As markets, audiences, and competitive landscapes evolve, companies must evolve with them. Let’s explore a few of the key signs that your company may be due for a rebrand (or refresh) and how an updated brand can benefit your business. 1. Your brand doesn’t stand out. If your brand isn’t resonating with your target audience, your content isn’t getting the engagement it used to, or the top of your marketing funnel is looking pretty sparse, it may be time for a change. Maybe your market has transformed, but your brand hasn’t evolved to keep up. Or customer expectations have shifted, but your messaging hasn’t kept pace. Or perhaps a wave of new competitors has swept into your space and now your brand is getting lost among the noise. Argh! As your target audience grows and changes, their preferences and needs may change too, and if your brand perception doesn't align with their expectations, you risk losing them. Some signs this may be you: Your market or competitive landscape has exploded in recent years and your brand no longer stands out. Your audience expectations have changed and your brand hasn’t kept up. Now what? Conduct audience research to better understand your customers and what they expect from your company and your products.Run a competitive audit to see what others in your industry are saying and doing to attract customers. 2. Your brand no longer aligns with your business…or with itself. As businesses go through mergers or acquisitions or keep pace with customer demands, brands can get quickly distorted or overstretched. This can lead to a confusing experience for customers interacting with your brand across different channels and touchpoints if what they’re seeing and hearing is inconsistent or contradictory. It can also lead to confusion among internal teams if they don’t know how to find or apply a consistent brand identity. If your brand has recently merged with or acquired other brands, but hasn’t gone through the process of consolidating these into a single, unified entity, you may be leaving customers and internal teams confused. The same should be considered if your business has recently diversified your offerings or expanded into new (maybe unfamiliar) markets. A rebrand can signal these changes to your target audience, allowing you to adapt your identity and messaging to reflect your new focus and attract the right customers. Signs this may be you: Your website is really multiple small websites merged together as your company grew through acquisitions. Your marketing, sales, and product teams use different language, messaging, and materials to talk about your brand.Your messaging is inconsistent across different channels. Sentiment analysis reveals that your audience is confused about what your business actually does or the products and services you offer. Now what? Conduct a content audit and web migration. This will help you identify the most valuable content to preserve and update on your website. Realign around your mission statement and brand values. Develop a central brand messaging guide to steer consistent communication across all teams and channels. Provide a single location where teams can find resources like brand and messaging guides — and keep it up-to-date. Importantly, have a plan for how you will roll and enforce new brand elements. 3. Your brand is outdated. Over time, design trends and consumer preferences change. If your visual brand looks outdated or fails to connect with your target audience, a rebrand can give your identity a fresh and modern look that better resonates with your customers. The same can be said of your brand’s verbal identity. If it’s been awhile since you’ve revisited your brand messaging, it may be time for a refresh. Signs this may be you: Your logo uses elements that were trendy at one point, but are noticeably dated today, like a drop shadow, for example.Your website’s functionality is outdated or limits what you can offer in a user experience. Key elements of your business have evolved — such as new capabilities or customer insights — but these aren’t reflected in your messaging. Now what? Conduct a brand audit to determine what core elements of the brand should be preserved and what can be remade. Analyze your competitors to see how they present their brands. Are they overall modern, professional, trendy, or traditional? Look for inspiration as well as opportunities to differentiate yourself. Accelera by Cummins Take, for example, our long-time client Cummins, a global leader in power solutions. In March, the company announced the launch of Accelera by Cummins, a new brand for its New Power business. Accelera provides a diverse portfolio of zero-emissions solutions for many of the world’s most vital industries, empowering customers to accelerate their transition to a sustainable future. Cummins launched the brand when it became clear that the goals of the business — to transition the world’s hardest-working industries to zero-emissions power — were unique and would benefit from an identity that could stand out on its own in a fast-paced industry. Once they were ready to launch the new Accelera brand, we helped them execute a bevy of branded materials to ensure a consistent and successful rollout. Check out our case study to learn more. Recognizing when it’s time for a rebrand is essential for maintaining a resilient and competitive brand. Whether you’re battling inconsistent brand perception, navigating a change in business focus, or dealing with an outdated visual identity, a well-executed rebrand can have a profound impact on your business’s growth and success. Investing in thorough research, strategic planning, and creative execution will be critical in pulling off a successful rebrand. A knowledgeable partner can help. If “competitive audits” or “messaging guides” sound daunting to you, we can help! Learn more about our creative, strategic, and interactive services and how TrendyMinds can help you elevate your brand.