When’s the perfect time for a rebrand?

Every founder, marketing manager or account director knows it when they see it – a brand dearly in need of some TLC. A colourway last seen on 80s breakfast TV. A typeface that’s more WordArt than word perfect. And a tone of voice that’s about as relatable as the shipping forecast.

Rip up the playbook, press delete on brand_guidelines_2001_5.2.pdf, find a great agency (ideally Leeds-based, award-winning, rhymes with milk), and crack on with an all-singing, all-dancing rebrand! Right?… Right?

Wrong.

Because if there’s anything we’ve learnt after 25 years in the branding business, it’s that timing is everything. Choosing the perfect ‘when’ is just as vital as the perfect ‘what’, for all kinds of reasons you might never have considered. So, before you embark on a box-fresh rebranding project, consider these key questions…

Is it the right time for your audience?

The first and only place to start, across any branding project, is by thinking about its intended audience. Whether that’s new and existing customers, service users, employees or stakeholders, defining the ‘who’ should always be your foundation.

And with that ‘who’, there will always be times when ears and eyes are open, or when your people are concentrating on other things. As Social & PR Director, Shauna, warns us: “watch out for events throughout the yearly calendar that might occupy the attention of your audience. If they’re heading straight for Christmas, you won’t get much airtime from the public. Or if it’s your busiest time of the year for sales, your staff aren’t going to focus on a new internal brand.”

It’s not just about attention, either. There’s also the delivery and communication of that brand to consider. “Taking a brand to the world across multiple channels should mean a comprehensive paid and social campaign, not to mention PR. So choosing a time when you’ll get good value for your paid efforts, where competition in your sector is lower, just makes sense.”

Is the press ready for what you have to show them?

Any rebrand worth its salt should leave your team feeling proud of the work they’ve produced, and of the brand you have to show off. So it’s no surprise that many businesses and agencies head straight to the press to try and generate coverage for their efforts.

That coverage might be in industry titles or, for larger brands, in the public-facing consumer press. But before you launch in with that press release and enthusiastic outreach, think about the media environment you’re stepping into.

“If rebrands have had a bad press recently – like Elon Musk’s X debacle did – your target titles might be looking for another opportunity to stoke controversy, especially if your business holds a lot of brand equity,” Senior PR Manager Stacey advises. “Or there might be industry context you need to consider, like big regulatory changes coming up that will eat all the coverage.”

Is your creative team up for the challenge?

It’s all well and good declaring a rebrand is just what your business needs, but if you don’t have the right team in place to come up with the goods then it’s a mission bound to fail. Many businesses and organisations rely on their internal creative teams – after all, they know the brand best! But these teams are often set up for tasks like the production of everyday assets for comms, internal communications or campaigns. Not for the specialist task of a rebrand.

“We work with so many clients who’ve tried to complete a rebrand internally, but just got nowhere,” Account Director Mel tells us. “Usually it’s not for lack of creative talent – their work is brilliant! There are just hundreds of considerations client-side teams aren’t used to factoring in, and it can sometimes be hard to give an objective, informed opinion on creative when you’re so used to the brand and business.”

“The way we work at ilk is often based on multiple creative routes – we answer a brief in different ways, using different internal teams across copy and design, offering approaches that clients never expected.” That’s the value in working with an external agency like ilk.

Is the wider creative context ready for your rebrand?

Even if the social and PR scene is spot on for your rebrand, and you’ve got your agency or internal resourcing in place, you still need to make sure you’re comfortable with the wider creative context. If the time’s not right, it might be better to wait.

Creative Lead Mike always keeps one eye on the design industry for just this reason. “Every great rebrand is about harnessing the equity and purpose behind the business – that way you can remain relevant, whether or not it hits any red hot design trends. You need to understand the landscape so you can find the best opportunities to connect.”

It’s all about keeping your objective in mind. “It could be that your brand has outgrown itself, you have a new mission, or want to appeal to a wider market. A rebrand is a functional shift in the way your whole identity works, not just an aesthetic pamper. So the right time will always be when you’re comfortable with your brief, not just when stakeholders in your business are demanding something new and shiny.”