What is rebranding?
Rebranding means that a company rethinks its marketing strategy. This includes especially the strategic marketing side, which will form the basis for the new corporate design - at least, that would be the ideal case! In simplified terms, a rebranding involves changing the appearance of a company, or in our case a winery, and thus reaching the right target group.
Rebranding in the wine business
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE FOR REBRANDING YOUR WINERY
WHEN DO WE RABRAND?
Rebranding is not necessarily triggered by a negative company balance or a bad image. It can have many reasons: Change of leadership or generation, long time since the last company update, reinvention of the company, and and and. The important thing is, that you know why you are doing it. If in the beginning you only have a feeling that you would like to change something, you should define the reasons during the rebranding process.
THE RIGHT REASONS FOR A REBRANDING
Why should I rebrand my winery? The motivation for rebranding can, of course, come from poor sales or a negative corporate image. However, if you are considering rebranding because you feel that your current mission, vision, and values no longer reflect you and your wine, you are well on your way.
Concrete examples would be that you have changed the way you work in your winery and that your values and your story are no longer properly reflected by your corporate design and wording. This means that the target group you are currently addressing is promised different values, which then do not match your product and your philosophy. This can also affect your sales figures and new customer acquisition. In this case, it's time to change your image to appeal to the right target group - those who appreciate what you do every day and with hard work.
Especially in the case of wine, it is particularly important to tell the story of each winemaker. Because a wine purchase, above all in the quality range, is (almost) always tied to emotions. You probably put a lot of thought into your work in the vineyard and cellar. You do all this for certain reasons, even if you may not know them yourself - believe me! These values have to be communicated to the outside world. In that way you will reach your right target group. And if you're not currently showing your true values, it's time for a rebrand!
HOW DOES A REBRANDING WORK?
Just as the purchase of wine is tied to emotions, so is the production! Creating a design proposal for the winemaker is virtually a personality description for them - so it's a very delicate subject.
Therefore, it is especially important to know the "why" of each winemaker. Why am I doing the rebranding? Why do I make wine? Why do I make my wine the way I do?
Many difficult questions! That's why you should get supported from externals in any case.
But how does rebranding actually work?
6 steps to rebrand
Below I'll explain all the steps in detail.
1. BECOME FAMILIAR:
As I said, rebranding is something very personal for wineries, so it's important to get to know each other well - preferably in a cozy atmosphere.
2. ANALYSIS & CONCEPT:
The project manager should understand your motives and be able to put them into words. This will be the basis for the complete rebranding and your future marketing strategy.
3. DESIGN:
Ready, set, go - based on the strategy, your design concept is developed: logo, labels, website, and other communication tools (=corporate design). Plan the most time for this.
4. FEEDBACK TALKS AND ADJUSTMENTS:
Your design should not be finalized until you feel comfortable. So dare to give honest feedback. This is the only way to make sure the final result meets your expectations.
5. WORDING:
Together, define a tone of voice. Your wording should match your target group just like your design. What triggers them? What demotivates them?
6. THE FUTURE:
When completing the rebranding, you should feel that you can demonstrate the concept on your own in the future. Especially for smaller companies, it's important to be able to handle certain things internally. Do you understand how you should communicate? Can you make small changes on your website yourself? Do you have all the file formats of your logo?
DO I ALWAYS HAVE TO CHANGE EVERYTHING WHEN REBRANDING?
No, of course not. Sometimes we also speak of a "soft relaunch". Here, for example, the corporate design is only slightly adapted or modernized. Sometimes the appearance already fits the mission, vision, and values - in which case, of course, not everything has to be changed from scratch. That's why the analysis at the beginning is particularly important - after we know whether a complete rebranding or only a soft relaunch is being carried out.
More questions?
DON'T WORRY, I DO NOT BITE! : )
Do you still need a little push? Don't know exactly what the next steps would be? Then get in touch with me. Let's talk in a non-binding 1st conversation to see if a rebranding would be an option for you.