training and proper nutrition gained ground, McD`s thought to get in line with the trend and rebrand its products. They started to include nutritional information like macronutrient composition of their meals, publicising products with a maximum of 400 calories, while adding more salads, fruits, and yoghurts to their menu.
It is important to note that rebranding is a long and complex process, so do not undertake it if it is not necessary, and always seek expert help, as the risks are high. Moreover, while a company can see substantial improvements, the other side of the coin is that if it fails, it could lose recognition, credibility, and audience.
Restyling
New brand values can be conveyed via graphics, as long as the values do not change. This approach is more utilised when the company feels that their style is now outdated, thus they seek to change their colours, their theme, their logo, tweaking enough to portray a more modern facade, like a facelift.
A clear example of this is BMW`s logo, where they reduced details to display a modern version in line with times, targeting the young generation among their audience who will notice that the renowned brand is always developing and keeping in line with trends.
High competition in the same sector pushes companies to change their style, for example, Picnic chocolate saw an increase of 77% in sales after changing its wrapping.
We can go on with examples like we did for rebranding above; however, we believe that at this point, you have grasped the differences and the consequences when a company decides that the time is ripe to restyle or rebrand.
However, it is pertinent to again emphasise that careful studies must be carried out before restyling, as some stories do not end with a happy ending.
A case in point is Seattle`s Best Coffee, which is a subsidiary of Starbucks, and the one holding a different logo, which confuses its audience. While Starbucks have a renowned logo with a mermaid surrounded by stars, SBC feature a logo which is seen as a pierced tongue, bloody coffee, or a smiley face with a tongue sticking out. Thus, it is associated with everything except good coffee.
Therefore, we stress the importance that when a company decides to restyle, it has to do so very carefully and weigh every possibility or side effect the change brings with it.
Wrapping Up
Let us conclude by explaining the rebranding and restyling differences in one last simple way.
Imagine a drink on the market, if you need to change the drink itself, it is rebranding, while if only the wrapper or the bottle will be changed, it is restyling.
Any changes within organisations are taken very seriously, and around meeting tables, ultimately, the management will weigh, assess and decide which approach is best suited to leverage their presence in the market. This will set new goals to reach a new audience while keeping their loyal ones on their books.
