4 tips for a successful brand launch

10 years, 7 global offices and nearly 700 employees after the first review was written on Trustpilot, we rebranded. It took about a year. A year filled with countless hours of hard work, research, interviews, presentations and more Google docs and coffee than we care to remember! Here’s what we learned along the way.

Nail the messaging

Your new visual identity is paramount but when launch day rolls around, it’s just as important to be able to explain why you chose to go a certain direction and attach a meaningful story to your cool new logo. A rebrand is an excellent opportunity to reflect on what you’ve accomplished so far and introduce a refreshed narrative that can help unite your people behind one core idea. And once you’ve developed that core narrative, stick to it. That’s not to say you can’t evolve and improve your messaging, but changing it shortly after launch will likely create confusion and lessen its overall impact.

Don’t spend it all on the party

If your budget is limited (and let’s face it, most are!) a flashy venue and designer cocktails with gold dust may not be the way to go. It takes years and not weeks to implement a new brand, so the launch should leave a lasting impression that you can continue to build on. Saving some budget to update the office environment or to give people branded items can help cement your new brand beyond the launch-party hangover.

Create multi-purpose content

When it comes to revealing your new brand to the world, there are thousands of ways to do it. Whether you go for a classic sit-down presentation or use skywriting, creating content that can live on after launch can be a good way to stretch your budget. This could be a brand video that can be used both internally and externally or photography that’s fit for your website as well as print or social media campaigns.

Ask for feedback

While you’re on a mission to create the best brand known to humankind, lots of people (both within and outside the company) will be curious to know what’s going on. They’ll also have wide-ranging opinions on what the new brand should be. It may seem like a distraction at times but that heartfelt feedback is usually a gift. Making your rebrand process as inclusive as possible and asking for feedback throughout will help both your employees and customers feel more ownership of the new brand once it’s launched. So don’t keep it a secret. Be transparent about what to expect and when. And simply smile and nod at the person that keeps telling you to give up because rebranding is too hard!

By Annemiek Wilson, senior communications manager, Trustpilot