Climbing Mount Rebrand

How does the marketing agency market itself? If you have any creative muscle in your agency, the prospect of a rebrand shouldn’t venture too much into unfamiliar terrain, right? Wrong. The challenges you encounter when faced with the task of rebranding yourself are above, and beyond any you might have previously experienced. 

The task of a rebrand for paying clients is an easy feat for any established agency, but try it again for a non-paying client (yourselves); how do you schedule that work in? This is where many businesses fall down, taking months or maybe years to complete or ultimately becoming a non-starter. You need to distinguish between paid work and investment. Rebranding should be part of your business model from the beginning; any successful creative agency will be able to tell you the importance of change; as we all know, nothing stays fashionable for long. 

So, you agree, it’s time for a rebrand, but what next? Creative war. Any self-respecting marketer comes with their own set of opinions and ‘ground-breaking’ ideas, so prepare yourself to go to battle during the creative planning; it’s inevitable. The passion you have for the work you do is intensified when it’s - quite literally - a representation of your entire skillset. Usually, those involved in creative projects are limited to a small number of people. An internal rebrand is different, everyone has a vested interest, and you know what they say… Too many cooks spoil the broth, and too many creatives can’t make a decision (the lesser-known second half to that famous saying). It’s understandable that colleagues will be looking to get involved. However, it’s wise to manage expectations from the offset; you need to draw the line between gaining everyone’s emotional buy-in and everyone’s two cents.

Sounds tough, right? Hold onto your hats. We’re about to dive into agency politics… So, you’ve come to a decision: your branding needs to change, but five years ago, when it was conceived in its present form, those that were involved are still knocking around. You may be up against colleagues who don’t see the need to change the brand or have a fanciful eye towards the old style you once adopted.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates. 

It all comes down to the attitude you adopt. Don’t paint over your existing artwork – instead, start again with a blank canvas.

There is a good argument to be had that you’re better off enlisting the services of an outside agency to do the work for you. It certainly dulls the pain, but can you really trust someone else? If there’s anything I’ve learned from my years in the creative industry, it’s that emotion often trumps logic. Why climb ‘mount rebrand’ yourself when you could simply take the ski lift.