Thinking of rebranding? Here are three points to considerJune 15, 2022

A well-executed rebrand can bring great benefits to organizations. When executed properly, it can have a real impact on a brand and the new opportunities that arise from it more than justify the investment. This process, which includes repositioning the brand in the market, updating the messaging, visual identity, and brand touch points, does tend to require a heavy investment, specially for the larger organizations. The final result manifests as a signal to the audience signifying a change in the company or an effort to be perceived differently. It is a record of a transformation that has happened or is already under way. As we continue to see this happening with various leagues, clubs, and non-profits in the sports industry, it is important to keep a few points in mind:

Why rebrands are needed?

The need for rebranding usually arises when there is a disconnect between who the organization actually is and how they are being perceived by their audience. When your brand is not reflecting who you really are, you have a problem. In fact, the greater the dissonance in the identity crisis, the more friction it will create against generating meaningful impact. This disharmony of perception can happen because of various reasons. It could be due to an initial flaw in the brand strategy, or a poorly executed creative strategy, or a misalignment in both. For many clients in the sports industry, the perceived solutions tend to come in different ways, such as a new design of a website, or an update of their logo to make them look sharper, or a move towards using more modern tools. While all these are helpful, they address the symptoms of the problem, not the root cause of it.

Change is inevitable

Like the world around them, organizations also evolve with time. Think of yourself for example. Although in essence you are still the same person you were when you were a child, a lot has changed since then. Now you behave differently, you sound differently, and you give importance to different things. Imagine how weird it would be if at thirty your voice sounded the same as when you were six years old. You would probably have a hard time getting taken seriously. The same goes with your brand. It needs to be aligned with these changes in order to avoid the identity crisis we discussed in the previous point. Sometimes these changes are gradual, sometimes they are drastic. Some are in the beginning phases, others happened years ago. They may be brought about by a change of leadership, a new business approach, a new way of consuming and talking about your sport, a change in the way you engage with fans and stakeholders, or a new cause you care about. Your sports organization and its environment will continue to change, they will continue to evolve, and it is crucial that your brand evolves with them.

Alignment for impact

Now this does not mean your brand needs to reinvent itself every few years or with any small change. When done correctly, it is a process you need to undergo once to smooth out the friction that was working against your potential impact. From there you simply optimize it, cultivate it, grow it, prune it, all without deleting the legacy and brand equity you have already created. This inevitable process is not a rejection of what your organization is, it is an imminent adjustment that will allow you to remain in touch with the moment. When done in the right way, at the right time, it will allow your brand to resonate inside and out, and meaningful impact is bound to follow.