Brands are constantly evolving to ensure future growth and relevance. Even the longest-standing and greatest brands in the world need rejuvenation, if not a total rebrand, in order to maintain market leadership.

Lorraine Carter, founder and principal of Persona Branding and Design, points out that rebranding or revitalisation can take many guises. It can involve the wholesale change of a company, service or product, inside and out – including name, culture, values, vision, mission, proposition, positioning, purpose, behaviours, tone, visual collateral, and all that entails, with no connections to the legacy entity. Alternatively, it can be something less dramatic and of a more subtle, evolutionary nature, in the form of a brand refresh.

Carter argues that refreshing a law firm’s brand – or rebranding entirely – requires a process of due diligence. Engagement with the external market, customers, stakeholders and influencers is hugely important. By contrast, approaching a rebranding or brand refresh process without strategic planning, market insights, and customer engagement can have disastrous consequences. Truly effective branding requires much more than changes to a logo – it requires an understanding of strategic objectives for the brand.

You can read Carter’s full article in the April issue of the Law Society Gazette.