How to Revitalize a Brand

Quiz time! How many times has The Coca-Cola Company rebranded Coke? If you are old enough to remember the “New Coke” debacle, you know the answer is at least a few times. One of the most important lessons learned from that New Coke rebranding was the importance of listening to customers. Being ready to flex and meet customers’ expectations is one of the most important aspects of embarking on a new branding campaign.

A more recent example is the Cracker Barrel controversy, from launching its new logo this summer. The public pushed back hard, and in a statement, the company admitted to the backlash. It promised to keep “testing, learning, and listening to our guests and employees.”

I spoke with our Arch Painting chief marketing officer Peter Prodromou, who is also the brand architect of our residential, technology-enabled platform, Paintzen. We discussed the strategy and execution behind rebranding efforts. Essentially, how do you revitalize a brand?

Q: When does a company know it is time to rebrand?

Peter: Branding is the signature of companies and products. It’s a personality, an identity, and a market differentiator. But sometimes established, successful brands need a refresh. As the world changes, trends change. Technology comes into play and customer expectations change. It’s important that brands continue to be relevant and meet customers’ needs.

Q: What are the first steps a company should take before rebranding?

Peter: Research. Executives might have a hunch about branding, but undertaking an established brand’s revitalization can be risky. Cracker Barrel is currently living that lesson. Both the Cracker Barrel and Coke examples show that consumers have opinions and sometimes don’t like change. The New Coke controversy was also one of the early instances of customers exerting pressure publicly and en masse, to challenge a corporate branding decision. The success in undoing Coke’s decision is all the more impressive given this was in a pre-internet era, when organizing and pressure really required grass roots organizing and organic activation. I have worked with numerous brands over my career. Anytime I led a rebranding campaign, research—the kind that provides a deep understanding of consumer psychology—is the project’s lynchpin.

For example, our company, Arch Painting, is an established paint contracting company with three decades of experience in the Boston area. We decided to rebrand the consumer, residential painting business, now known as Paintzen, as the company expands nationwide.

Our research showed us that nearly 50 percent of millennials and Gen Xers, the two most prolific home buyer generations, prefer using automated technology to research, price, and book home improvements. But it was more than just the metrics. It was understanding the psychology of these cohorts’ purchasing preferences that fueled our strategy. Paintzen needed to meet those expectations. Backed by our technology platform, Zenify, Paintzen allows customers to price, book, and manage interior or exterior residential painting projects, with a quote in as little as five minutes and the ability to have a paint crew on location in as few as five days. We responded with a design that reflected the prevalent engagement preference for on-the-run mobile. By reflecting our customers’ busy lifestyles, we were able to design something we knew would work and, as a result, would be easier to brand.

Q: How do you ensure a smooth transition to the new brand?

Peter: Communication with our key stakeholders helped ensure a smooth transition. The executive team and board of directors wanted to ensure we were upholding the reputation and brand equity Arch Painting had established in the New England area.

Our employees needed to understand why we were making the change, how it would impact their day-to-day jobs, and how we would speak to the new brand.

Our customers were our most important stakeholder. We used a strategic mix of launching a new website, radio, and streaming media for brand visibility; direct mailers, email communication, and performance marketing for lead generation; and social media channels to let our customers know our new residential service name. But also to share that they could continue counting on the same customer service, attention to detail, technique mastery, and quality commitment.

Revitalizing an established brand can be risky, but allowing your brand to stagnate, not meeting your customers’ needs and expectations, can be worse.

If you are still wondering about Coke, The Coca-Cola Company has rebranded Coke more than 49 times, an excellent example of an established brand meeting its customers’ needs.