Interview with Branding Consultancy Huddle Creative

May 24, 2024

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The London Business News Magazine had the unique opportunity to learn all about rebranding with the branding experts at Huddle Creative.

Below they share everything any business needs to know when considering a rebrand so enjoy the exclusive insights in this interview!

1: Business rebranding is becoming a popular practice in the fast-paced digital age we live in. Can you share your take on how and why business rebranding is a growing trend?

Business rebranding has evolved from being more vanity-driven to critically important in our fast-paced digital era. Today, there’s a profound understanding of the benefits a professionally branded company can reap.

We live in a time of heightened uncertainty and rapid digital transformations, where lower entry barriers to markets have led to increased competition and congestion across various industries. Traditional USPs have become diluted or virtually irrelevant as countless companies vie for consumer attention with similar offerings.

The global economy has intensified competition to unprecedented levels, with businesses facing competition not only locally but also from new entrants on a global scale. In such a congested marketplace, the ability to differentiate and stand out is paramount for sustained success.

A well-executed rebranding effort allows businesses to redefine their identity and effectively communicate their unique value proposition along with deep subject matter and sector expertise. Leveraging elements such as company heritage, compelling personal narratives, and authentic culture, brands can establish genuine connections with their audience that transcend product features or pricing.

On top of this, many businesses undergo rebranding due to internal shifts, such as organisational growth, mergers, or acquisitions. In such cases, rebranding becomes essential to ensure the brand identity remains aligned with the company’s evolving ethos and positioning.

In the unique B2B landscape, where relationships are often built on trust and emotional resonance, branding plays a pivotal role in influencing decision-making. While functional considerations certainly matter, emotional connections drive initial engagement, with rationalisation occurring afterwards.

Overall, the increasing recognition of the critical role branding plays in navigating today’s competitive landscape underscores the growing trend of business rebranding as a strategic imperative rather than a discretionary choice.

2: What makes a rebrand necessary?

A rebrand becomes necessary for various reasons.

Although some companies may initially operate without feeling the immediate need for it, over time they might plateau and gradually lose market share, prompting consideration for a rebrand. Several factors contribute to this decision-making process.

Firstly, a company may find that its current brand no longer accurately reflects its true identity. This mismatch between your brand image and business ethos can impact marketing efforts, lead generation, and the conversion of prospects into customers. Additionally, if the brand fails to resonate with the company’s culture, it may encounter difficulties in hiring the right talent.

Rebranding often becomes necessary following mergers, acquisitions, or the integration of new entities. In such cases, there’s a need to unify disparate cultures under a cohesive brand identity.

Businesses may opt for rebranding to capitalise on market opportunities or to assert their expertise in a particular niche. This strategic move can serve as a signal of change or positioning in a competitive landscape, albeit sometimes ahead of market readiness.

Occasionally, businesses feel compelled to rebrand due to a sense of embarrassment or lack of belief in their current brand. When business leaders find themselves indifferent or embarrassed of their brand’s communication or if it fails to resonate with their audience, it becomes evident that a rebrand is necessary to realign with the company’s values and goals.

In essence, the decision to rebrand is driven by a combination of emotional and pragmatic considerations, aimed at ensuring the brand remains relevant, resonant, and competitive in a dynamic market environment.

3: What are the reasons a business decides to do a rebrand and what is usually the biggest challenge or need when they consult you?

Businesses opt for a rebrand for various reasons, but one of the primary drivers is often their poor positioning in the market. When a company fails to differentiate itself and appears as just another player offering the same services or products, it becomes imperative to reposition and stand out from the crowd.

Attracting and retaining the right talent becomes challenging when the brand fails to resonate with potential employees. A strong brand identity is crucial for recruitment efforts and maintaining a cohesive workforce.

Achieving consistency across different touchpoints is another common challenge that prompts businesses to consider rebranding. Over time, brands may become fragmented, with inconsistencies in messaging across various channels, including sales collateral, websites, and social media. This lack of coherence can dilute the brand’s message and confuse customers, whereas consistency builds trust.

Businesses also often struggle to effectively communicate a clear and authentic value proposition, especially in technical industries where nuances differentiate them from competitors. Unclear messaging hampers their ability to articulate their unique selling points and connect with their target audience.

With startups making the transition into scale-ups, often seeking external funding through investment rounds or IPOs, the need for a professionally crafted brand transformation becomes more apparent. Moving beyond the initial bootstrap phase requires a brand identity that is robust, credible, and capable of supporting the company’s growth trajectory.

When businesses consult us, the biggest challenge or need often revolves around clarifying their brand’s message, aligning it with their values and purpose, and creating a cohesive brand identity that resonates with their target audience while maintaining consistency across all touchpoints. This involves a deep-rooted, professionally crafted brand that reflects the company’s evolution and aspirations.

