Everyone needs a fresh start every now and then, and this is no less true for your brand. Sometimes rebranding is just the thing to breathe new life into your business; here are three signs you’re ready for your next chapter.

YOUR CURRENT BRAND IDENTITY HAS TURNED NEGATIVE

In the ever-expanding digital age, bad news travels fast. One day, you might be the world’s favorite shampoo brand, the next it seems the whole of social media is accusing you of accelerating male pattern baldness. If your brand’s image is in the doghouse, you might be ready to seriously consider undergoing a major rebrand.

Indeed, one of the harshest things about the internet is also one of its advantages: people are quick to anger, but also very quick to forget. A rebrand might be all you need to wipe the slate clean and have a fresh start with consumers.

Of course, the success of the rebrand will depend on the severity of the incident. If people don’t like your brand, you might just need a simple logo change and adjustment of your marketing strategy. If your brand has some pretty heavy baggage, however, like pending criminal charges or something more scandalous, then you will need a top to bottom rebrand. People do forget, but if you go about your rebrand with insincerity, you are likely to only aggravate the issue.

YOUR BRAND IS INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM COMPETITORS

Different people often have the same idea. It doesn’t matter how smart or original you are, there is a pretty high chance that someone just as intelligent and innovative as you are has come up with the same ideas you have.

If your brand is having a hard time distinguishing itself from your competitors, it is high time for a rebrand. Take time to assess what makes your company different from those around you, and build your new brand around this identity. By making your brand distinct once more, you will almost instantly be more visible to consumers who might currently be struggling to differentiate between competitors.

YOUR BRANDING IS OUTDATED

Ten years ago, your brand may have been the freshest face on the market; if you haven’t done much with it since chances are your brand is ready for a facelift. That is not to say there is anything wrong with your brand, just that no good thing lasts forever. If you want to keep your brand relevant, a little rebranding will go a long way.

Take the case of Old Spice, for example. A little more than a decade ago, Old Spice was a brand that was more closely associated with your grandfather than anything else. Then, in 2010, Old Spice launched an aggressive television and social media campaign featuring former NFL player Isiah Mustafa to huge success.

Now, instead of associating Old Spice with the elderly, consumers tend to think of the zany commercials put out by the brand in the last decade. If Old Spice can shift from grandpas to millennials, your brand can too.

Credit: 5WPR