Last Updated on March 7, 2024
What is a brand?
Before learning how to make an old brand relevant or propose a rebranding strategy, it’s important to understand branding itself.
A brand can be thought of as the visual representation of your business, service or product. Think in the lines of website design, slogan design, logo, name and video production. The aim of these brand instigators is to create awareness and popularity as well as making your business recognizable. Branding is a visual form of advertising that will allow the consumer to create a familiarity with the product or service.
Companies that have been in the business for a long time will be able to tell you that there is a science behind creating the right branding package. Your brand’s logo and design will need to adapt to the trends and pop culture of its timeframe. A strong brand creates a recipe to stay relevant and current with the times. So how do you stay ‘new’ when you are age-old? Ray-Ban, who is known for its designer sunglasses, has such a strategy in place that allowed them to practice successful rebranding for over 75-years.
Ray-Ban’s 75 Years of Success
One thing that Ray-Ban learned sooner rather than later is the tremendous importance of technology in branding. Ray-Ban understands that the only way to truly stay with the times is to be in the ‘now’ with what is going on with technology trends and developments.
For this leading sun-wear company the expression of individuality is of high importance, the brand wants to create timeless eyewear fashion while still staying relevant with currents trends and styles. The most popular sunglasses created by this brand include the Aviator, the Wayfarer and the Clubmaster these have managed to stay unique while becoming classics.
What makes Ray-Ban different from its competitors is the fact that the brand produces the sunglasses first and foremost, it’s not a designer name trying to design sunglasses, but the name itself is synonymous with sunwear. This brand is not associated with a particular age group, nationality or sex, it’s universal and this is part of what determines its success.
Ray-Ban values their consumer and they want to make the purchasing process as accessible and easy as possible. The company now has an e-commerce site in place as well as a virtual ‘try on’ function. It is about communicating with your audience in the way that they communicate with each other.
Building Your Brand Image
When it comes to building your brand image you want to stand out from the rest. The only way this can be done is to be original and innovative with your design ideas and creative concepts. In 2012 the “Legends” Communication Campaign launched by Ray-Ban featured personal profiles of consumer archetypes from all of the seven decades of its existence.
This is a way of thinking out of the box while incorporating the history of the brand with the present day trends.
Your Logo Should Be:
- Impressionable
- Memorable
- Easy to Read
- Easy to Produce
- Unique
Keep in mind that this logo would have to appear of menus, flyers, posters, business cards, bags, windows etc. The design should be able to ‘adapt’ to all these different platforms.
Choose Your Colour
It’s important to choose a color for your logo and design that will be pleasing to the individual and not confuse them. With design less is always more, so instead of choosing every color in the rainbow stick to a few complimentary colors and stick to these on all advertising campaigns.
Brand Management Tips
- Actions Speak louder than words. Don’t try and convince your audience that your product or service is the best, show them. This can be done through sampling, personal testimonies and direct communication.
- Be active online. Have a social media management system in place to ensure that you reach all your clients on all the online platforms available. This helps a lot with staying relevant.
- Establish a ‘voice’. Don’t confuse your audience by being contradictory; make sure that everyone on the company understands the ‘online’ voice as well as the ethos, goals and vision of the company. This will help you come across as being unified.
- Research is key. Always research your audience’s preferences and feelings towards your brand. Given the client what they want is the key to your success.
Check out our previous articles:
- Words as Images by Ji Lee
- 35 Wisdom Packed Owl Logo Designs
- 45 Heart and Love Logo Designs
- 51 Clever Camera and Photography Logo Designs
- 50 Excellent Text Oriented Logo Designs
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