Brand Repositioning or Rebranding? A Guide to Getting it Right

Rebrand. Reposition. Refresh. There are quite a few words available for changing a brand, and some people are quite good at using them interchangeably. They shouldn’t. The simplest distinction is this:

• Repositioning changes what your brand means.

• Rebranding changes how your brand is expressed.

One is primarily strategic. The other is primarily creative. Of course, the two often meet. A significant change can require a new position, which then requires a new strategy, identity, messaging and website to express it. 

But not every positioning problem needs a new logo, and not every dated identity requires a complete rethink of the company. Knowing which problem you actually have can save quite a lot of time, money and unnecessary meetings.

What is brand repositioning?

Brand repositioning is the process of changing the place a brand aims to occupy in its audience’s mind.

It deals with perception: what you want to be known for, who you want to matter to and why someone should choose you instead of the alternatives. A brand repositioning strategy can change:

• The audience you’re targeting
• The problem you’re solving
• Your value proposition
• Your points of differentiation
• The category you compete in
• Your messaging and story
• The way you want the business to be perceived

Imagine a software company positioned as “easy-to-use project management software for small businesses.” The product develops, its customers get larger, and enterprise teams start buying it. It starts becoming quite complex, and it’s no longer for small businesses.

The company might reposition itself as “the platform built for growing teams.”

Nothing has to happen to the logo. The typography, colour palette, and even website design could, temporarily, stay. But strategically, quite a lot has changed. 

The company is speaking to different people, competing against different businesses and asking customers to value it for different reasons. That’s repositioning.

When does a brand need repositioning?

A brand needs repositioning when the problem is fundamentally about relevance, meaning or competitive position. There are a few common signs:

• Your business has changed, but the story hasn’t
• You’re attracting the wrong customers
• Your market has moved around you
• People know you for the wrong thing
• Your proposition sounds like everyone else’s

In short, the business and the brand are no longer quite saying the same thing. Repositioning brings them back into line by clarifying who you’re for, what you stand for and why that matters.

What is rebranding?

If repositioning changes what a brand means, rebranding changes the system used to express it. A rebrand can include:

• Brand identity
• Logo
• Typography
• Colour
• Graphic language
• Art direction
• Photography
• Illustration
• Tone of voice
• Website
• Brand guidelines and templates

Sometimes the strategy behind the business remains largely intact. The problem is simply that its expression no longer does the job.

Maybe the company has grown while its identity has remained resolutely 2017. Or maybe the identity works beautifully on a business card and nowhere else, which is unfortunate now that the business mostly exists on screens. Those are rebranding problems.

The difference between rebranding and repositioning

The difference between rebranding and repositioning comes down to the problem being solved.

There’s an important reason not to collapse the two: visual recognition has value.

Nike’s Swoosh, McDonald’s Golden Arches and Coca-Cola’s script are obvious examples. You don’t throw that kind of recognition away casually.

Take Coca-Cola. Over time, the brand has shifted the meaning around the product towards happiness, togetherness and shared experience. Campaigns such as “Open Happiness” moved the conversation beyond what Coca-Cola was towards the feeling the brand wanted to own.

The positioning evolved, but the famous script logo didn’t suddenly need replacing. Instead, Coca-Cola used an existing set of highly recognisable assets to carry a different emphasis in the brand story.

What goes into a rebranding and repositioning strategy

A rebranding and repositioning strategy connects what a brand needs to mean with how it needs to look, sound and behave.

Repositioning comes first and defines the strategic shift. The rebrand then translates it into something people can see and experience, from identity, typography and colour to messaging, tone of voice and digital presence.

The two are often needed together when the business has changed significantly. Perhaps the company has moved into a new market, grown beyond its original offer, started targeting a different audience, or has simply become more ambitious.

Not every repositioning needs a rebrand, and not every rebrand needs repositioning. But when both the meaning and expression of a brand no longer fit the business, it makes sense to solve them together. The important thing is to work out which problem you’re solving before you start solving it. 

If your brand feels out of step with your business, book a call. We’ll help you work out what needs to change and, just as importantly, what doesn’t.

Frequently asked questions