Today, I was looking through my LinkedIn feed and noticed that there was an announcement about Sears Canada Rebranding. As Sears has had its ups and downs in the Canadian retail environment, I was intrigued and decided to click on the article. What came up was the link above.
This was a rebrand launch done by a stock promoter. What it really was, was merely an announcement of a logo change. It got me thinking how few people realize the difference between a logo and a brand and what a real brand launch is.
Your logo is merely a placeholder for the brand. It provides a visual cue so that people remember who you are. A Brand IS Who You Are! It tells your story and allows people to understand your value and why they should care about you and why they should engage. It is about the story. Who you are, why you do what you do, what your value in the marketplace is and how you market your brand is how people realize why they should care about you.
But why am I giving Sears Canada a “C”. Because the story just is not there. There is a new image, but not a reason WHY there is a new image. No one is telling me why they are going in a new direction or what that direction is. There is also inconsistency. If you read to the bottom of the press release, it give you a link to the sears.ca website AND THE OLD LOGO IS SHOWN PROMINENTLY!
Never launch a brand until you are ready to launch it.
That means the story is tight and you have a strategy to get it out to your internal and external clients. You have replaced logos on all major locations and all branded materials show the new face. Employees should also have gone through a branding exercise so that they know the new story so they can tell it themselves and believe in the new direction of the company.
Strategy, planning and implementation are key to developing a new brand and having it launch successfully.
Take the time to do it right.
We are here to help you develop your brand and tell your story, give us a call!
