It takes less than ten seconds for a person to form an opinion on a brand, so what would people think about yours? Perhaps you don’t quite know how your brand is perceived, or maybe the thought gives you shivers – if that’s the case, a rebrand might be exactly what your business needs. 

In the recent years we’ve seen a number of big household names shaking up their brands. From Jaguar’s controversial fresh look, to Channel 5’s homage to British culture, it seems like everywhere you look, someone is doing a brand refresh.  

However, just because you’re unsure of how your brand appears to your audience doesn’t mean you need a complete overhaul. Instead, you could consider a brand refresh, which, put simply, is more of a mini-makeover. Some small tweaks can help you to elevate your corporate identity whilst maintaining market relevance.  

Still not sure if you need a rebrand or refresh? Let’s dive into your options when it comes to branding… 

What’s the difference between a rebrand and a refresh?

The purpose of a rebrand is to completely overhaul a brand identity. An example of this is Jaguar’s divisive rebrand in 2024. The new ‘Barbie-pink meets modern minimalism’ look was a core component of every part of the rebrand – from font choice, colour palettes and imagery, right through to dynamic new messaging and a brand-new logo.  

One reason you might consider a rebrand is to attract and resonate with a completely new audience segment. In this case, although the public deemed the changes controversial, the rebrand was a bold move that attempted to break into the luxury, all-electric car space and inspire a new generation of customers.  

On the flip side to Jaguar, fast-food giant Burger King undertook a brand refresh in 2021. A refresh is much smaller than a full rebrand and could include subtle tweaks to a logo, refreshed messaging, or updated visuals across the website and social media. 

For its brand refresh, Burger King made subtle tweaks to the logo and website, simplifying them and taking clear inspiration from the brand’s retro-diner roots. This included a new, warm colour pallette as well as a new typeface to solidify that classic nostalgic feeling. 

In most circumstances, a brand refresh – rather than a complete rebrand – is a lower-cost option that will often have the same desired outcome, so it’s important to understand the difference and why one might be needed. Also, brands who opt to undergo a full rebrand may find it has an impact on brand equity and can require building from the ground up all over again. 

Why might you need a brand refresh

Whether a business needs a brand refresh often comes down to a few reasons. Once you know what to look for, understanding whether a refresh or a rebrand is needed becomes much clearer. 

Here are just some of the reasons you might be looking to refresh your brand: 

Connect with key audiences

Making small tweaks to a brand is a great way to reconnect with key audiences, for example, a new website can improve overall user experience, increasing customer satisfaction, and conversion rates. However, it is best to avoid making major changes without working with an experienced website developer or manager who can protect existing content, backlinks and your websites health during a refresh. 

Combining a new website with refreshed messaging and a new tone of voice will help you to speak directly to key audience’s current needs and aspirations. 

Ensure consistency across the business

Lack of consistency and stagnant creative assets are both good indicators that a brand refresh should be on the cards. This might be small things such as reviewing how your logo is used, ensuring colour palettes are being adhered to correctly and that all internal and external marketing materials align with the core brand. 

Usually, this also includes involving key stakeholders across the business to ensure refreshed brand guidelines are being followed. 

Refresh your messaging

Businesses change overtime, so you need to be open to being adaptable as part of your brand. When it comes to messaging, keeping it fresh and current is the best way to engage audiences and keep ahead of competitors. Again, we’re not suggesting an annual rewrite of every part of your brand messaging – a refresh needs to be manageable and easy for employees to keep on top of to ensure consistency. 

Clear messaging tells a brand story and is the glue that ties all of the creative elements together. It’s the perfect way to align all of your internal and external-facing branding.  

Try adding in an annual review where you can decide whether your current messaging still resonates with your audience as well as with your business goals and offerings, then go from there. 

Modernise the brand

Out with the old and in with the new! If your brand feels tired and aged, now is the time to invest in a refresh. It will help elevate your corporate identity whilst maintaining market relevance and modernising the brand. This provides a clear strategic signal to the marketplace. 

Perhaps you need to  review banks of imagery to ensure the business is being portrayed as modern and current, you might consider a photography shoot to do this. 

Key things to look out for when reviewing imagery:  

• Outdated technology 

• Clothing styles from a different era 

• Dull images 

• Generic stock-imagery 

Our top tip? Review your competitors’ visuals, do you blend in or perhaps look outdated in comparison?  

Elevate your corporate identity and stand out

On a growth mission? Want to stand out against competitors? Repositioning your business in the market? Elevating an outdated brand image is one of the best ways to truly stand out. A brand refresh is a great way to signify a positive strategic shift, if done right. 

A refresh done right is a refresh that lasts

It can be easy for a business to make a quick decision to switch up the brand in response to a crisis, however, if it’s not truly authentic to the business, audiences will see straight through it and it could cause a negative response. Before jumping to this, consider whether it will fix the problem and how our audience might respond. 

Refresh or rebrand, you want to rest assured knowing your time and financial investment will pay off. It’s important to carve out some time to review existing brand materials and assets, assess messaging and review your key services. If you have a wider team, open up the conversation to them as well. Making employee involvement a core part of a rebrand strategy is one of the most influential ways to ensure the longevity of a rebrand or refresh.  

Think you might be in need of a brand refresh? Get in touch with the team today on hello@pearl-comms.com to find out more.