Are you confident you’re presenting your company in the best possible light? If the answer is ‘no’, rebranding may be an option, but it’s not a cheap exercise. So, how can you tell whether it’s going to be a good investment or a waste of time and money?

By doing some research before you get started, says branding expert Troy McKinna, co-founder of Agents of Spring. That includes finding out whether your current branding clearly communicates what it is you’re selling – and does so in a way that resonates.

It might be time to refresh

So, if your branding is currently missing the mark, or if major changes in the market have left it looking outdated, it might be time for a refresh.

Don’t make changes for the sake of it, McKinna counsels. Many business owners update their branding too often because they’re bored with the status quo or they’ve hired a new marketing manager who wants to put their stamp on the operation.

“The danger is, you can make it harder for people to remember you if they’re seeing something different each time,” McKinna says. “Customers might not register it’s the same company or product. That’s why some of the most iconic brands, like Mars and Coca-Cola, go decades without change.”

SPROUTING A NEW IMAGE

Parilla Fresh general manager Peter Duncan has overseen the rebranding process twice in the past eight years.

Based in Milperra, the business grows, packs and distributes a range of fresh sprouts to major supermarkets and speciality food retailers on the east coast. Its products were originally labelled ‘Parilla Fresh’, but in 2011 the company realised the branding was doing it no favours.

“When we asked consumers what ‘Parilla Fresh’ meant to them, we found it didn’t mean much at all,” Duncan says.

“Some people thought we were a pasta company or sold dairy products. And when we spoke to Coles, Woolies and independent retailers, they wanted different lines and labels.” 

Parilla Fresh subsequently developed two new brands – ‘Good for You and You’ for the major chains and ‘Hugo’s Fresh’ for the independents.

While the latter label is still going strong, Good for You and You was replaced with the snappier ‘Aussie Sprouts’ in 2018.

“It turned out Good for You and You was also confusing for the consumers, and it didn’t really reflect anything about what we stand for,” Duncan says. 

The second time around, Parilla Fresh spent a total of $15,000 to $50,000 on rebranding and registering trademarks, and $100,000 to promote its new image to customers.

Sales subsequently jumped 25% and the change has been well received by the major supermarket chains. Making rebranding part of a broader marketing strategy has been key to the company’s success, Duncan believes.

Our new branding is about freshness and being Australian, and to reinforce that we use the tagline ‘Great green stuff'.

It’s all in the research

Research conducted prior to the rebrand revealed that although key customer segments – young women, fitness fans, vegans and mothers with small children – liked the products, they wanted more information on how to cook and serve them.

“As a result, we’ve made our website and social media much more recipe-based,” Duncan says. “You need to get a good handle on who your customers are and what they’re thinking in order to develop a brand that appeals to them. And you have to spend money to let people know about it.”

Smart businesses do as Parilla Fresh has done – they get their strategy right first, and are willing to invest a reasonable amount on developing and promoting their new image, McKinna says.

“A lot of people see it as an expense, not an investment, and will skimp on the design costs or don’t want to pay for professional advice from a branding or marketing expert,” McKinna says. “Those can be false economies, because getting your brand right is something that’s really going to see your business grow.”

The way you present your business is critical to its success. If customers aren’t connecting with your brand as much as you’d like them to, it might be time to invest in a new look and feel.