The Rebrand Process: Timeline + Teams

Rebranding is a circus. A predictably complicated group act that typically coincides with a heavy operational transformation.

See below how your internal steering groups and external branding specialists might work together over a couple of years (incl. where my studio and I usually fit):

Watch what this two-year process looked like for a global b2b company:

Refresh ＜ ＞ Rebrand Spectrum

• Refreshes feel like a continuation of the same brand
• Rebrands are an overhaul and highly consequential

Wherever you are on the refresh ＜ ＞ rebrand spectrum, you will likely start the whole process with a diagnosis of what the business vision is, why the current brand is no longer the right vehicle to get you there, and the likely positioning stages you'll progress through to get to the vision (often a decade out).

The most common knowledge gap I encounter is knowing when to start positioning—what it actually means, and what it strategically affects. Repositions, even if limited to a slight adjustment, naturally occur every couple of years to align company capabilities with market conditions. In most cases, they do not warrant any other significant branding changes. But they are always at the start of a rebrand, and you shouldn't start the brand identity work until you've nailed down your position.

Positioning in one sentence: What you are selling today.

Here's my favourite positioning framework:

If you want to gain further understanding of each stage of the brand identity creation process, check out my posts that cover:

Positioning (4mins)

Storytelling (7 mins)

Logo Refresh vs Rebrand (9 mins)

Would love to hear from you if this was helpful. The conversation is on LinkedIn.