Rebranding is Change for the Better

I know a lot of people who say they hate change. In fact, I know one guy who says he hates change so much he doesn’t even carry it in his pocket. But I’m going to go out on a limb and say I think most people don’t really hate change.

What we hate is being changed.

People don’t like being forced to do anything. Whether it’s more work or a switch to a different office across town or even a move to a different state, we don’t like being told what to do. If we did, we’d all have joined the military. We don’t want to feel forced. We savor independence. We live for having a choice. From a restaurant menu. From a rack of new clothes. From a showroom of shiny cars. Even from a box of cream-filled chocolates. We like making up our own mind.

What’s this got to do with rebranding? Plenty.

When someone somewhere changes a favorite brand, one of the first thoughts most people have is, “Awwwww, why? I liked it that way. What was wrong with it? Why did they have to change anything?” Just take a look back at the Tropicana redesign failure. From the labeling to the imagery, people everywhere hated it. They vocally squeezed the company until it did a complete reversal.

So here’s my point. Change is inevitable. Everything changes. Even a rock gets broken down into smaller rocks. What is missing when most companies change their brands and simply throw it out to the public is proper, effective communication. They launch what may be a fantastic new brand but because they do it suddenly and independently of thoughtful, clever communication, they don’t create excitement. They create instant disconnect from the people they most want to please.

An open, constant line of communication with the people you serve must be an element of any brand platform and especially a rebrand. You can’t tell your audience what you stand for. You have to show them. Build on that overlap between what you stand for and what your customers stand for. That’s your common ground.

And when you change your brand or your product line or your service area, tell people why. Don’t make us wonder. Making people wonder is great for magicians but terrible for preserving consumer loyalty. See the value of that common ground and dig into it.

Everything changes. Every person changes. Every company should change to keep up with the changing world around it. So why make something that’s inevitable unpleasant as well?

Do a great job of communicating the idea behind your change and we might just line up to see what the excitement is all about.