Reflection & Rebranding: Why Times of Uncertainty Can Actually Help Your Brand

By Jennifer Watler

With the majority of us pondering life in the midst of a pandemic and social injustice, this has inevitably become a time of great reflection as we search deeply for answers to questions about our mere existence. While for many the questions have been personal in nature… who am I, what is important to me, what/who do I stand for, these questions and the quest for clarity crosses all divides and can also find a very meaningful place in our professional lives.

The Daily Business Review recently featured an article by Shanon Lazarus on law firm rebranding – Understanding Where You Are—and Where You Need to Go, examining the evolving firm’s best interest to rebrand as an opportunity to look internally at the firm’s vision, beliefs and culture. While the article may have been specific to the legal industry, the ABC’s and 1-2-3’s of branding are certainly universal.

Lazarus explained how a “brand is the ongoing story and visuals that are elicited in a client when they hear your firm name,” and suggested that key to a successful rebrand is finding “balance between the past, present, and future, honoring a firm’s heritage, as well as its growth trajectory.”

As ironic as it seems, it is exactly during these times of great uncertainty when firms and companies should take the time to get clear, and consider a rebrand if the answers to certain questions no longer marry their internal and external message.

So, where do you begin? Ask yourself these three reflective questions to gain insight into whether or not it might be time for a rebrand:

1. Have there been considerable organizational changes (leadership, mission, work environment) since our original branding?

2. Is it clear from the existing branding what our unique selling proposition is (what makes us stand out from the crowd)?

3. Do we know how our brand is perceived? If so, is it accurate? Is there room for improvement?

Even if a rebrand isn’t necessary or in the cards for you right now, answering these questions will certainly help you to understand where you are and even spark some ideas on where you might want, or need, to go. And in this ever-changing world of ours, one thing still remains clear—now, more than ever, brands have a multitude of powerful platforms on which to tell their stories—so don’t miss the opportunity to tell yours and tell it well.

Jennifer Watler is a Communications Coordinator for Haj Media.