Why rebrands fail
Over the weekend I saw yet another notable brand relaunch that was then retracted amid an onslaught of backlash from the public.
I have many thoughts about why this happens, but here’s at least three that I think play into it.
1) It’s not honest
If you haven’t been intentional, and taken the time to understand who you are now, why it matters, who you are for, and where you are headed, your new brand expression just simply won’t reflect that. And everyone will know it. We are very good at sniffing out things that aren't authentic. And if the rebrand was just a ploy to distract or a tactic to dupe your audience, or even just an attempt to reflect something that isn't really true, well, than that's even worse.
2) It’s not clear
You can have the best solutions in the world, but you need to explain it really well. Set the table, show where it came from and why. Lead your audience down the same path you came down. “We started here, we discovered this, then did this, and then came to this conclusion.” This is so helpful for people to at least know where you came from and be able to argue those points, vs. just not liking it for whatever reasons.
3) You haven’t given it enough time
There’s an old comedy bit from a comedian where he talks about someone on a plane next to him all frustrated because the internet isn’t working fast enough. His exasperated response is my favorite. “Just give it a second! The signal has to go to space!”
We are so impatient. Mostly because we have the wrong idea of brand to begin with. Love it our hate it, brands are built through clarity and consistency over time.
If you aren’t prepared for people to hate it then you aren’t prepared.
Overall, Remember why you did it, remember what your goals are. Explain them, stand by them. Hold on. Retracting is usually a bad idea. It only confirms to your audience what they most feared. You don’t know what you are doing. You’re guessing instead of solving. You’re hoping instead of planning.
Be prepared. Be courageous. Be patient.
