Rebrand vs refresh: Why brands should hold fire on launching a whole new identity

We've seen plenty of headline-hogging rebrands over the last twelve months, and not all of them have, shall we say, landed smoothly. The most notable example has to be Jaguar, whose airy new look seemed to be the most contentious topic online for a moment last year. But while stagnating branding and/or floundering sales might inspire marketing execs to embark on a full rebrand, there is another way.

Enter the brand refresh. As brands like Lloyds and Herman Miller have shown lately, it's entirely possible to modernise a brand without embarking on an all-encompassing (and hugely costly) transformation. While the best rebrands can revitalise a brand, in some cases, a refresh that wields a brand's heritage could be even more impactful.

"A brand refresh and a rebrand serve very different purposes, and understanding that distinction is key," Ljubica Jovanova, Senior Director of Brand and Content Marketing at Bynder, told Creative Bloq."A refresh is the right approach when a brand has strong brand equity and recognition in the market but needs to evolve visually or strategically to better reflect its current positioning. It’s about building on what’s already working, refining elements like visual identity, messaging, and tone of voice, without losing the essence of what the brand stands for."

According to Ljubica, there are certain situations when a refresh might be the better option. These include when:

• "The brand has strong market recognition but needs a more modern identity."
• "The core audience remains the same, but their expectations or industry trends have evolved."
• "The company wants to refine messaging, tone, or design elements while preserving its overall essence."

And Jovanova goes on to claim that rebranding for the wrong reasons can be dangerous for a brand. "The essence of what the brand stands for should never be lost. Making changes simply for the sake of it, or worse, misleading customers into thinking a minor refresh is a full rebrand, can backfire. The key is to keep your brand’s core values at heart. If your audience trusts your brand, engaging them with fresh visuals and messaging will reinforce their loyalty, not disrupt it."

It isn't just Jaguar that we've seen raise eyebrows with a dramatic new look. Kia's 'illegible' logo redesign got everybody talking back in 2022, while the city of Aberdeen recently reneged on an ill-advised rebrand that saw it ditch the vowels from its name. Meanwhile, Lego proved that more subtle changes can provide the building blocks for a truly effective brand refresh.