Scott Saunders | When it comes to business, timing is important. When your service or product hits the market. Whether the market is primed for what you have to offer. Whether the market is already fairly saturated or not. It has to do with your timing. When it comes to introducing your BRAND (or rebrand) however, how you successfully do it comes down to the timing, which is everything.
Timing for a business’s offering in the market runs by its own perimeters. Shifts in consumer behavior, market saturation, price points in relation to demand, etc. are all used to determine when your business will get the most benefits of what it is bringing to the market…and when. But when it comes to your brand, unveiling either a new brand or a rebrand takes strategy to help maximize the benefits. And that strategy comes in the form of the timing in how you will unveil it.
Unfortunately, most business startups fall into the pattern of starting to roll out the new brand before all of its components and touch-points are finalized. They are in a rush to try to recuperate their startup costs and are anxious to get the brand out there in hopes a return will be made. This sense of urgency is indirectly cast upon the brand. It is signaling a lack of preparation or strategy and that affects the perception of the business. It is this hasty approach that actually causes a delay in the resonance of the brand to the audience.
When a small business opens its doors for customers with a temporary banner or large paper sign in the window before the logo could be painted or the exterior sign could be installed, it is a whisper of an introduction and it lacks professionalism. It is, quite frankly, a lack-luster first impression. The same goes for a business that is going to rebrand and hastily takes the new logo and just inserts it into the existing website because they don’t want to wait until the upgraded website is finalized. Or the business that hands out new business cards while the exterior signage still showcases the brand’s former logo.
A piecemealed brand launch will never have the same impact as one that has deliberate and purposeful timing — timing that dictates when all of the components of the visual brand will fall into place, when the unveiling will be done, and how it will be communicated. The timing of everything is the foundation of a successful brand launch.
Think of the audience in the market as being a pond. Tossing a one-pound rock into the center of the pond and creating a large ripple effect is the equivalent of the impact a new brand can have for its introduction into the market. Other attempts at a brand launch that are not unified and comprehensive is like taking one pound of pebbles and tossing it into the pond all at once, or two half-pound rocks and throwing them in one a time. Either scenario yields less of an impact and less of a ripple-effect, and thus, a less impactful brand launch.
But when a business applies strategy to a new rebrand effort, it can have a much more successful impact. Whether that is creating anticipation by deliberately but cleverly teasing that something new is coming, or by efficiently planning out when all of the touchpoints would be ready and then making a big deal about that date, these efforts can help the impact. Or perhaps you do it suddenly and abruptly and without notice to help maximize your goals of the rebrand.
The exact how and when depends on your business and your brand. But the importance of timing that is paramount to your brand’s success comes in the form of a consistent, comprehensive, and clear rollout of the (new) brand. Pebbles or a boulder. Clearly, one is going to give you a much bigger splash.
