Brand Naming Part 3: Renaming Your Brand.

For the final part of our series on brand names, we are taking a close look at the most sensitive topics in the realm of brand names, if not branding overall: renaming an existing brand. 

It’s a sensitive topic because renaming your brand is a sweeping change that affects everything. Your beloved company that you (and your employees and colleagues) all poured your love and attention into will completely change overnight. LinkedIn titles will have to be changed, the name on your office buzzer will have to be swapped out, new business cards and merch will have to be ordered, and you’ll have to correct your in-laws and clients for a while when they ask you where you work. 

It’s a daunting and scary task, one that many are too afraid to ever take the plunge into. But those who do so (with the right mindset and guides to help them) are rewarded greater than they could imagine. We know this because we’ve helped shepherd clients to the other side countless times. Their fear before taking the plunge always ends up as excitement and pure joy. Because making a sweeping change means you get a second chance to make a name for your brand—but you get to keep all of the learnings and knowledge you’ve already built up. It’s one of the most exciting, reinvigorating projects a brand can undergo—and it happens to be one of our specialities. 

So, let’s get to it!

How Do You Know It's Time to Rename Your Brand? 

Okay, so you think you would like to rename your brand but how do you know it’s the right time? Here are a few signs that your brand might be due for a renaming: 

1. You’ve outgrown your name: Maybe you started your business in a garage with a couple friends but several years later and you need a name to reflect the company you’ve become. This also means growing into new markets: needing to make your brand more international sounding, or even from a legal standpoint—other companies might be operating under your existing name in the new market you’ve got your sights set on.

2. Your company is pivoting: A new approach to your business can necessitate a rename if the old one no longer applies. It’ll help propel you, your whole company, and your clients into this new era by pretty immediately changing how everyone relates to it. Goodbye old, hello new. 

3. Your name is holding you back: The same way that a great name can open new doors, a bad or unsuitable name can close them. If you’re embarrassed to say your company’s name in a professional context then it’s definitely time to look at new options. 

Almost every renaming project we’ve worked on has been caused by one of these three reasons—if any of these three resonate with you, then we highly recommend at least considering a new name. 

What are the Risks of Renaming Your Brand? 

Let’s say you read the reasons above and think you’re ready to rename your brand. Congrats! It’s one of the most fun (and nervewracking) branding projects you can undertake as a business owner. That said, the quest is not without its risks and initial hurdles to overcome. 

If you pivot too hard with a new name it might confuse some of your longer term customers. Making sure that you keep the most essential elements of your existing brand—while also creating something new—is like threading a needle and best handled with care.

The toughest pill to swallow when renaming though is that your SEO and SEA rankings will have to be regrown.There is simply no way around the initial (non-insignificant) dip in your rankings that you’ll have to undergo when renaming. That said, with a strong rebrand and knowledge ahead of time that this will happen you can climb higher than you did before. 

The final thing to watch out for when renaming comes from within: your team. Names are emotional things, and your team might not be as ready for change as you are. The best approach to this is to involve them in the journey as much as possible. By letting them know that a renaming is happening it gives them time to emotionally prepare and be receptive to the idea. While it might seem like a fun idea to surprise the team with a new name and brand identity, it’s usually not the best way to get everybody on board.

When NOT to Rename Your Brand.

As we’ve already said, we love renaming brands. It’s an incredibly intimate process, and when clients put that much trust in us it always yields great results that we can both be proud of. But that said, we only love renaming things when you really need it. 

For this, we really only have one rule: if you don’t want to go big, don’t bother. Renaming is a big, involved process that is worth it only if you want to make a big change and not a small iteration. If you only want to commit to a subtle tweak to your existing name then we would almost always advise you to just stick with what you’re working with or wait until you’re ready to take the plunge. 

How Do You Rename A Brand? 

Okay, now onto the fun part: what does the renaming process look like? We have covered different aspects of what goes into the process of naming a brand in our previous posts about naming, and while the renaming process is similar, there are a few key differences that have to be taken into consideration when creating a new name for an existing company. We’ll outline the whole process here: 

1. Brand Insights: We take a look at your current brand from the inside out. This means having interviews with internal stakeholders on the branding project, various team members from the CEO to the marketing intern, and even clients. This helps give us a 3D understanding of what makes your brand tick—and what this new name needs to capture. We synthesize and present these insights to you before setting off on our quest to find a name. 
2. The Name Game: The creative bits can seem like a bit of a black box at times but we have a dedicated process to finding names: we take everything that we learned about your company during the insight phase and begin to broadly explore possibilities, trying to find a name that encapsulates your company’s work, team, and aspirations. We then circle in, closer and closer, until we arrive at a short list of names that we see could fit. CRU Storytellers then have internal meetings with the whole project team who then give their feedback and thoughts on the names until we arrive at the final selection.
3. Internal Review: But before we present any of the possible names that we create we always get them approved by a lawyer who ensures that it’s possible to use them in your industry. You can read about this process in greater depth in Part Two of our naming series—but it’s an important one. No one wants to get emotionally attached to an idea only to have your heart broken by a legal issue.
4. Choices Choices: After getting the list of names approved, we then make a curated selection of 3 (or a maximum of 4) names. We present each name with background on the strategical and storytelling reasoning that went into their creation. You then sit with these names and see how they feel. In an ideal scenario, you can immediately tell which one you can identify. But sometimes we have to do another round of names to search for the one. When we do find it, we can then start the exciting part of creating your brand spanking new brand.
5. Off to the Races: Depending on the project, this is where the magic really starts to happen. We turn that name into a full blown Brand Story that creates a clearcut narrative that your brand can follow—giving emotional firepower to your strategic vision and new direction. This is also the perfect time to start redesigning everything: from your color palette, website, presentation templates, business cards, you name it. We begin preparing assets and design documentation that allow you to launch not only your new name, but the future of your company. 
6. The Big Reveal: Organize a celebration with all of your friends and family at your headquarters to celebrate the new name and renewed vision of how you’ll take on the world. It should feel as momentous and joyous as when you first launched your company.

What Can I Expect After Renaming My Brand? 

After you’ve swept up the confetti and replied to all the comments on your reveal post on LinkedIn, now what? Well, there are a few different phases that happen once you commit to renaming your company and it’s a bit of a rollercoaster. But! Like a great rollercoaster, it’s a lot of fun and you’ll end up with a smile on your face, we promise. Here’s how the journey of a renaming goes for most people:

1. Pure Excitement: Woohoo! You’ve got this cool new name for your company that took a lot of work and the response seems to be good so far! The future looks bright!
2. Wait, Did I Make a Mistake?: Then comes a bit of doubt—maybe a client doesn’t get the idea for your new name or your colleague accidentally calls the company the old name. Second guessing things is only natural, especially after making a big decision. 
3. Warming Up: After a few weeks, you and your team will lean into the name, and those doubts will simply fade away. 
4. The New You: Then, 6 months after or so, there will come a moment when you realize where this new name has gotten you—and where you’ll get to. Maybe you’ll find a business card with your old name and logo on it, or maybe you’ll just reflect on the changes that have happened since renaming, but it’ll happen, guaranteed. And in that moment, if we did our job right, you’ll know that you made the right decision.

If you made it this far, then you’ve certainly gained a good insight into how we approach naming (and renaming) brands. If you’re working on a naming project then go forth and good luck, and if you need assistance well, we’re always open to help out.