When you get tired of your look, what do you do? Maybe you change your hair or your fashion style. You’ll look different on the outside, but inside, you’re still the same person with the same values and personality. The same concept can be applied to your brand, and it’s called a brand refresh! This is different from a rebrand, which would involve changing everything about your brand identity, from its appearance to its mission and strategies.

A brand refresh usually involves visual updates, like a new logo or color scheme. There are many reasons why you might want a brand refresh — usually, a refresh is needed to keep up with changes in the industry, in your audience, or somewhere else in your business. Here are some signs that it’s time for an update.

Branding trends can change drastically over time

There are ever-changing trends in every industry. You don’t have to update your brand to fit every new trend — that would be exhausting, costly, and time-consuming. It can also make your brand look unstable. However, an update might be worth it every five to 10 years, especially if the trends have drastically changed in that time. Sticking to the old trends can make your brand look outdated.

Envato reported that 2023 will be a big year for bold branding. That includes bright and daring color combinations, 1950s-style mascots, and fun animations.

When there’s a change in your products or service

It may be time for a brand refresh if you want to emphasize a change in your business’s offerings, like a new product or service. Dunkin’ Donuts is a perfect example: They updated their name to just Dunkin’ to shift their focus from donuts to coffee and other drinks.

Your competition is leveling up

Finding your place in a highly-competitive industry can be tricky. It’s important to find balance. You want to stand out and not look exactly like your competitors. On the other hand, if they’ve made themselves more appealing to your audience, it might be time for you to follow suit. This can tie into keeping up with trends so your brand doesn’t look outdated compared to competitors.

Column Five Media suggests doing a competitive analysis to see how your business is stacking up to others. That involves writing down all the competitors you can think of — including current competitors and brands you aspire to compete with on the same level. Then, you analyze everything from products/services to values/missions and strengths or weaknesses. (You might even find that a total rebrand is necessary in order to compete.)

You’re changing your target audience

After some analysis, you might find that your current target audience isn’t getting results for your brand. You can change your target audience, which might lead to a brand refresh (or a rebrand) that reflects what would appeal to the new audience. For example, Lucky Charms used to target kids. However, after conducting research, the brand found that millennial adults were eating the cereal more. So, they made changes to their campaigns.

As always, keep it consistent

We’ve said it dozens of times: Consistency is key in branding! When you make updates, make those updates across the board. Let’s say you have a new color scheme or a new logo. That new color scheme or logo should appear on all your content, including social media, the website, and the blog. If your current brand appearance can’t be consistent for some reason, that means it’s time for a refresh to something that can be consistent.

Contact October Dreams Marketing to discuss what you can do to improve your brand in 2023.