Sam and Ruth Harrowfield discuss the process and benefits that their rebrand journey delivered.
“When we first started the conversation, we had something that was pretty much hacked together. It was adequate for getting started as a business, but it wasn’t going to serve us long term. We got to a point as a business where the brand needed to change gear if we were going to actually get some traction in the market. So that’s when we pulled the trigger and started talking to Re:brand.
I like the fact that Re:brand run a very structured approach. They’re very methodical. It’s not just a whole pile of ideas on a page and hoping something sticks. They’re actually quite strategic in the way they go about unpacking, uncovering and determining what our brand identity and language might look like and we really value that.
It was a very tailored, considered approach that took into account our language, our philosophy, our beliefs, our style, our appetite for risk and what we wanted to present to the market. The thing that stood out for us about Re:brand was their focus on the deeper essence of the brand and the more evidence led approach to working that out, rather than just the superficial elements of branding.
What really stood out to me, most probably because I’m a visual person, was the look and feel of the brand. But also knowing that it had all those deep roots under it, that it all meant something. It was connected to a deeper meaning and a true essence of us, which I felt we’d worked hard to get to.
It was knowing this looks really cool on the surface, but it’s also really deep underneath because it would be meaningless without that underneath part.
The rebranding change over the biggest thing it did was give us a great sense of confidence in ourselves that we really have something unique to the market to offer. The identity and story that goes with that gave us the backbone to be able to really present ourselves in a more assertive kind of way.
This wasn’t a quick fresh coat of paint spruce up. This was a complete reinvention of how we thought about and perceived ourselves in the market. We’ve become more attractive as an employer. We have increased sales growth and it’s also helped us better articulate what we stand for and what we offer to our clients.
So it’s a win all round.
What I would say to anyone who’s thinking about rebranding is go for it because you’ll end up learning a lot about yourself, but also it’ll give you a language which you can work with. Just be prepared to dig deep, to discover things that you might not have really thought about or realised for yourself.
Be prepared to find out how cool your organisation actually is. It’s like discovering your superpower. You’re digging in, you’re finding out who you are, and then it’s something you’re proud to tell the rest of the world.”
