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GottaBe!’s rebranding process: why is it important to rebrand?

3rd March 2022
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As you may have seen by now, GottaBe! have just unveiled our new logo in celebration of our 14th birthday! To mark the occasion, we have relaunched our podcast Marketing Goodies.

We took the chance to talk to GottaBe!’s in-house Graphic Designer Olly about the creative process behind the rebranding of our logo. And even managed to get a few moments with Tomasz Dyl, Managing Director and Founder of GottaBe!, to discuss why we rebranded and how he feels about the agency turning 14!

Keep scrolling to listen to our first podcast since the relaunch. Martin Rothwell, our Client Relations Lead, interviews Olly Rayner and Tomasz Dyl on GottaBe!’s rebranding and celebrating 14 years!

What is rebranding?

Your brand is your identity and sets you apart from your competitors. Good branding sets the tone of your business and leaves a memorable impression on consumers. 

Companies rebrand when they are looking to change that image. This generally changes the brand’s aesthetics, such as the logo, site or design and can be a total change or a minor alteration. But does not just sit at a superficial level. A rebrand is representative of a brand’s purpose, so it must be carefully planned. 

During the pandemic, GottaBe! had plenty of time to take a look at our brand purpose and realised that our branding no longer showcased all we do. So when Olly joined the team 8 months ago, we jumped at the opportunity to have a fresh set of eyes create the new GottaBe! logo. Well,” actually, that was not quite the case. The old logo held a lot of sentiment, and as any organisation will know, rebranding can be risky. But we trusted that working as a team, we could create a GottaBe! logo that represented all that we do. 

Whilst this can be a lengthy process, as you will discover below when done right, rebranding has the opportunity to reinvent or reinforce the message you wish to share with consumers. 

There are many reasons a company may choose to rebrand, but ultimately, they rebrand to connect with audiences by showing them who they are and what they do. As markets change, so do businesses and their purpose; this must be represented through branding to appeal to consumers.

How to begin the rebranding process? 

The process involved in the rebranding of your company is unique to your offerings and specific needs. So will require a dedicated designer to help your brand reach its full potential. We spoke to our graphic designer Olly to get more details regarding his creative process. Here’s what he had to say:

“To rebrand, I found that you must essentially put your creativity aside (just for a short while at least) and become a problem solver. Essentially as a designer, you need to peel back what you think the client wants and look at what they need.”

“To do this, I asked myself several questions; What are they trying to communicate to their clients? What isn’t working or feels out of place for the goal they are trying to achieve? Lastly, how can you solve these problems with design? Once you have gotten to the bottom of this, your creative side can kick back in.”

Why is rebranding important? 

Bosses or founders often see their own company/brand/agency as “their child” due to the amount of time and effort they have put into it. They want it to be ‘brought up’ in the right way. However, it is easy to get stuck with the original branding as it has sentimental value, but whilst the sentimental value may be high, your brand will need to mix things up to grow. 

When GottaBe! launched back in 2008, it was a PR and communication agency, but since then, the market has changed, and we must adapt to continue to thrive. It is not only the needs of consumers that have changed but their expectations of branding. As marketers, our clients must understand that we are there to communicate with audiences creatively, and this must be seen through our own messaging. 

“Sticking with the child analogy, business owners must think of rebranding as the clothes that their “child” wore when they were younger; they fitted nicely, but now it’s 14 years later down the line, and they just don’t fit the same way they used to. Time has passed, and you must adapt to stay relevant.” – Olly GottaBe!’s in house designer.

“That’s what rebranding is; it is giving your “child” some fresh new clothes.”

How did the creative process develop?

The creative development process was enlightening for all of us here at GottaBe!. Overall, the rebranding process developed over 6 months, and there were many steps to reach the final outcome. There were days for Olly to present his ideas, and each time, he delivered a presentation to gain feedback, including what the team liked, disliked, and thought was needed. 

It is essential to get it right the first time when rebranding as you only have one shot, so getting feedback from the people who make up the brand was crucial. We ran 1-1 sessions to ensure the feedback from the team was honest, and everyone had the opportunity to voice their opinions. As a diverse team, we have individual thoughts and see things differently. This was hugely important, as when the logo was to be shared with the world, we wanted to be sure that nothing was left open to misinterpretation. 

By working as a team, we finally reached the overall logo. While the design aspect fell on Olly, the creation of the branding would not be possible without each of us here at GottaBe! as it represents who we are and what we offer. 

Why GottaBe! took the plunge and rebranded!

As we move into a new era, our branding needs to reflect the changes happening internally and within the market. GottaBe! has transformed since we launched in 2008 and has moved on from the PR and communication agency we once were. 

Back when we launched GottaBe! the market demanded loud logos that were bold and vibrant, but as we have seen from brands across the world, the market is adapting, and brands are streamlining their branding with thinner typefaces, clearer and easier to read font.

Our new logo represents our ability to communicate through the megaphone and clarifies who we are after years of mispronunciation. The last 2 years have given us time to reflect on who we are and what we want our brand to say; we chose to launch on the 14th birthday to give our clients something to celebrate with us. 

GottaBe!’s top tips for rebranding? 

If you are a designer: 

Take a leap.

Run through what you, your peers and viewers think your current company needs to communicate better. Design those needs, then pitch your first concept to your employer. Don’t be afraid of what they say. It will lead to a breakthrough. 

If you are a business: 

Hire a graphic designer who understands your brand.

They’ll take you out of your comfort zone and help you discover how you want your brand to be represented. But it is essential that you hire someone who understands your brand values. Give them all the information possible, schedule calls and meet face to face to show them who you are. After all, they are creating the front of your brand, and it’ll need to look like you. 

Take a listen to our latest podcast to hear Martin, Tomasz, and Olly talk about the 14th birthday and the rebranding of GottaBe!. Please get in touch with us and let us know what you think about the new logo through socials or email. As always, the team here at GottaBe! are here to help you with any of your brands’ marketing challenges and hope to be doing so until our 40th birthday.