Restructuring has become a necessary exercise for most major companies today. External changes to the marketplace and digital landscape have required major changes to traditional business models. It is valuable for these changes to be accompanied by a rebranding exercise in order to underline the restructuring process and accentuate the impact thereof. You don’t necessarily have to change the name or mission statement of your company, but a fresh, new look will serve your organisation well as it moves into a new phase.
Here are a few reasons why restructuring and rebranding go hand in hand:
- Rebranding indicates your relevance
Restructuring often occurs due to changes in the marketplace, new technologies, or a change in the company’s product offering or value proposition. Combining this with a rebranding process underlines your company’s adaptability, agility and relevance. It says “We’re flexible enough to adapt to our clients’ changing needs and remain on top of new trends”. Rebranding indicates your willingness to evolve along with your clients, rather than doggedly sticking to old ways of working.
- Rebranding helps you shape positive narratives
Restructuring may sometimes be met with resistance from your team members. However, by giving your brand a new look, you can create excitement and positivity among staff. It allows you to shape the internal narrative around the restructuring process and celebrate the new beginning. Positive and energised team members, in turn, become very valuable ambassadors for your brand. Similarly, a new look gives a strong visual message to the public that changes have taken place within your company, and that the changes are positive.
- Rebranding allows you to optimise for digital
A rebranding exercise gives you the opportunity to adapt with the digital landscape in mind. “For an optimal digital appearance, your new visuals should be clean and uncluttered. Minimalist designs look best on digital media, particularly on mobile devices,” says ICSC’s digital media specialist, Jana van Rensburg. Minimalist design is characterised by the use of white or negative space, sans serif fonts, and two-dimensional forms.
- Rebranding makes change visible
Rebranding isn’t just about changing graphic designs or colours; it’s about making internal changes and transformation visible on the outside. It is a chance to tell the story of who you have become. It is therefore very important that the rebranding is backed up by tangible change within your company. A new brand represents a new promise and your customers will hold you to that promise.
To conclude, restructuring and rebranding (the two Rs) are valuable partners when they are both executed with intent and relevance. When you rebrand your company after a restructure, you are taking charge of the manner in which your company will be perceived by customers, competitors and the market in general. Similarly, the new brand is dependant on real and sustainable change within your organisation. Get both Rs right and you’ll have a winning recipe.
Need help with your rebranding exercise?
ICSC creates modern, engaging brands that are optimised for digital platforms, yet work equally well in printed form. Get in touch with us today:
W: icsc.co.za
E: communicate@icsc.co.za
T: 021 976 1918
