Do we need to re-think branding?
Let's launch a new corporate design! Or not? Does it make sense to keep the corporate design of a brand until it looks outdated? And then bring it up to date again with a brand relaunch or brand refresh?
Sounds like a paradox. First there is a phase in which the new look is sexy and fresh, followed by a long phase in which the attractiveness steadily declines. Until the branding is just ordinary and something new is needed again. And then the whole game starts all over again.
Isn't that strange? We push a brand with a lot of energy (and money) to a new level and then watch this energy steadily diminish over the years. Or even worse: the shot backfires and the newly designed brand suddenly no longer performs – as Bahlsen recently had to painfully experience.
What is often overlooked: A new corporate design is not like a new coat. A new corporate design is a new style that needs to be cultivated. And to be developed further. Not only visually.