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Rebranding
October 20, 2026 Rebranding is when a business changes one or more parts of its brand, such as the name, logo, colors, tagline, messaging or positioning, so that customers see it differently than before.
What is rebranding?
A new logo that looks nicer while customers understand the brand exactly as they did before is a brand refresh. Rebranding usually reaches into the strategy behind the brand as well.
Three levels of change
| Level | What changes | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Refresh | Fine-tuning the logo, fonts, colors and packaging. Name and positioning stay the same | Low, customers still recognize the brand |
| Identity rebrand | A new brand identity system and tagline, possibly a new brand personality | Medium, customers need time to get used to it |
| New name or new positioning | New name, new target customers, new category | High, part of the awareness built up so far is lost |
When should you rebrand?
Good reasons usually come from changes inside the business itself:
- A merger, a spin-off, or a move into a category the old name no longer fits.
- A shift in target customers, for example from middle-aged buyers to people under 30.
- Trademark problems with the name or logo, or a crisis that is hard to shake off.
- Expansion into several markets where the old name is hard to pronounce or has a bad meaning in another language.
Weak reasons: new leadership wanting to leave its mark, or falling sales when the real cause is price, product or sales channels. A new logo will not fix a bad product.
Real examples
Vinamilk, July 2023. On July 6, 2023, the Vietnamese dairy company Vinamilk unveiled a new identity: a wordmark logo with the line “Est 1976”, two main colors called “Xanh rực rỡ” (vibrant blue) and “Kem sữa ngọt ngào” (sweet milk cream), three custom typefaces and a library of hand-drawn illustrations. The company said the new identity expresses a personality that is “bold, determined, always true to itself” (VietnamFinance, July 2023). The name stayed the same, “Est 1976” kept its 47-year history in view, and what changed was the personality and the visuals.
Gap, October 2010. Gap put a new logo on its US website, received more than 2,000 comments on Facebook, most of them asking for the old logo back, and after about a week returned to the old logo with the word Gap in a blue square. Gap’s North America president admitted the company “did not go about this in the right way” (The Drum, October 2010). The old logo was an asset customers were attached to. Drop it without a reason customers can understand, and the backlash is predictable.
Rebranding steps
- Assess where you stand: which elements (colors, shapes, words) customers use to remember the brand. Those elements should be kept or only fine-tuned.
- Rewrite the brand strategy before any design work: positioning, customers, personality and brand voice.
- Design and test with real customers, including long-time loyal ones.
- Check trademarks: a new logo or name needs a search and a filing for protection before it is announced.
- List every touchpoint that has to change: signage, packaging, website, app, fan page, Google Business Profile, contracts, invoices.
- Tell employees first, then announce it publicly.
Frequently asked questions
Does rebranding hurt SEO rankings?
Changing the logo or colors does not. Changing the domain can, if you do not 301 redirect every old URL to its matching new URL and file a change of address in Google Search Console.
Do I need to register the trademark again after changing the logo?
A new logo that differs significantly from the protected version usually needs a new application. Ask an industrial property representative before you print anything.
If you are considering a rebrand and need to decide what to keep and what to change before design starts, contact Adtek to talk with our Brand Strategy team.
