No, rebranding doesn't have to be a total renaming makeover — maybe all you need is a revised logo, new tagline, refreshed website or a retelling of your brand narrative. But how can you choose what's really needed, what's going to be a practical investment, what's going to deliver a revitalized brand strategy that can kickstart your growth?

First, it helps you understand what branding is all about, how branding has evolved drastically in the digital age, and why radical changes in buyer and voter behavior have made some branding, marketing and sales strategies obsolete.

• What’s our brand story? Who’s listening? Which messages succeed? Which don’t? Do we deliver our value proposition efficiently and cost-effectively? Will our brand still accurately reflect us next year? Five years from now?
• Do we have an internal consensus about where we’re going?
• What’s today’s competitive environment? Who’s gaining share at our expense? Who do we lose to when we compete? Why? What do they have that we don’t
• Examine the easy-to-measure data (cost of acquisition, repeat sales, lifetime value of a customer, SEO, web bounce rate, exit pages, social media numbers, etc.)
• Then look at some trickier-to-measure factors (satisfaction with web user experience, levels of aided and unaided brand awareness, loyalty, current brand equity, etc.)
• Take a critical look at prospect segments. Have we possibly neglected demographic groups: age cohorts, women, Spanish speakers, etc.? Can we expand our geographic reach?

That’s when you reach an inflection point.

After such an exercise, the prognosis may be anything from “we’re just fine, thanks,” to “yes, we need to make changes,” which in turn can range in seriousness from bandaid to weight loss to major surgery. (One hopes not an autopsy.) 

A rebrand, whether a minor adjustment (update the logo, refresh the website) or a serious shake-up (acquire or spin off a capability, revise the messaging and tagline, change the marketing mix), or a total makeover (renaming, new value prop, or more), might lead to success reaching your goals—or lead you blindfolded into a minefield. That's when you have to make some serious decisions.

Along with practical advice distilled from decades of experience with organizations of every size from every category, this book provides checklist quizzes for you to self-diagnose in order to find your best chance of Darwinian success. 

Invite your colleagues to add their insights and perspectives on your brand. Try to find consensus if it exists (there's more about how to learn that in the book). Have them take these quizzes separately so you can compare results.

The author, Bob Killian—rebranding consultant, creative director, company namer—helps make clients more visible, more differentiated, and more relevant to their customers and prospects. In 1987 he founded Killian Branding, a strategic agency that has worked with clients in every category and of every size, Fortune 500 to startups.

Bob has been quoted as a branding expert in USA Today, the New York Times, and The Washington Post. He guest-lectures on rebranding in MBA classes. Bob’s White Papers have been taught in a dozen graduate schools of business.

A student of Darwinian adaptation, Bob has written extensively on how modern brands must adapt to evolve in periods of change.

SEE WHY DESIGNRUSH INCLUDES US IN AMERICA'S TOP BRANDING AGENCIES OF 2020.