What is a ‘brand refresh’?
A brand refresh (a.k.a. a brand evolution or brand update) is less intense than its rebellious cousin, the rebrand. A brand refresh aims to keep parts of a brand that are working and elevate the parts that are not. The updates can be as subtle as Walmart’s slight color shift or as emphatic as Nike rediscovering its challenger voice in a Superbowl spot.
When does a brand refresh make sense?
A brand refresh is appropriate when the brand name and reputation is still strong, but supporting brand elements like the visual identity, messaging, imagery, voice, packaging, et al, are not as effective as they could be. Perhaps these aspects have become tired or boring, irrelevant to new audiences or changing tastes, incompatible with new technologies, or difficult for internal or external teams to implement reliably. In other words, an evolution can turn a good brand into an incredible one.
Case in point, last year Wolff Olins helped the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) embody the spirit of its “purposeful plant people” mantra with a lovely brand evolution that feels fresh and familiar at the same time. A brighter color palette and bold typography evoke nature and optimism. The result is a brand that breaks down the garden wall and invites new audiences into NYBG.
What can you expect during a brand refresh process?
Before you begin, it’s important to know why you want — or need — to evolve your brand and what you hope to achieve as a result. This self-aware insight ensures that any updates are strategic and effective rather than simply cosmetic. Ask yourself:
- Does the brand messaging, voice, or visuals feel out-of-step with your customers’ expectations?
- Are you missing opportunities (new projects, new hires) due to the current state of your brand?
- Is it causing inefficiencies or extra expense in application?
From there, a deeper dive will help establish a direction for the refresh.
- Customer research will let you know where your brand currently stands and provide deeper context around the issues mentioned above.
- Archival research can ensure your heritage bolsters your future.
- A brand audit will uncover what’s working and what isn’t.
- And an aspirational peer analysis can shed light on any relative strengths or deficiencies compared to the best players in your space.
Ultimately, in the right hands, your brand will evolve from its current state to an ideal one.
What can a brand refresh achieve?
If a brand has strong awareness and hard-won goodwill, then becoming unrecognizable (via a wholesale rebrand) could be bad for business. A brand evolution, on the other hand with its strategic tweaks, visual upgrades, and message refinement, can fix what isn’t working and build upon what already is. If retention of brand equity, refinement, and a confident update is what you’re after — opt for a brand refresh.
But remember, sometimes a brand refresh isn’t enough.
There are certain issues only a rebrand can solve. A full-scale rebrand is typically undertaken because there is a major issue with the current brand. The brand might have a reputational problem, a legal challenge to its name or other trademarks, a name that sends the wrong signals or is easily confused with another brand…the list goes on. Whatever the specific case may be, in a rebrand scenario, an organization seeks to emerge as a radically different version of its former self. In short, a rebrand creates a clean slate, separation, and distinction, allowing for reinvention.
Every brand, like every organization, is a work in progress. The right branding partner can help you determine whether a brand refresh or a comprehensive rebrand is the best path forward.