4: Going through a rebrand must be a demanding process. Could you shed light on the key elements of a full rebrand for a business?

Research and Analysis: The initial step involves thorough research and analysis. This may entail formal stakeholder interviews, focus groups, and online testing to validate assumptions and gain insights into why customers choose the brand and what keeps staff engaged.
Positioning Strategy: Based on the research findings, a clear strategy for your brand positioning is crafted to determine how the brand desires to be perceived by its audience. This involves developing a compelling value proposition that resonates with customers and aligns with the company’s objectives.
Name Change (if necessary): In some instances, a rebrand may necessitate a brand name change. This could be due to reputational concerns or as a result of mergers or acquisitions. Naming is a critical aspect of branding, requiring careful consideration to effectively encapsulate the brand’s essence.
Verbal Identity: This stage focuses on crafting the brand’s storytelling narrative. It includes articulating the brand’s origin story, messaging, and elevator pitches to ensure consistency in communication across various channels and campaigns.
Visual Identity: Your brand visual identity encompasses more than just a logo. It includes elements such as photography, graphic language, iconography, and typography. This visual representation is crucial in conveying the brand’s personality and values to build trust and credibility with the audience.
Guidelines and Rule Setting: Establishing brand guidelines ensures consistency in brand application across different touchpoints while allowing for flexibility to adapt to various channels. It creates a cohesive brand system that reflects the brand’s identity consistently.
Brand Champions: Engaging internal stakeholders as brand champions fosters a sense of ownership and alignment with the brand vision. These individuals play a crucial role in ensuring consistent brand representation and adoption throughout the organisation.
Application and Implementation: The rebrand is applied across all relevant touchpoints, including websites, social media, advertising, and sales collateral. The goal is to ensure that every interaction reflects the brand’s positioning and values, reinforcing its identity with the audience through targeted brand storytelling.
Ongoing Management and Evolution: A rebrand is not a one-time event but an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring and adaptation. As the market evolves and customer preferences change, the brand must evolve accordingly to remain relevant and effective.

5: What could be the risks a business takes when undertaking a rebrand?

Assumptions Without Testing: A significant risk arises when businesses make assumptions about their brand without testing them in the real world. Creating a brand in isolation without gathering feedback from customers and stakeholders can lead to alienation and dissatisfaction when the rebrand is launched. As Marty Neumeier famously states in his book The Brand Gap, “Your brand is not what YOU say it is, it’s what THEY say it is.”
Internal Alignment Issues: Lack of internal alignment poses a substantial risk to the success of a rebrand. Internal politics, poor stakeholder management, and a failure to bring everyone onboard can undermine the effectiveness of the rebrand and cause disunity within the organisation.
Overemphasis on Visual Aspects: Focusing too much on the visual elements of the rebrand without a solid strategic foundation can result in a superficial makeover that lacks substance. While visual aesthetics are important, they should be grounded in strategic thinking to ensure they effectively communicate the brand’s values and message.
Naming Challenges: Renaming a business or product carries significant risks, as a poorly chosen name can fail to resonate with the target audience or adequately convey the brand’s value proposition. Careful consideration and thorough research and testing are essential to mitigate this risk.
Overspending and Overinvesting: Another risk involves overspending and overinvesting in the rebranding process and subsequent marketing efforts. While branding is undoubtedly important, excessive expenditure without commensurate returns can strain financial resources and lead to disappointment if the expected results are not achieved.

6: Why should a business work with a creative rebranding agency like Huddle Creative for a rebrand?

Working with a creative rebranding agency like Huddle Creative offers several compelling advantages.

Collaborating with an external partner provides a fresh perspective that can be invaluable in the rebranding process. As an agency with experience across multiple industries, we can often identify insights and opportunities that may not be apparent to internal teams. This external viewpoint helps to avoid the “trying to read the label when you’re inside the jar” phenomenon, ensuring a more holistic and objective approach to the rebrand.

Rebranding is a complex endeavour that requires expertise in brand strategy, design, and implementation. It’s both an art and a science. By partnering with a professional agency like Huddle Creative, businesses can leverage our specialised knowledge and skills to navigate the intricacies of the rebranding process effectively.

We help businesses unlock the true power of branding and elevate their brand to new heights, creating a sense of pride and belief in the vision and direction of the business. Through strategic brand positioning and innovative design solutions, we can revitalise the brand identity and re-energise the business, setting it apart in the marketplace.

In today’s digital age, having a brand that resonates in the digital space is essential for success. Huddle Creative not only understands branding but also has expertise in the digital realm, ensuring that the rebranded identity is relevant and impactful across digital channels.

Working with an external agency can facilitate stakeholder management by providing an authoritative voice and expert guidance. Stakeholders may be more receptive to recommendations and insights coming from a trusted third party, enhancing communication and alignment throughout the rebranding process.

