The Art and Science of Brand Reinvention

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Shownotes

In this episode Bill Kenney shares his journey from an art school student to a business owner, and how he co-founded Focus Lab with a business partner. The discussion covers common reasons why companies need to rebrand, such as company maturity, M&A activity, and addressing trademark issues. Bill offers tips for successful branding projects, including setting expectations, keeping the core team small, and trusting the process even when faced with criticism. He emphasizes maintaining a company’s core values and culture while adapting to changing market needs. The episode also explores potential pitfalls in B2B branding, such as over-relying on competitors and seeking too many subjective opinions.

About the guest

Bill Kenney is the Co-founder, Partner, and CEO of Focus Lab and Odi, two global B2B branding agencies. Past clients include Marketo, Salesloft, Zuora, Braze, Outreach, LaunchDarkly, Twilio, Adobe, ASAPP, Luminate, Netflix, Shopify, and many others. Bill is also the author of the Amazon best-seller “Conquer Your Rebrand.” When he’s not working you can find Bill in one of three places: his couch, the local Jiu-Jitsu gym, or his camper in Vermont.

Connect with Bill Kenney

Key takeaways

Common reasons for rebranding include company maturity, M&A activity, trademark issues, and the need to differentiate from competitors.
Tips for successful branding projects include setting expectations, keeping the core team small, and trusting the process even when faced with criticism.
Maintaining a company’s core values and culture is crucial when rebranding, as it helps bring the brand’s heart and soul forward.
Potential pitfalls in B2B branding include over-relying on competitors, seeking too many subjective opinions, and over-emphasizing measuring ROI.
AI can be a useful tool in enhancing visual storytelling, but it cannot replace the human interaction and strategic decision-making required for successful branding.

Quotes

“The brand is going to be so much larger and different in received through different meanings than what it is when you’re creating it.”

-Bill Kenney

Highlights from this episode

What makes a rebrand necessary, and when should companies consider rebranding?

Bill highlights key reasons that make a rebrand necessary and when companies should consider it:

Company Maturity: As a company grows and matures, its brand may no longer reflect its current size, capabilities, and positioning in the market. They may need to update their brand to appear more enterprise-level.
M&A Activity: When companies go through mergers and acquisitions, rebranding can help integrate the cultures, missions, and values of the combined organization.
Trademark Issues: If a company’s name or branding elements cannot be trademarked, it may be necessary to rebrand to avoid legal issues.
Commoditization: If a company’s market has become commoditized and it needs to differentiate itself through its brand, a rebrand can be beneficial.

So in summary, companies should consider rebranding when their current brand no longer reflects who they are as a maturing organization, when going through major changes like M&A, when facing trademark challenges, or when they need to stand out in a commoditized market.

What tips would you have for marketing leaders who are thinking about a new brand project or rebrand?

According to Bill Kenny, here are some key tips for marketing leaders embarking on a new brand project or rebrand:

Set expectations that the process will be challenging at times. Understand that there will be unknowns and obstacles along the way.
Don’t try to please everyone. Keep the core project team small and focused, and make sure key stakeholders are closely involved.
Be objective and data-driven in your decision-making, rather than relying on subjective opinions from too many people.
Prepare for the fact that there will be people who don’t like the new brand when it launches, and don’t let that derail the process. Trust the strategic vision and direction.
Focus on telling a compelling story about where the company is going and what the brand represents, rather than just focusing on visual elements.
Understand that the brand will take on new meanings and perceptions over time that you can’t fully control. Focus on building a great customer experience.

How do you help companies keep their heart and soul, their core values when rebranding?

Bill explains that the branding efforts should bring those elements forward, rather than risk leaving them behind:

The company’s culture, energy, and authentic personality should be captured in the new visual identity, language, and brand voice. This makes the brand feel more human and approachable.
The branding process should focus on sitting down with the company to deeply understand what’s important to them and make that the North Star for the new brand.
The design decisions like typography, color palette, and imagery should work to pull the company’s core values and DNA to the forefront, rather than making the brand feel overly corporate or sterile.
The goal is to make the new brand feel more true to who the company is, not just what they think it should look like on the surface. This helps maintain the brand’s heart and soul.

What are some of the common pitfalls or mistakes that you see companies make when it comes to rebranding?

Bill Kenny shares some of the common pitfalls and mistakes companies make when rebranding:

Trying to act a certain way or fit a certain image just because they are in the B2B technology industry, rather than being authentic to their brand.
Becoming overly focused on measuring the ROI of the rebrand, can lead to getting lost in the data and missing the bigger picture.
Chasing their competitors and trying to copy what other brands in their space are doing, rather than focusing on their own unique identity.
Seeking too much subjective feedback from friends, family, and uninformed sources, can complicate the decision-making process.
Launching the new brand without properly communicating the story and vision behind it, leads to confusion and a lack of buy-in.