Do you still love your brand? 

In the beginning, you cherished the way it looked, you nurtured it, and over time you’ve built a special ‘something’. But recently you’ve noticed that it’s beginning to look a little run-down.

Where it used to speak fluently to your customers and employees, it’s now monosyllabic. Or, worse, rambling on madly without ever actually making a cohesive point.

It’s picked up some bad habits, it’s untidy, it’s strayed from the path a bit. It’s certainly not making the effort it used to. It just sits there stubbornly – looking like it did 5 years ago bragging about the ‘good old days’.

Your brand has gotten lazy

Brands, just like people, have personalities and values that give them character. And, also just like people, brands can be fit and full of energy or tired and unhealthy.

This usually happens due to a lack of brand management and an unhealthy brand can reflect in the performance of your business. And if you don’t care about your own brand, how can you expect your customers to care for it as well.

What’s changed: your brand or your business?

Brands rarely lose their way overnight. Your business evolves, customers’ expectations shift and new competitors appear. Sometimes the brand that once expressed your business perfectly no longer tells the whole story. Other times, the strategy is still sound, but the way the brand is used has become inconsistent.

Before reaching for a new look, ask what’s actually changed. Can your customers still explain why they choose you? Does your team describe the business in the same way? Do your identity and messages reflect what you offer today? And are there parts of your brand that people already recognise and value?

The answers will help you decide whether you need to use your existing brand more consistently, refresh how it looks and sounds, rethink your positioning, or consider a more substantial rebrand. Making that distinction first could save you from changing the very things your customers love.

In these unprecedented times…

In an article in PR Week Ben Glanville, Head of Data Services UK, YouGov asked the British public about how they felt about the ways brands are currently communicating with them. The respondents were given a list of coronavirus-related words and phrases and asked them which they were tired of hearing/believed were overused. The phrase ‘all in this together’ topped the list with 42%, increasing to 45% for 18-25 year olds. This was closely followed by ‘the new normal’ and ‘unprecedented’.

43% of the British public also agreed that brands and companies’ current messaging and advertising is inauthentic. This research shows that consumers can see through the assurances that brands are here for their customers, when that seemingly isn’t always the case.

So on this basis it’s safe to say, the answer is not to follow the way other brands are speaking to their customers, just find your own voice and stick with it. Your messaging should be authentic and sincere. If your brand has nothing relevant to say about wellness… then now is not the time to crowbar it in.

Find what makes you, you

Start by listening to the people who experience your brand. What do customers value about you? What confuses them? Ask your team the same questions, and look at where the answers match—or don’t.

Now might be the best time to rediscover what got people interested in your brand in the first place. Was it the way you looked and talked, or how you interacted with your customers? Where does your brand fit in the current landscape, is it able to offer anything different? Can you legitimately stand for something that matters to you – and matters to your audience? You might discover that your brand needs a makeover. You might also find that its best qualities simply need a little more attention.

Healthy brands have strong identities. They are consistent, effective and engaging communicators. They know their customers, and this knowledge is how they earn trust and confidence and loyalty (and ultimately sales).

The brands that are in good health are those who are always doing something fresh, without ever forgetting who they or their customers are. So, starting today, why don’t you put a stop to your brand just plodding along the same old tired road. Take a look at the short brand guide we’ve developed and hopefully these bite-sized nuggets of inspiration will help motivate your brand back into action and get it fit and healthy again for the future.