As many of us think back over 2024 and start the new year with resolutions for personal growth, it’s important to remember that businesses can benefit from similar reflection and introspection. Consider your brand: How’s it working for you?
For companies facing market shifts, audience evolution, or internal changes, a brand revitalization could be an important step toward achieving 2025 goals. Conducting a thorough brand audit at the beginning of the year can help you evaluate what’s working and what’s not in order to make the necessary refinements and shifts that will set you on a course for success this year and well into the future.
At (matter), we craft and implement solid rebranding creative and marketing strategies for our clients to ensure they remain relevant and impactful, and we believe that with a data-led approach, your brand can see similar success in the years ahead.
Identifying the Need for a Rebrand
Much like honing a personal resolution for improvement in the new year, it can be difficult to determine when brand changes might be beneficial and where to start. There are a few key indicators of brand health that might signal it’s time for a fresh approach:
Conducting an audit to measure brand awareness and affinity can help you identify whether your brand might be suffering from these symptoms, but evaluating internal and external factors can also help you determine whether a proactive brand shift might help prevent decline. Internal business changes, such as mergers, acquisitions, or shifts in your business model could be a catalyst for a unifying rebrand, as much as market shifts, emerging industry trends, and evolving customer preferences can impact your brand’s relevance.
The (matter) Approach
We love to explore these questions with our clients at (matter) because we believe that research and asking data-driven questions is foundational to building a successful business. Whether it’s re-evaluating an existing strategy or launching an entirely new brand identity, product, or service, we’re passionate about uncovering the unique human insights that help companies like yours stay relevant, truly connect with their audience, and, ultimately, matter more.
Our in-house, PhD-led team of anthropologists and marketing experts use all the tools at our disposal—including surveys, focus groups, user testing, and more—to conduct in-depth competitive research. Through that process, we establish a baseline for your current brand health, identify any market gaps, get an understanding of your target audience’s needs, and analyze the data to provide a SWOT analysis and audience personas. Our insights can help refine or redefine your brand’s narrative to make a meaningful and relevant emotional connection with your audience.
Brand Stories That (matter)
Our signature approach to brand revitalization has helped companies across multiple industries pivot, adapt, and thrive. Here are just a few examples:
John Frieda
When John Frieda approached us, the iconic salon-quality hair care brand was struggling to connect with a younger, global audience. We knew we needed to understand what would inspire Millennials’ enthusiasm for the John Frieda brand and how to leverage it to create sustainable brand growth.
Our team designed a robust program of audience surveys, focus groups, one-on-one interviews, in-person workshops, and advanced social listening to hear what women were saying about John Frieda, the competitors, and their hair care products in general. Using those insights, we developed key customer personas, a resonant campaign statement, and a new visual brand identity that launched through a national omni-channel campaign.
The result spoke volumes, with engagement and organic reach more than tripling and a staggering 31% growth in retail sales.
EVS (Electronic Verification Systems)
For 25 years, EVS had led the way with cutting-edge security technologies, but their website and early-2000s logo were lagging when they approached us for insights. Starting with a comprehensive industry audit, we saw an opportunity for EVS to take advantage of its own core strengths and emphasize its deep industry expertise as a differentiator.
Using our comprehensive methods, we conducted audience research to identify the key targets, their goals, pain points, and motivators, as well as new trends and opportunities across industries. With the insights from that data, we developed customer personas, a visual identity overhaul, and a website redesign with clear user journeys and a UI aligned with the new brand identity.
The result was a streamlined, modern brand applied consistently across all touchpoints that better represented EVS’s forward-thinking business and gave prospects clear paths to purchase.
U-Pull & Pay
U-Pull approached us as an underdog: A utilitarian and unmemorable brand with a regional portfolio of junkyards. In-depth audience research, segmentation, market assessment, and persona development gave us insights into transforming the company into a relatable brand with total category ownership.
Through brand planning, strategy, and analytics, we crafted a big idea to propel them forward, overhauled their website, launched a national ad campaign, and improved recruitment, all through an insights-led brand identity.
The result was a record-breaking year of in-store visits, applicants, and ad engagement, not to mention the junkyard became cool again.
Lunazul
When Lunazul came to us, they had a smooth-drinking tequila languishing on liquor stores’ bottom shelves. In order to develop a compelling point of view that would break through to new consumers, we began with focus groups that revealed key attributes of the brand’s primary audience.
The focus group data provided a clear audience mindset and sparked a new campaign idea that informed a brand shift with new videos, photography, website, social media, and point-of-sale assets. Using the new visual language with a stronger emotional connection, we developed a brand toolkit that could be deployed across all platforms.
The result for the once-overlooked label was an in-store sales increase of 140% and a 400% increase in brand lift.
Start Your New Brand Story
Brand revitalization is more than a visual update; it’s a strategic investment in your company’s future. By taking a thoughtful, data-driven approach, you can ensure your brand remains relevant, resonates with your audience, and drives growth.
The new year is the perfect time to evaluate your brand’s performance and make the necessary adjustments to set yourself up for success. At (matter), we’re passionate about helping brands uncover the insights that matter most. Whether you’re looking to make updates or embark on a full-scale rebrand, our team is here to guide you every step of the way. Let’s make your brand matter more this year.