7: Can you share highlights of your successful rebrands?

In one instance, the CEO of a client company expressed newfound pride in their brand following our rebranding efforts. Previously embarrassed by their brand, they now felt they had the brand their business truly deserved. This shift in perception has positively impacted all communications, setting them up for success in various aspects of their business.

Working with a large London city law firm, our rebranding efforts had a significant impact on galvanising staff morale and engagement across all levels of the organisation. By also clarifying their Employer Value Proposition (EVP), we helped them attract and retain top talent, fostering a more cohesive and motivated workforce.

Rebrands often result in increased marketing effectiveness, lead generation, and sales conversion rates. Our clients have experienced tangible improvements in these areas, indicating a positive impact on their bottom line and overall business performance. Our rebranding initiatives not only enhance external brand perception but also foster internal alignment on the purpose and vision of the business. By clearly articulating the brand’s values and objectives, we ensure that all stakeholders are aligned and committed to the company’s direction.

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We also equip our clients with the necessary tools and guidelines to effectively manage their brand going forward. This includes establishing brand consistency across all touchpoints and empowering internal teams to uphold the brand’s integrity and messaging.

8: Do you have some expert tips for any business owner currently wondering if a rebrand is for them?

Seek Feedback and Insights: Engage with customers, employees, and other stakeholders to gather feedback on your current brand perception. Test your assumptions and understand where your brand may be falling short or causing frustration. This will provide valuable insights into areas that may benefit from a rebrand.
Utilise Data and Analytics: Leverage data and analytics to inform your decision-making process. Conduct small ‘test and learn’ campaigns to evaluate the effectiveness of different messages or brand elements. Data-driven insights can help validate the need for a rebrand and guide strategic decisions.
Be Brave and Believe in the Value: Have the courage to embark on a rebranding journey and believe in the long-term value it can bring to your business. Understand that the investment in a rebrand can yield significant returns over time, including enhanced brand perception, increased customer engagement, and improved business performance.
Embrace Aspiration and Authenticity: Recognise that a brand is both aspirational and authentic. While it should reflect your business’s current reality, it should also embody your aspirations and vision for the future. Be open to stretching your brand’s potential while staying true to your core values and identity.
Manage in Phases: Understand that rebranding doesn’t have to be a daunting all-or-nothing endeavour. You don’t need to ‘boil the ocean’. It can be managed in phases, allowing you to roll out changes gradually and strategically. Break down the process into logical steps and prioritise initiatives based on impact and feasibility.

9: What are your ultimate branding must-knows that you’d like to share?

Focus on Essence Over Visuals: Don’t get caught up in the visual elements like logos and websites initially. Instead, focus on understanding the ‘essence’ of your brand. Mentally strip away all tangible aspects and ask yourself what the soul of your business truly is. This forms the foundation from which all other branding efforts should stem.
See Rebranding as an Opportunity: Rebranding shouldn’t be viewed as just a checkbox exercise. It’s an opportunity to refresh and re-energise your brand. By approaching it with the mindset of revitalising your brand’s energy and engagement, you can unlock new possibilities and enthusiasm within your organisation.
Consider External Expertise: Consider engaging an external partner, such as our agency, to conduct an expert outside-in brand review. This can provide valuable insights and perspectives that you may not have considered internally. A short, focused brand audit can uncover strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for your brand’s evolution.

10: Finally, do you think Huddle Creative would ever undergo a rebrand?

At Huddle Creative, we’re always evolving and refining our approach to best serve our clients and stay ahead in the industry. While we may not undergo a full rebrand, we’re constantly fine-tuning our positioning and refreshing our visual identity to reflect our strategic focus and expertise.

Recently, we’ve made a strategic decision to narrow our focus to strategic rebranding for B2B businesses in a handful of select sectors. This shift has allowed us to better communicate our value proposition and attract the right clients who align with our areas of expertise.

By choosing a specific niche and honing our services, we’ve seen immediate benefits, such as increased engagement with ideal client profiles and a stronger positioning as experts in our field. Our redesigned website and refined messaging are already making a positive impact, demonstrating our commitment to continuous improvement, and staying at the forefront of strategic branding.

While we may explore further adjustments in the future to ensure our brand remains aligned with our evolving business goals, our emphasis will always be on strategic positioning and delivering exceptional results for our clients.

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We thank the Huddle Creative Team for sharing their valuable branding expertise with our London Business Community!

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Manuela WillboldOnline Media & PR Strategist

Blogger and Educator by Passion | Senior Online Media & PR Strategist at ClickDo Ltd. | Contributor to many Education, Business & Lifestyle Blogs in the United Kingdom & Germany | Summer Course Student at the London School of Journalism and Course Instructor at the SeekaHost University.