Rebranding refers to a process of changing the corporate image of a company. It is a market strategy that gives entirely a new name, or symbol or even changes a design of an already-established organisation. Rebranding is a common practice and many businesses rebrand their brands every seven to ten years. It can be through changing logo design, colour, website modification, or brand name (Chapleo and Suomi, 2021). Rebranding is done to improve a company's visual identity. Considering the example of Dunkin, immediately one thinks about the donuts. Even though this is a symbol of robust brand awareness, the brand is determined to drop the expression 'donuts' in a rebranding so that the customer experience can be modernised. The stores were changed and a new logo was made to freshen up the brand message.
Another example of rebranding is Domino's Pizza. It faced serious losses in 2009 and held just a 9% share of the pizza market. The brand used the concept of rebranding and emphasised finding the things that customers did not like about their items. In 2016, the brand managed to grab a 16% share and achieve customer loyalty (Nana et al., 2019.). It was the first company that used chatbots to take orders through social media platforms.
Question 2: Why was Project hello commissioned? Was this a tactical or strategic move?Project Hello was commissioned to explore the possibilities of a new name that can effectively communicate the brand message among a diverse set of stakeholders. It was a strategic move since the company wanted to know how customers perceive their services and what changes they want the company should focus on (Mehrotra and Beamish, 2020). It was because of Project Hello commissioned that the charity organisation found that the BoysTown brand name was considered outdated and belonged to an era when gender division used to exist. Through Project Hello, the company found out the need for a rebranding and how difficult it is for the staff members to explain the organisation.
The existing brand name needs serious modifications and old-fashioned perceptions relating to the brand must be removed. It was a planned strategic move taken by the company after facing tough competition from existing rivals like Returned Service League, Surf Life Saving Australia, and Deaf Services. The company had just 53% of public awareness and it was found through a project commissioned that some serious strategic moves need to be taken to enhance the brand image as well as awareness among the target audience (Mehrotra and Beamish, 2020).
Question 3: Who were the stakeholders of BoysTown/yourTown?BoysTown or YourTown is an Australian-based non-profit service-oriented organisation that serves young people and children. It is supported by different stakeholders together with federal and state governing bodies, corporate societies, and most significantly members of the general public society (Mehrotra and Beamish, 2020). The charity organisation is best recognised for its Art Union Program where stakeholders purchase raffle tickers so that they can enter into lucky draws and get a chance to win houses or cars.
Stakeholders of YourTown include counsellors, young employees, local mentors, trade people, professional trainers, employment consulting bodies, community support employees, child and family supporters, marketing experts, fundraises and media planners, researchers, administrators, and accounting professionals.
Question 4: Was the rebranding from BoysTown to YourTown the right course of action?Yes, the rebranding from BoysTown to YourTown was the right course of action. The company performed extensive research with the young generation and discovered that majority of them were not aware of the services offered by it. Even though it offers several kinds of services that are custom-made so that affected people can get the benefit. The old brand name lacked relevance as well as clarity and it was too simple. The old brand name was limited to boys only as the name of the company shows and this was the main issue that the company realised after conducting research (Mehrotra and Beamish, 2020). The company wanted to spread the brand message to all target audiences and serve the needs of almost every deserving person in society.
Rebranding was a suitable course of action where a company can clarify its intents and communicate with the target audience in a meaningful and empowering manner. It was the right strategic move that the company took in an attempt to spread awareness about its services and listen directly to its stakeholders about what needs to be done about this matter. The decision of rebranding was a mutual decision that the company took along with its all key stakeholders so that every single person can get involved and enjoy the process. Continuous feedback was taken all over the design process to develop something new, raw and inclusive rather than fancy.
Question 5: How was the rebrand launched? What, if anything, would you have done differently?The rebranding was launched with careful planning and presentation. It was based on the research analysis and market study so that changes can be made accordingly. Several measures were taken before changing the brand name from BoysTown to YourTown. Initially, a Facebook page was made with the name of 'yourtown hall' where all stakeholders were encouraged to join in and share their experiences in an open platform. It was done to support the launch of the new name and underline the theme that 'yourtown is our town' (Mehrotra and Beamish, 2020). Business cards were developed along with banners, pamphlets, and letterheads to make the process interesting and interactive. New uniforms were also designed and displayed on social media to enhance the visibility of the brand.
Rebranding was officially launched on 1st March and every stakeholder was encouraged to join the celebration. Local media was also invited for the event coverage. Internally, the rebranding initiative was quickly accepted and it developed a sense of vitality and collectiveness (Mehrotra and Beamish, 2020). Employees were ready to embrace the change and the overall transition led to a positive impact on the organisational culture. The concerning thing was how external stakeholders will consider the change together with government and corporate partners like Bupa and Singtel Optus. These were the key fundraisers of the company. Here, some different things need to be done to get their support and it must relate to taking their confidence before the launch. Individual meetings must be done with the primary funders and seek their feedback on the decision of rebranding.
Question 6: How would you characterize the rebranding to date: too slow, as expected, exceeding expectations?Rebranding is a slow process, but it has the potential to exceed everyone's expectations. On average, it takes a year or two to start from scratch and lead to the final goal. The timeframe includes extensive market research, name conceptualisation, seeking trademark approval, implementing a considerate and engaging campaign, and then finally launching the event of rebranding. The main characteristic of a rebranding practice is to introduce an innovative change in the brand that can create a meaningful impact on the target audience. It is a challenging process since massive changes are involved and all are embraced simultaneously (Bugg Holloway and Williams, 2019). It is not easy for a company to think of rebranding and work on it immediately.
To make a rebranding successful, it needs to exceed the expectation levels and this can be possible through careful planning and consideration. Before rebranding, the company must identify the need and gap between the existing and potential state. This sets the direction and lets the experts maintain the progress of rebranding effectively.
Question 7: How can yourtown increase its brand awareness?For non-profit ventures like YourTown, brand awareness plays a central role since it connects possible donors, volunteer groups, and other advocates by assisting the company to stand out from its rivals and grab the attention of those most eager to become part of its noble cause. YourTown can increase its brand awareness by starting with the mission of the project and developing a marketing message that needs to be aligned with the broad goals of an organisation (Olmedo, 2018). It is important to design a new visual identity for a brand so that clients can get new experiences and attract to it. Moreover, YourTown can develop a branding guide for internal use so that staff members can understand their new goals and expectations levels. A solid content plan is needed so that a rebranding strategy can be implemented to develop awareness about the services offered to deserving members of society.
ReferencesBugg Holloway, B. and Williams, L., 2019. Reflections on a rebrand: From a campus divided to a unified university. Journal of Education Advancement & Marketing, 4(3), pp.239-250.
Chapleo, C. and Suomi, K., 2021. Internal marketing and branding: Nonprofit marketing starts from the inside. In Charity Marketing (pp. 198-210). Routledge.
Nana, S., Tobias-Mamina, R., Chiliya, N. and Maziriri, E.T., 2019. The impact of corporate rebranding on brand equity and firm performance. Journal of Business and Retail Management Research, 13(4).
Olmedo, A., 2018. Venture Philanthropy and Education Policy‐Making: Charity, Profit, and the So‐Called “Democratic State”. The Wiley Handbook of Global Educational Reform, pp.47-69.
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