Is it Time for Your Firm to Rebrand?

Your firm’s brand and its identity are incredibly important not only to how clients perceive you but also to the decisions you make, how you interact with the industry, and to the talent you can recruit. Over the course of an organization’s lifetime, a firm will need to consider a rebrand to ensure it is staying ahead of the competition, that the brand reflects its current and future goals and priorities, and that it remains at the forefront of its industry.

It sounds simple, but many professional service firms often grapple with the question, “to rebrand or not to rebrand?” In an effort to help you answer that question, we have put together a mini-guide to help you determine if it is time for your firm to rebrand.

What is rebranding?

In order to know if it’s time to rebrand, you first have to understand what a rebrand even is. By definition, a rebrand is changing the name, logo, or visual identity of an existing brand. A full rebranding would include the change of all brand elements, whereas a brand refresh can include a change to just the firm’s visuals or content instead of the whole brand identity.

What is the importance of rebranding?

Choosing to rebrand is a difficult decision, as it can be either beneficial or risky for a company. It offers an opportunity for corporate brands to expand their customer base or business, re-engage with their clients, and capitalize on opportunities to grow, modernize, or innovate.

Rebranding is also used in instances where a brand is being forced to change, such as mergers and acquisitions, negative press, legal issues, or moving into a niche area of focus.

Do I need to rebrand?

Rebranding needs to be a serious and strategic decision. For example, if you already have a lot of brand equity in the market or have invested a significant amount of money in brand collateral and assets, you may want to explore options to refresh your brand (such as a new advertising campaign or new content) as opposed to a full rebrand. In addition, a rebrand will not significantly solve issues related to brand awareness or low lead generation, so exploring other marketing opportunities in these situations may make more sense.

However, there are also many situations where a rebrand makes sense; here are a few of the common reasons we see at Cubicle Fugitive:

1. Your business undergoes a significant change in strategic direction.

If your business is undergoing a shift in strategic direction, such as expanding into a new target market, changing its area of focus, or undergoing a major change in leadership, a rebrand can help you identify what will resonate and communicate your new direction clearly.

2. Your brand identity no longer resonates with your target audience.

As a business evolves, so does its target audience. For example, ten years ago, a business law firm may have had an entirely different target audience; however, given the changing dynamic in who is pursuing entrepreneurship and how they are doing so, the firm may need to change its brand to be more inclusive of the business owners of today.

3. Your business is struggling to gain a competitive advantage over competitors.

Although a rebrand is not always the answer when seeking a competitive advantage, in some instances, it is the perfect opportunity to differentiate yourself. For example, law firms tend to look and sound the same – many use red or blue logos (depending on their area of practice), rely on words such as “experienced,” “trusted,” and “knowledgeable,” and tend to share the same information over and over again.

In examples like these, a rebrand can help your firm or company cut through the noise and hone in on exactly what makes your services and offerings different. It can also ensure you establish a visual brand and tone of voice that enhances that message to the market.

4. Your firm is merging or acquiring companies.

In the case your firm or company is merging with or acquiring new companies, a rebrand may be a necessary step to ensure cohesion. This is especially true if the M&A leads to the firm expanding into a new market, appealing to new clients, or changing the way it operates and the leadership at the helm.

However, depending on how the M&A will be executed, a rebrand is not always required. Discussing the situation with a brand strategist can help you understand if and when a rebrand may be required in this situation.

5. Your business is lacking consistency in visual identity.

If your brand lacks visual consistency, a rebrand may be necessary to ensure that the elements of your brand are cohesive and backed by a strategy that everyone on your team can understand and implement into their day-to-day operations. Ensuring consistency of brand colours, logo usage, and other visual elements across internal materials such as PowerPoints, proposal templates, and letterhead aligns with external materials such as advertising materials, your website, and social media can ensure a client is able to recognize and engage with your brand.

In addition, ensuring the firm’s content is consistent and contains the same value proposition (and that staff are delivering on this value proposition) is essential to brand success. In these cases, a rebrand can help you establish the parameters and guidelines you need to help your firm actually ‘live’ the brand and feel passionate about your mission and vision.

How do I rebrand?

At Cubicle Fugitive, we typically take three main steps when working towards a rebrand. These steps ensure that the choices we make reflect the firm's history and changes in the market and advance its business goals.

Step One: Conduct a brand audit and analysis.

At Cubicle Fugitive, we typically undergo a thorough discovery process that examines the firm or company, its competitors, previous marketing and brand strategy work, and the industry to determine where the firm is and where it needs to go. This process is typically supplemented with both internal and external stakeholder interviews to ensure the positioning aligns with the firm's people and work.

Step Two: Positioning and Strategy

Armed with our extensive research, Cubicle Fugitive then establishes a differentiated client value proposition and brand strategy. We provide key messaging, brand pillars, recommendations, and insights based on the research we conducted and the results.

Step Three: Take your new brand to market.

Once you have established your new brand identity, taking it to market is crucial for its success. Although the tactics you use will vary based on your audience and needs, we typically recommend you begin by designing and rolling out essential marketing collateral, such as a website, business cards, social media, etc., and then transition into wider marketing initiatives, such as Google Ads or social media campaigns, newsletters and client communications, brand awareness ads, etc.

Remember, a new brand will help you differentiate yourself in the market, but what you do with the brand marketing-wise will be what truly helps you gain the brand recognition and leads you desire.

Cubicle Fugitive can help with your rebranding efforts.

Although our three steps to rebranding may sound easy, the truth is that rebranding is often a long and contentious process. Firms must gain buy-in from their leadership team but also need to create a brand that reflects their entire staff, clients, and industry. This is not an easy process.

At Cubicle Fugitive, our brand strategists bring years of experience helping professional service firms undergo rebranding processes. Whether you are looking for new content, a new visual identity, or a full rebrand, our strategists will be able to work with you and your firm to determine a market position and value proposition that reflects the exceptional work you do now while also helping to guide your firm in the future.

For more information, contact our team today for an initial consultation to determine your needs and how we can support you.