How Agencies Can Appeal to Clients That Need a Brand Refresh

A study from software company Templafy found that 75% of U.S. enterprises plan to rebrand within the next five years, and agencies are naturally eager to win over these potential clients. That means, among other things, promising to maintain a brand’s original spirit while also recognizing how culture has driven new dynamics between people and products.

In the scope of modern marketing, rebranding means more than introducing a pretty new color palette and a catchy punchline.

“Brands don’t begin and end at the logo or the typeface,” said agency JMS founder and chief creative officer John McNeil.

When creating designs that adapt to the ever-changing digital era, brands must stay agile, but the right refresh doesn’t just revolve around aesthetics. As consumers dig deeper into the purpose behind the brands they touch, agencies must justify every color and font change as they relate to a greater corporate vision. Clients expect agencies to deliver a candid external perspective while also proving that they’ve internalized the fundamentals of their business.

Phoning a friend

When straight men venture into the dating app scene, they typically choose to go one of three routes: posting a shot with their dog, a picture with a little kid or a photo with a dead fish. The latter has become such a common sight that the stereotypical fisherman frat dude on Tinder has been the subject of memes, viral tweets and the inspiration for Halloween costumes.

The boating and fishing scene typically embodies the stereotype of young, conservative men or older, more established folks who brandish their yachts at Cannes Lions. Discover Boating is committed to appealing to a generation that is “naturally more ethnically, racially and attitudinally diverse and didn’t necessarily grow up boating,” according to Ellen Bradley, chief brand officer and svp of marketing and communication for the National Marine Manufacturers Association, which owns Discover Boating.

“We needed to communicate the fact that 95% of boats on the water are less than 26 feet,” Bradley said. “These are boats people tow to local waters that are often financed for around $200 to $300 per month, not yachts you often see portrayed in celebrity culture.”

When launching a rebrand, the outside perspective of an agency can help marketers remove themselves from their products to understand their brand positioning in the greater scope of culture. Cutwater, the agency tapped by Discover Boating, recognized that while boating may not offer a universal invitation to consumers, everyone can relate to a connection to the water. Swapping loud colors and bubble letters for a sleeker design that “allows the stories and feelings of freedom of life on the water…to be front and center,” said Bradley, the agency worked to facilitate an emotional response to something with which many consumers can connect.

“When we asked stakeholders ‘What does it mean to be out on the water?,’ no one shared a photo of their boat,” said Cutwater founder and chief content officer Chuck McBride, noting that they pointed to sunsets, family photos and sporting excursions. “This approach allowed us to focus on the moments, not the fiberglass, and that was a big shift for the brand.” 

While it is important to offer clients an unbiased, outside perspective, finding common ground between an agency and a brand is equally crucial. When The Den Collaborative, a full-service real-estate team in Denver, decided it was time for a rebrand, it went looking for a “small, local branding team who valued [the] process and whose portfolio mirrored the aesthetic we were looking to achieve,” said associate broker Ashley Ward.

Offering an outside perspective also stops brands from over-glamorizing their roles in consumers’ lives. While many brands are caught up in a complicated purpose, agency 22Squared encouraged Baskin-Robbins to roll out new messaging that wasn’t overly saturated or romantic. The team landed on “Seize The Yay.” 

“Ice cream is a small luxury that is never going to let you down,” said 22Squared group creative director Rocio Alvarado. “‘Seize the Yay’ became our anthem and a rallying cry against cynicism.”

More than a logo and typeface 

When Wilson Sporting Goods tapped branding and experience design agency Basic/Dept, the shop wanted to help its client understand its changing role in the lives of Americans. Sports participation is declining, which the agency saw as an opportunity to demand more inclusion in the space. Wilson’s new campaign with Basic/Dept, “Embrace Play,” spoke to a wider range of consumers than just high-performing athletes by embracing athleisure, a fashion staple for athletes and non-athletes alike.

But when introducing these changes, the agency was focused on a comprehensive campaign with a greater purpose. Instead of just introducing a new logo and typeface, that meant building new HR and culture manuals, rethinking packaging and redesigning new brick-and-mortar spaces. 

“We wanted to ensure the soul of the brand could be felt everywhere,” said Basic/Dept’s vice president of strategy Ryan Parkhurst.

Software company Contentsquare, which is looking to make digital marketing analytics more inviting and accessible, used its logo rebrand as a stepping stone toward launching a companywide repositioning. While “the market opportunity was there,” according to chief marketing officer Niki Hall, the brand tapped JMS to drive rebrand creatives and design.

The brand set out to create messaging that “could appeal to a first-grade audience,” she said. For Contentsquare, leaning into purpose meant launching a foundation to reduce the digital accessibility gap, creating a logo with “very strict color relationships,” according to Hall, that more people with disabilities recognize. The company is helping marketers understand what consumer activity on their site signals—are multiple clicks in a row driven by excitement or frustration with a confusing display? 

Leaning into longevity

When searching for the right agency, Wilson was looking for a partner that could redefine the brand’s role in modern-day consumers’ lives while paying homage to its 100-year history, according to global vice president of brand marketing Ali Brewer. 

For Baskin-Robbins, a brand that got its start serving U.S. Navy Troops during World War II, honoring history was equally important. But when vice president Jerid Grandinetti’s research showed that consumers viewed his brand as durable and trusted but “no longer known for innovation,” he was determined to combine an “old soul with new fire.” The brown, white and pink color scheme takes the brand back to its original design, which was retired in 1991.

Leaning into the a brand’s history can ensure a redesign withstands the test of time, which was a goal for EGC Group when working with the Long Island Association.

“We wanted to give the LIA something that can age long term, not something super modern and trendy,” said Rich DeSimone, vice president and creative director at EGC Group. “When you go through a rebrand, you realize how many places your logo lives. When it’s simple and timeless, you’re not pigeonholing them into this process again five years down the line.”