How to know when it's time to rebrand?
As the sum total of your brand’s tone of voice, visual identity, values, mission, customer experience, and reputation, your brand is constantly evolving based on what you say, how you look, how you behave, and how people feel about you.
However, there comes an inflection point when any one—or all—of the variables that contribute to an organization’s brand shift drastically enough to warrant the question: “Should we consider rebranding?”
Unfortunately, the spectrum of evolving a brand is vast, with no single scope or scale as a reference. There are, however, a series of questions we can ask ourselves when considering the exercise, to ensure we invest in the right approach.
Evolving vs. rebranding
The first consideration when approaching a potential rebrand is scale. Depending on the external variables and brand elements giving you pause, re-addressing your brand may simply be a cosmetic exercise (e.g., visuals are looking outdated, brand colors are not accessible), a strategic one (e.g., mergers, acquisitions, or business pivots), or both. Depending on your organization’s size and sector, these updates could require a relatively modest investment in time and resources—or something far more significant.
The decision-making checklist
Simplifying the ingredients of a brand to: Brand = What you say + How you look + How you behave + How people feel about you, the impetus for a rebrand is often linked to one of the above. Consider the following questions when discussing direction with your team. These conversations are critical—not only because they help chart the path forward, but because they help gain commitment and alignment from organizational leaders at the outset.
Brand relevance
- Does your brand feel outdated visually or verbally?
- Has your messaging stopped resonating with your target audience?
- Are competitors visually or strategically more compelling?
Example: In June 2021, popular Norwegian gear retailer Douchebags officially rebranded to Db Journey as part of a larger effort to align with the brand’s global growth strategy and to distance itself from the controversy and limitations associated with its original tongue-in-cheek name.
Business evolution
- Have we pivoted or expanded our products/services?
- Are we entering new markets or targeting new demographics?
- Have we undergone a merger, acquisition, or restructuring?
Example: After being acquired by Milliken & Company in 2019, Polartec refreshed its identity to align more closely with its parent’s innovation-driven focus by updating its branding and marketing to reflect a more premium, tech-forward positioning.
Reputation + recognition
- Is our brand associated with negative perceptions or confusion?
- Are customers misunderstanding what we offer or stand for?
- Is our brand easily recognizable and distinct from others?
Example: At risk of being perceived as too traditional or unwelcoming to newcomers or underrepresented communities, REI audited its brand values and shifted its narrative to address perceptions of exclusivity in the outdoor industry. This was followed by a series of key initiatives such as Co-op Studios, the Force of Nature initiative, and their now-famous #OptOutside campaign.
Internal alignment
- Has our mission, vision, or values evolved?
- Does our current brand reflect who we are today?
- Are employees proud to represent the brand?
Example: In 2023, Oboz introduced a rebrand to better reflect their Bozeman roots, employee-driven values, and sustainability commitments. Their evolved mission was driven by a desire to build internal pride and external clarity.
Customer feedback
- Have customers expressed confusion, apathy, or inconsistency in perception?
- Do we need to close the gap between how we want to be seen and how we’re actually seen?
Example: Suffering from declining brand equity and customer feedback that technical credibility had faded, Mountain Hardwear rebranded with a cleaner logo, refreshed gear design, and messaging that re-established its alpine roots in 2019–2020. The goal? Reconnect with core outdoor users and reassert technical authority.
Strategic opportunity
- Could a refreshed brand help us unlock growth?
- Do we need to reposition to better compete or stand out?
- Is there an opportunity to tell a clearer, more compelling story?
Example: Aiming to move beyond its legacy as a hardcore cycling brand and better connect with a broader outdoor audience, Pearl Izumi refreshed its visual identity, messaging, and tone in 2022—shifting toward everyday riders and embracing bike life beyond racing.
And potentially, the most critical questions:
Operational readiness
- Do we have leadership and stakeholder buy-in?
- Do we have the budget, timeline, and resources to do it right?
- Are we ready to implement change across all touchpoints?
Example: Unlike the examples above, many outdoor brands have also faced scrutiny and negative outcomes when undergoing a brand evolution or rebranding exercise. Despite the timing and catalyst positioning the company for success, pre-2010, Eddie Bauer underwent several identity shifts—from outdoor gear to lifestyle fashion and back again. A lack of unified vision, internal alignment, and poor execution across channels led to inconsistent branding, product confusion, and unclear retail positioning, ultimately weakening customer perception.
Ultimately, a rebrand’s success can be distilled into one part strategy and one part buy-in. In order to maintain control over your brand, it must be understood, adopted, and operationalized both internally and externally. When considering a rebrand, you must also plan for how to gain internal commitment and ensure adoption—both within your team and with your customers.
For more on that topic, take a look at this interview with two industry leaders who have succeeded in operationalizing their brand across all aspects of their respective organizations.
