Thinking of a rebrand?

10 things to think about before you do

Brand

Your brand is your company’s most vital asset, it needs to resonate with your client, represent your values, build reputation, and maintain visibility.

Taking the time to build a strong brand is a key part of any marketing strategy, and will help retain and attract new clients and employees, so it’s important to get it right.

Rebrand

A rebrand is a marketing strategy which involves the process of changing the image of an organisation by giving the company a new name, symbol or change in design.

There are many reasons why a company may decide to rebrand, such as:

• Repositioning within the marketplace
• Merger
• Major shift in target clients
• Change to overall business strategy
• The brand no longer reflects your values
• A legal reason

Earlier this week, London set, Hardwicke Chambers announced that it will become Gatehouse Chambers from the 19th July 2021. The change of name is in response to the Black Lives Matters protests in 2020, and the investigations into historical legal figures, including Lord Hardwicke, who was found to be one of two authors of the Yorke-Talbot opinion in 1729, which was relied on by slave owners as providing legal justification for slavery.

Amanda Illing, Chief Executive of Gatehouse Chambers, said, “We are proud to announce our new name and look as we start an exciting new era for our chambers.”

The change in name will also coincide with a change of premises to 1 Lady Hale Gate, Gray’s Inn.

10 things to consider

If a rebrand is something you are seriously considering, there are a few things that need to be considered before reintroducing your company.

1. Why?

Changing your company name or even just your company logo is a major undertaking, so before you go diving in, think carefully about why you are doing this and if it will have a positive impact on your business.

If you just fancy a refresh, consider modernising your current brand. Even subtle changes to your colour palette and introducing new marketing messages can reposition your existing brand whilst maintaining your identity.

2. Who are you?

Once you have decided that a rebrand is the way to go, take some time to really understand your business, values, and future goals. Conduct research both internally and externally, gathering information from staff, existing clients, and target audiences on how they view your organisation.

3. Name check

Before you commit to your new name, check that it is not already registered on Companies House or registered as a trademark or that there is no legal or contentious reason to not use the name.

4. Website

Your website is a powerful tool, it is the first-place people turn to when they are assessing your company, so make sure it is inline with your new name and reflects your values and business ambitions.

Register your new company name with a suitable domain name and redirect your old website to your new one, ensuring the content and marketing messages reflect your new brand.

5. Social Media

Update all your social media profiles e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and Google My Business, including links to your new website. Facebook will require you to submit a name change request, and LinkedIn will need you to contact them with a publicly shared press release indicating both the name change and the reason for doing so.

If the rebrand is due to a merger, the rules are slightly different. Merge requests can be made for two business pages on Facebook and Google My Business, however, be aware that this will involve one business page being ‘dissolved’, including all content and reviews so make sure you extract anything that you may need at a later date before it is deleted.

LinkedIn cannot merge business pages or delete acquired companies as it would delete employee’s work experience. Instead, you can request a notification be added to the top of the acquired page that shows a visible association and link without negatively impacting members profiles.

As with LinkedIn, Twitter does not allow you to merge two accounts. Instead, choose the strongest of the two to be rebranded and pin a notification tweet to the acquired companies account directing followers to the new account for your latest updates.

6. Logo

A new name will need a new company logo to match. Your company logo is an important part of your business, it makes you immediately identifiable and sets you apart from competitors.

At Scala, we have a sharp eye for detail with a pragmatic, commercial approach. Working collaboratively with your business, we will design the right logo for you.

7. Marketing Collateral

Refresh all your marketing literature, including letter heads, business cards, pens, brochures, and pop-up banners. These are important assets when communicating your brand and key messages. Throw out your previous marketing collateral to prevent it being used, or file it in the scrap paper drawer!

8. It’s a sign!

Change the internal and external signage at all your premises. If you lease your property, check your lease before you make any changes. Common clauses in commercial leases include the requirement that signs must be approved in advance by the landlord. If this is the case, contact them advising them of the intended signage, with information including the dimensions, wording, colour, and lighting.

9. Email

Switch email addresses for everyone in the company from the old name to the new one, updating information on the website and in email signatures. Also set up forwarding to your new email account to ensure you never miss an email from a previous client.

10. Launch strategy

Once you have developed the new name, logo and have your new site ready to go, its time to implement your launch strategy.

Give yourself enough time to announce the relaunch in a timely manner, giving clients and existing employees time to familiarise themselves with your new name and logo.

Release a press release, introducing your new brand to relevant publications and share the news on your website and across your social media platforms.

You could even hold an event to celebrate the rebrand with staff and clients (COVID Restrictions allowing of course!)

Previous Projects

We provided marketing consultancy services to Morgan Jones Pett Solicitors in Norwich, which included a thorough review of their current marketing activities, brand management and business ambitions.

Scala reviewed how their previous name, ‘MJP Solicitors’ was working and discovered that there were a couple of other MJP solicitors in the UK. The firm also used ‘MJP’ and ‘Morgan Jones Pett’ interchangeably in their internal and external communications. We recommended they introduced a full firm name with a fresh, modern logo. We created a new logo that supported strong brand identity and conveyed their expertise.

Following the successful rebrand, Morgan Jones Pett were acquired by Hatch Brenner Solicitors, a long established and independent law firm in Norwich.

Scala worked closely with the marketing manager at Hatch Brenner to ensure a smooth merger of the firms, this included PR support, social media management and content marketing.

 

We work closely with our clients to get to know their business ambitions and develop a brand that captures the essence of their business whilst remaining consistent and relevant.

Contact us today for more information: office@scala.uk.com, 0114 4070159.

 

Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash