Trigger 4. Brand Identity

Brand identity vs. image

1.     What kind of models do different companies use for branding?

·        Aaker’s Brand Equity Model

In his brand equity model, David Aaker identifies 5 brand equity components:

1)      Brand loyalty: the extent to which people are loyal to a brand is expressed in the following factors:

a.      Reduced marketing costs – hanging on to loyal customers is cheaper than attracting new ones

b.      Trade leverage – loyal customers represent a stable source of revenue for the distributive trade

c.       Attracting new customers – current customers can boost brand awareness, hence bring in new customers

d.      Time to respond to competitive threats – loyal customers are not quick to switch brands → company has more time to respond to competitive threats

2)      Brand awareness: the extent to which the brand is known among the public, which can be measured using the following parameters:

a.      Anchor to which associations can be attached

b.      Familiarity and liking

c.       Signal of substance/commitment to a brand

d.      Brand to be considered during the purchasing process

3)      Perceived quality: the extent to which the brand is considered to provide good quality products can be measured on the basis of these 5 criteria:

a.      The quality is the reason to buy

b.      Level of differentiation among competitors

c.       Price – consumers tend to take price as a quality indicator

d.      Availability in different sales channels – consumers have a higher quality perception of brands that are widely available

e.      The number of line/brand extensions – can tell the consumer the brand stands for a certain quality guarantee that is applicable on a wide scale

4)      Brand associations:

a.      The extent to which the brand is able to ‘retrieve’ associations form the consumer’s brain

b.      The extent to which associations contribute to a brand differentiation

c.       The extent to which brand associations play a role in the buying process

d.      The extent to which brand associations create positive attitude/feelings

e.      The number of brand extensions in the market

5)      Other proprietary assets: patents, intellectual property rights, relations with trade partners etc.

Brand equity is the set of brand assets and liabilities linked to the brand – its name and symbols – that add value to, or subtract value from, a product or service. These assets include brand loyalty, brand awareness, perceived quality and associations.

His model, however, does not make a strict distinction between added value for the customer and added value for the brand owner/company.

·        Keller's Brand Equity Model

It is also known as the Customer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) Model.

The concept behind the Brand Equity Model is simple: in order to build a strong brand, you must shape how customers think and feel about your product. You have to build the right type of experiences around your brand, so that customers have specific, positive thoughts, feelings, beliefs, opinions, and perceptions about it.

When you have strong brand equity, your customers will buy more from you, they'll recommend you to other people, they're more loyal, and you're less likely to lose them to competitors.

Keller’s Brand Equity Model

The four steps of the pyramid represent four fundamental questions that your customers will ask – often subconsciously – about your brand.

The four steps contain six building blocks that must be in place for you to reach the top of the pyramid, and to develop a successful brand.

Step 1: Brand Identity – Who Are You?

In this first step, your goal is to create "brand salience," or awareness – in other words, you need to make sure that your brand stands out, and that customers recognize it and are aware of it.

You're not just creating brand identity and awareness here; you're also trying to ensure that brand perceptions are "correct" at key stages of the buying process.

Application

To begin, you first need to know who your customers are. Research your market to gain a thorough understanding of how your customers see your brand, and explore whether there are different market segments with different needs and different relationships with your brand.

Next, identify how your customers narrow down their choices and decide between your brand and your competitors' brands. What decision-making processes do your customers go through when they choose your product? How are they classifying your product or brand? And, when you follow their decision making process, how well does your brand stand out at key stages of this process?

You are able to sell your product because it satisfies a particular set of your customers' needs; this is your unique selling proposition, or USP. You should already be familiar with these needs, but it's important to communicate to your customers how your brand fulfills these. Do your clients understand these USPs when they're making their buying decisions?

By the end of this step, you should understand whether your clients perceive your brand as you want them to, or whether there are specific perceptual problems that you need to address – either by adjusting your product or service, or by adjusting the way that you communicate your message. Identify the actions that you need to take as a result.

Step 2: Brand Meaning – What Are You?

Your goal in step two is to identify and communicate what your brand means, and what it stands for. The two building blocks in this step are: "performance" and "imagery."

"Performance" defines how well your product meets your customers' needs. According to the model, performance consists of five categories:

1.      primary characteristics and features

2.      product reliability, durability, and serviceability

3.      service effectiveness, efficiency, and empathy

4.      style and design

5.      price

"Imagery" refers to how well your brand meets your customers' needs on a social and psychological level. Your brand can meet these needs directly, from a customer's own experiences with a product; or indirectly, with targeted marketing, or with word of mouth.

Application

The experiences that your customers have with your brand come as a direct result of your product's performance. Your product must meet, and, ideally, exceed their expectations if you want to build loyalty.

Next, think carefully about the type of experience that you want your customers to have with your product. Take both performance and imagery into account, and create a "brand personality." Again, identify any gaps between where you are now and where you want to be, and look at how you can bridge these.

Step 3: Brand Response – What Do I Think, or Feel, About You?

Your customers' responses to your brand fall into two categories: "judgments" and "feelings." These are the two building blocks in this step.

Your customers constantly make judgments about your brand and these fall into four key categories:

1.      Quality: Customers judge a product or brand based on its actual and perceived quality.

2.      Credibility: Customers judge credibility using three dimensions – expertise (which includes innovation), trustworthiness, and likability.

3.      Consideration: Customers judge how relevant your product is to their unique needs.

4.      Superiority: Customers assess how superior your brand is, compared with your competitors' brands.

Customers also respond to your brand according to how it makes them feel. Your brand can evoke feelings directly, but they also respond emotionally to how a brand makes them feel about themselves. According to the model, there are six positive brand feelings:

·         Warmth

·         Fun

·         Excitement

·         Security

·         Social approval

·         Self-respect

Application

First, examine the four categories of judgments listed above. Consider the following questions carefully in relation to these:

1.      What can you do to improve the actual and perceived quality of your product or brand?

2.      How can you enhance your brand's credibility?

3.      How well does your marketing strategy communicate your brand's relevancy to people's needs?

4.      How does your product or brand compare with those of your competitors?

Next, think carefully about the six brand feelings listed above. Which, if any, of these feelings does your current marketing strategy focus on? What can you do to enhance these feelings for your customers?

Identify actions that you need to take as a result of asking these questions.

Step 4: Brand Resonance – How Much of a Connection Would I Like to Have With You?

Brand "resonance" sits at the top of the brand equity pyramid because it's the most difficult – and the most desirable – level to reach. You have achieved brand resonance when your customers feel a deep, psychological bond with your brand.

Keller breaks resonance down into four categories:

1.      Behavioral loyalty: This includes regular, repeat purchases.

2.      Attitudinal attachment: Your customers love your brand or your product, and they see it as a special purchase.

3.      Sense of community: Your customers feel a sense of community with people associated with the brand, including other consumers and company representatives.

4.      Active engagement: This is the strongest example of brand loyalty. Customers are actively engaged with your brand, even when they are not purchasing it or consuming it. This could include joining a club related to the brand; participating in online chats, marketing rallies, or events; following your brand on social media; or taking part in other, outside activities.

Application

Your goal in the last stage of the pyramid is to strengthen each resonance category.

For example, what can you do to encourage behavioral loyalty? Consider gifts with purchase, or customer loyalty programs.

Ask yourself what you can do to reward customers who are champions of your brand. What events could you plan and host to increase customer involvement with your brand or product? List the actions that you could take.

·         Focus on great design

Another way to set your company apart from the crowd that is becoming increasingly important is to focus on good design and to make products or experiences that are remarkable.

Making things that are beautiful or at least look nice is certainly not a new strategy, but great design doesn’t necessarily equate to beauty in the traditional sense. As many products move towards software, looks cease to be of central importance. The real important thing for interactive products is the overall user experience.

An unlikely example of a product that succeeded largely due to great design is Tinder. Now, Tinder is not exactly the most elegant or beautiful piece of software. In fact, it is unapologetically crass and blunt. Most people equate great design to subtlety and charm, and Tinder possesses neither.

Yet Tinder is a marvel of wonderful user experience design. Its simple, intuitive interface not only made the service incredibly addictive, it perfectly communicated the company’s casual approach to online dating.

Tinder embodied a number of branding tactics that will become increasingly effective in the coming years. Beyond focusing on great design, Tinder also took a stand. The company claimed that online dating could be as natural and casual as a bar, and in doing so, defied expectations.

Coca-Cola

Think, for a second, about everything you know about the Coca-Cola brand. Now, imagine that the company released a new purple can with the words “Coca-Cola” in a bold sans-serif font.

You can’t picture it, can you?

That’s because Coca-Cola has one of the clearest all-encompassing brand standards out there. Everything from the company’s packaging, its social-media profiles to its television commercials draws on the same colors, fonts, motifs and experiences. None of that is by accident.

A big part of Coca-Cola’s success comes from its ability to transmit feelings and expectations through its branded elements. When you see that red and white can, you know you’re going to get a crisp, refreshing beverage, no matter where in the world you’re buying it.

The best ads and sales tactics -- the ones that move us to get up, go out and buy something -- are a feast for the senses. And that’s no accident. It’s a ploy, in every sense.

Retailers, and the marketers who promote them, are master manipulators. They toy with our delicate senses -- smell, sight, hearing, taste and touch -- to have their way with us, all the way to the checkout.

Apple

 Apple is more touchy-feely. The iconic computer giant displays sample products in clever, carefully plotted ways that tempt shoppers to reach out and play with them. Before each meticulously uncluttered Apple store opens, employees tilt Macbook screens open to a seductive perfect viewing angle of 70 degrees. It’s not a coincidence. It’s an effective sales tactic or Apple wouldn’t bother.

Meanwhile, studies show that offering customers a soft, cozy chair to kick back in can improve negotiations in ways that favor retailers. Comfort is key to establishing brand trust and brand trust often leads to sales.

2)    What is the customer’s role in building brand image?

One of the key findings in a recent study by Burst Media, which represents independent web publishers and their communities, is that bloggers cast an influential net with their audiences. Findings revealed that overall, more than half (57 percent) of respondents surveyed of the 1,453 U.S. online adults aged 18 or older say they read blogs. It also revealed that more than half of the respondents said that a brand mentioned or promoted in a blog influences their purchasing decisions.

Social-media outreach – where brands work with mom bloggers, food bloggers, travel bloggers and lifestyle bloggers – is now a viable marketing strategy that allows brands to connect with their audience in an authentic way. Whether the social-media outreach is online, in person at an event, or both, brands have found value in working with bloggers.

In 2013 53% of consumers in the U.S. said videos on YouTube have influenced their purchase decisions at least once, according to a survey conducted by Walker Sands. 55% of consumers said they have engaged with brands on Facebook, followed by 21% who have done so on Twitter, and 10% who have done so on Pinterest.

Harvard Business Review recently devoted attention to two business trends reorienting the corporate world. One is the growing fascination for how to tap into social media to amplify brand marketing. The other is the rising pressure on businesses to be more socially responsible and rethink value creation as a long-term investment in society. Each of these asks corporate leaders to make a substantial shift in their thinking about accepted business models. Adopting just one of these issues alone would suffice to seriously alter business structures and processes in profound ways.

What is missing from these two insights, however, is that these two trends will increasingly intersect. Social media is on the verge of evolving far beyond being “just a new marketing and branding tool.” It is actually driving a growing force for large-scale global transformation, led by socially conscious consumers seeking to use their voices and purchasing power to halt unsustainable business practices and temper reckless capitalism. In the coming years, if not sooner, social media will become a powerful tool that consumers will aggressively use to influence business attitudes and force companies into greater social responsibility—and, I suggest, move us towards a more sustainable practice of capitalism.

The evolution of social media into a robust mechanism for social transformation is already visible. 

The leverage and influence social media gives citizens are rapidly spreading into the business world. Concerned consumers are realizing that they can use social media to organize themselves around shared values to start effective movements. Social media gives them a sounding board to share ideas, as well as a means to punish irresponsible corporate behaviors. One early example was the Greenpeace-led Facebook protests against Nestlé’s tacit support for deforestation in Malaysia, and since then, more Facebook protest pages have followed.

On the other hand, consumers are gravitating towards companies that are using social media to dialogue with them about social issues. A well-known example of this is the Pepsi Refresh Project that used crowdsourcing to invite consumers to co-create where Pepsi puts its charitable contributions.

The point is, social media creates not just a new marketing dialogue between brands and consumers but a powerful rationale for why corporations must begin partnering with the rising tide of customers who can now demand new standards for corporate behavior and a higher commitment to purpose, not just profit.

The capacity of social media to link millions of people around the world, to shape opinions and foment the “cognitive dissonance” necessary to create broad-based movements for change, is putting real power behind consumer challenges to unethical, inauthentic, or irresponsible corporate behaviors.

3)    When do you need to renew your brand?

·        19 Questions That Every Rebrand Needs to Ask

1.      Why are we doing a rebrand?

2.      What problem are we attempting to solve?

3.      Has there been a change in the competitive landscape that is impacting our growth potential?

4.      Has our customer profile changed?

5.      Are we pigeonholed as something that we (and our customers) have outgrown?

6.      Does our brand tell the wrong (or outdated) story?

7.      What do we want to convey? To whom?

8.      Why should anyone care about our brand?

9.      Have we isolated exactly who should care about our brand?

10.  Have their needs, or the way they define them, changed?

11.  Are we asking our customer to care more about our brand — and what it means — than we do?

12.  Is our brand associated with something that is no longer meaningful?

13.  Is our brand out of step with the current needs and desires of our customers?

14.  Are we leading with our brand direction?

15.  Are we following with our brand direction?

16.  Is the goal of this rebrand a stepping stone (evolutionary) or a milestone (revolutionary)?

17.  Will this solution work in 5, 10 and 15 years from now based on what we can anticipate?

18.  Have we assigned some committee to manage the project versus someone (or at most, two people) who is/are focused, inspired and can lead?

19.  If we were starting our business today, would this be the brand solution we would come up with?

·        The top ten reasons for rebranding

1.      Mergers, acquisitions and demergers

For the most part, changes of business ownership, such as mergers, acquisitions and demergers, result in an immediate rebranding. The aim here is not only to make the change visible, but also to comply with legal requirements. In the case of demergers, the party that has split off is obliged to develop its own brand. This makes clear that it no longer forms part of the organization. Over the past few years this process has taken place at grid operators, which were obliged to split off from their energy company. This resulted in the companies Enexis, Alliander and Stedin. There are several possibilities when it comes to mergers and acquisitions. The new company may develop a completely new brand (as in the case of @home, Casema and Multikabel, which together became Ziggo). In other cases the name of one of the parties is used (e.g. Getronics, which continued under the KPN brand following its acquisition by KPN).

2.      Repositioning

If implemented properly, a change to the positioning and brand promise of a company has major consequences for the organization. Everything is adapted in line with the organization’s new strategy and promise: its products or services, HR policy, customer contact, corporate identity, etc. Rebranding makes this change visible for all stakeholders. We saw an example of this last year with Gamma, which repositioned itself by moving away from traditional home improvements (DIY) and towards interiors (enjoyment).

3.      Internationalization

In some cases, rebranding is necessary so that a brand can also be used internationally. This may be because the brand name is too specific to a particular country (e.g.: NS Internationaal, which has become NS Hispeed). In certain countries a brand name may also conjure up the wrong associations. Organizations that sell the same products in several countries, but under different brand names, are also increasingly opting to use one brand internationally. Famous examples include the rebranding of Jif to Cif, Smiths to Lay’s, Raider to Twix and Postbank (which was only used in the Netherlands) to ING (the brand that is used everywhere internationally).

4.      Changing markets

For some companies, changes in the market situation mean that their very existence comes under threat. The digitization of society in particular is making it necessary for certain sectors to reinvent themselves. Different requirements call for a different product to be offered. One example here is the Free Record Shop, which adapted its logo, corporate identity and retail environment in 2008 to give its brand a boost.

5.      Bad reputation

If a brand has a bad reputation and this is having a serious impact on its operating result, rebranding can ensure that negative associations with the brand are ameliorated or dispelled. It is important here that not only the exterior changes, but that the change is also implemented in all other aspects of the organization. This is the only way that a rebranding project can remove any negative associations with the brand and therefore be successful. The rebranding of VendexKBB to Maxeda is one example of this.

6.      Conflict with stakeholders

Developing a brand may in itself also lead to a rebranding. This may be because the new style is too similar to an existing brand, for example. Such a situation was faced by MultiMate, which, after its rebranding, lost a lawsuit against Ikea as the two brands had become too similar. MultiMate had to make sure that its new logo was no longer visible in any shape or form within a period of six months. Another reason is that a rebranding can sometimes be so negatively received by internal and external stakeholders that it stands in the way of the organization’s success. An example of this from last year was the rebranding of clothing company Gap, which decided within the space of a week that it would keep its old logo after all.

7.      New CEO

A new CEO often brings a new lease of life to an organization. This may result in (major) organizational changes that also influence the course the company takes. Such a situation arose at Apple, for example, following the return of Steve Jobs in 1997. At that time Apple had to change in order to survive. Jobs himself took a hand in choosing the new logo, which changed from the rainbow-colored apple to the more modern metallic variant.

8.      Outdated image

One of the most common reasons for undertaking a corporate rebranding project is modernization. Trends mean that over time brands come across as old-fashioned if they have not been updated. Although in many cases it is not the main reason, a more modern image is often one of the motivations behind a rebranding project.

9.      Changing brand portfolio

Over the years, an organization has to deal with the development and acquisition of numerous new brands. In time this results in an extremely diverse and broad brand portfolio that is no longer logical for anyone and is therefore only still understood by a handful of people. Furthermore, carrying many different brands often leads to high costs when it comes to maintaining and promoting the brand. In such cases, rebranding ensures that the entire brand portfolio is brought into line and tells a clear story about the organization. A number of years ago, USG People rationalized and coordinated its brand portfolio in this way.

10.  Further development of corporate identity

A few years ago, for the majority of organizations a corporate identity consisted of just a logo, a primary color palette and typography. Brand elements such as a photographic style, visual language and a secondary color palette had not been defined back then. This meant that there was a great deal of freedom when it came to applying the corporate identity, with the result that the brand’s visual image ultimately became something of a mess. In such cases the further development of an organization’s corporate identity is a must to ensure the creation of a consistent and recognizable brand.

Burberry was considered gangwear; now it's worn by Emma Watson and Kate Moss

Even if you don’t know the name Burberry, you would probably recognize its trademark black, tan and red check pattern. Founded in England more than 150 years ago, the once small brand, which introduced the waterproof fabric gabardine and trench coats, has been embraced by celebrities, royalty and preppies alike.

Not too long ago, Burberry was at risk of being dismissed as frumpy and over-extended, however. It was even considered gangwear. Due to rumors that the Burberry brand was popular amongst hooligans, two pubs in Leicester famously banned anyone wearing the label.

New leadership and savvy product design are what transformed the brand into one of the hottest fashion labels, say retail experts. Christopher Bailey, Burberry's creative director since 2001, overhauled the brand with a mix of modern and classic looks that included a sexier trench coat and swimwear, and snapped up high-profile celebrities like Kate Moss and actress Emma Watson of Harry Potter fame.

An increase in Burberry's sales is proof that luxury brands are staging a comeback with shoppers, according to analysts. Sales rose 27 percent to $747 million in the third quarter ended Dec. 31 and may expand 11 percent in the fiscal year ending March 2012, reported The Market Oracle. Burberry has also been steadily expanding in China and built 50 stores in 2010.

The Lesson: Brands can be successfully revamped by adapting current styles while celebrating its history. "Burberry is about heritage, but about making that heritage relevant for today," said Bailey in 2009. "You have to make sure what you do is right for the moment you live in. What makes things relevant? Without wishing to sound flaky, it's a sensitivity to the spirit we live by today."

Target was just another low-brow discount store; now it's the favorite of the yuppie class

In the late 90s, Target was seen as just another low-brow discount retailer, indistinguishable from Wal-Mart or K-Mart. By offering pared down versions of designer apparel and merchandise through exclusive deals with high-profile designers such as Issac Mizrahi, Mossimo Giannulli, Michael Graves, Fiorucci and more, Target began to stand out from its competitors.

Target is now the second largest discount retailer in the United States, after Wal-Mart. Its stores are in nearly every state and the company announced in January that it will be expanding into Canada with 100 to 150 Canadian stores by 2013.

The Lesson: Set yourself apart from competitors with high-quality merchandise at lower prices.

There was nothing special about Old Spice; now it's a viral sensation

Thanks to former NFL player Isaiah Mustafa who told women to "Look at your man, now back at me," Old Spice is suddenly a new Old Spice. Since the first commercial launched a year ago, the 70-year-old brand's ad campaign generated tens of millions of online views and a new catch-phrase: "I'm on a horse."

Old Spice followed up with 186 related videos in which Mustafa directly responded to digital queries from bloggers and celebrities including Perez Hilton, Ellen DeGeneres, and Alyssa Milano.

The company's efforts worked when sales of Old Spice Body Wash—the line touted in the Wieden + Kennedy-created campaign—rose 11 percent over the past 12 months in 2010, and sales continued to gain momentum, reported BrandWeek.

Mustafa returned in the first of three new commercials promoting Old Spice's latest collection of sprays, body washes and deodorants as a "scent vacation" in exotic locales (including a grass skirt).

The Lesson: A clever ad + smart use of social media can produce a fresh identity, even for a brand that many associate with their grandfather's deodorant. "Old Spice didn't change its logo, it changed the experience," said Marc Shillum, principal at Method, Inc. a consulting agency for brand designs.

Apple was nearly bankrupt; now it's ruling the world

In 1997, Apple was veering dangerously close to bankruptcy. Nearly 15 years later, stock prices have gone from $6 to $350 and the company is stronger than ever. What changed? By producing reliable and elegantly designed products such as the iMac, iPods, and iPads, Apple became a juggernaut in technology. Nearly every product released has been an instant hit, and every move Steve Jobs makes drives a media frenzy.

"Jobs is a technologist with the heart of an artist," said Shillum.

Another thing that Apple does well, Shillum noted, is the way it articulates its brand from its products down to the store level experience.

"Actions underlie brands," he said. "Everyone from the CEO to a sales rep needs to understand the company's mission and be free to articulate it in their own way."

The Lesson: Build creative products that are well-made and enhanced by beautiful packaging. Also, create a positive experience for customers as Apple has done with its stores.

·        7 rebranding mistakes you should avoid

1.      It’s more than a name (or logo)

Too often, a brand is confused with its physical markers: its logo, name, website, or culture. Slapping a new mascot on your company won’t fix all of its problems – and might even make them worse.

2.      Forgetting your market position

You can’t be beholden to the whims of your target market, but you should still understand their lifestyle and what they need and want from your brand. You need to be a leader, but you also have to understand how your product or service fits into the life of your consumers.

3.      Changing your name… just because

Your name should tell an important story about your company. It’s a big part of the reason we decided to change our name to show clients our dedication to a truly collaborative experience.

Naming, however, is truly an art form. We live in a world where FreeCreditReport.com, Google and Apple are all brand names (some are even being used as a verb, like the act of Googling something).

Names can be esoteric or they can be definitive, and each of those naming strategies comes with its own form of challenge.

For instance, for every Apple success story, there’s a story like Wesabe. The personal finance app was beaten out by competitor Mint, in part because the name didn’t tell enough of the company story.

Other companies have gotten into trouble by dropping the most important part of their names, like when Pizza Hut briefly began referring to itself as “The Hut.” The company soon learned it was important to keep Pizza in its name, as that was the important part of its brand identity.

4.      Not doing your homework

Why is the rebrand necessary? What does the new brand say about your company? When Gap tried to rebrand with a new logo, the results weren’t exactly what it’d anticipated. Not only were consumers not excited about the new brand image, many thought it made the brand look cheap.

It’s important to test new brand images and copy to ensure it still works for your audience. While you need to lead, not follow, your market, you should also understand how your company fits into their lifestyle.

5.      Following the herd

Your brand should capture a larger conversation your company is trying to have with its market, instead of rebranding to look hip or modern for a certain customer segment. It’s important for the company leaders to take control of any rebranding effort and set the agenda from the top.

6.      Failing to integrate your new brand

Don’t just slap a new label on a few things and think you can call it a day. Too many companies ignore systematic integration in favor of a shiny new logo; the rebrand has to trickle into every aspect and part of your business. Everything from the financial practices to the HR policies should be measured against the rebranding promise you have chosen.

Too often, companies stop before they’ve even really begun. They’ve confused a minor physical brand expression like a logo or motto with the larger promise the rebrand is making to employees, customers, and clients

Look at the rebrand for fast food chain Wendy’s, which has been inconsistently applied in the chain’s restaurants. Go to a Wendy’s today and it’s often a hodgepodge of old and new logo and branding materials. If your company is rebranding, commit 100 percent to the effort. 

7.      Burying the lead

Be authentic to make your brand one to remember. If your company is amazing at something, make this an essential part of your brand. Know what you’re good at, what makes your company great, and what differentiates you from the competition. Make sure this is an important part of your brand messaging.

Rebranding your company can be a big challenge, but it can also be a huge opportunity to redirect your organization and change your story. If you truly believe in your message, keep your brand authentic and avoid these missteps, a successful rebrand is just around the corner.

Sources

·         European Institute for Brand Management. Aaker’s Brand Equity Model. 2009 (http://www.eurib.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Documenten/PDF/Merkmeerwaarde_ENGELS/s_-_Brand_equity_model_by_Aaker_EN_.pdf)

·         Manktelow, J. Keller’s Brand Equity Model. (http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/keller-brand-equity-model.htm)

·         Honigman, B. The 4 elements of better branding your start-up in 2015. 2015 (http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241940)

·         Agius, A. 5 big company branding strategies any business can utilize. 2015 (http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/239965)

·         Shandrow, K. How retailers like Apple mess with our senses to boost sales. 2015 (http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241248)

·         Mitchell, D. 3 simple rules for brands to get the most out of bloggers. 2015 (http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241566)

·         Mainwaring, S. The new power of consumers to influence brands. 2011 (http://www.forbes.com/sites/simonmainwaring/2014/10/28/how-to-breath-new-life-into-sustainability-to-build-your-brand-and-business/)

·         Smith, C. YouTube has influenced purchase decisions among more than half of consumers. 2013 (http://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-influences-purchase-decisions-for-one-in-two-consumers-2013-12?IR=T)

·         Bolhuis, W. The top 10 reasons for rebranding. 2012 (http://www.vim-group.com/231-the-top-ten-reasons-for-rebranding)

·         DBD International. How to rebrand: 19 questions to ask before you start. (http://www.risingabovethenoise.com/how-to-rebrand-19-questions-ask-before-you-start/)

·         Aquino, J. The 10 Most Successful Rebranding Campaigns Ever. 2011 (http://www.businessinsider.com/10-most-successful-rebranding-campaigns-2011-2?op=1&IR=T)

·         Pozin, I. 7 rebranding mistakes you should avoid. 2014 (http://thenextweb.com/dd/2014/06/03/7-rebranding-mistakes-avoid/)