Is It Time To
Refresh
Your Brand ?
By : Kathy Thomas
Community Strategies
Kathy @ com-strats . com
How do you know when it ’ s time to rebrand your company ? If you answer yes to any these questions , it ’ s time to look at a brand refresh .
• Are you losing work to competitors ?
• Are you struggling to clearly articulate how your company is better or different compared to your competition ?
• Has it been five or more years since you evaluated your brand look and messaging ?
• Have you updated your company ’ s business strategy and goals ?
• Has your leadership changed ?
• Are you planning to expand geographically or add new products / services ?
• Are you struggling to attract and retain top talent ? A CASE STUDY
Moody Bank , one of the top 10 community banks in the greater Houston area , decided in 2017 that it was time to refresh its brand , marketing and communications . Leadership had updated the bank ’ s business goals and was looking for a brand refresh to support those goals .
Community Strategies worked with bank leadership to develop a rebrand plan with the following objectives :
• Ensure that brand messaging , marketing , internal and external communications , and brand look and feel reflect the bank ’ s vision , strengthen its culture and strongly engage employees and customers
• Align employees with Moody Bank ’ s vision and goals
• Grow the business
• Emphasize the benefits of working for Moody Bank to recruit and retain high-quality employees
Moody Bank began rolling out its brand refresh this January . It includes a whole new look and feel to convey the bank ’ s personal customer service and broad range of products and services .
As part of the rebrand , they ’ ve also introduced a new signature statement to reflect the bank ’ s history , its competitive strengths and its regional service area : “ Building relationships in Texas since 1907 .”
And , of course , logos are a central part of a company ’ s brand . When we talked with customers and employees about the old logo , they told us that they liked the palm tree and the orange . Among the changes to the logo , we dropped the MNB and replaced the black with a crisp navy blue . Even in Austin , folks told us that they liked
the palm tree because it reflected the bank ’ s island roots . One Austin employee said that it ’ s also a conversation-starter with potential and new customers who ask “ What ’ s with the palm tree ?”
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO DO A REBRAND ?
A rebrand is much more than redesigning your logo . It means diving in to evaluate your goals , strengths , opportunities , gaps , culture and competition with internal and external research .
Based on that solid foundation , you can build a plan that includes new messaging , communications and marketing , and look and feel – all to truly reflect your brand and competitive advantages .
• Provide consistent , clear marketing messages to target audiences