Sports fans are no newborns to the rebirth of their favorite brands. While some transformations have been more successful than others, it’s true that rebranding and remaining relevant can be tough, but it’s not impossible. Here are a handful of tips worth trying in your next sports marketing rebranding campaign.
It can be as simple as a tagline.
If you’re looking to change the physical design, look, or feel of your brand, you may not need to. In some cases, it’s not necessary to change the entire logo. Instead, a simple clarification of the objective or mission will suffice if your meaning, services, or products aren’t clear — and if that is the reason for your re-branding. Adjusting your tagline in addition to readjusting your target market is a less time-consuming and less expensive way to make a significant change in your brand.
New content can do wonders.
Branch out with new topics on your brand’s blog and social channels, producing new videos and ebooks with the topics that cover the space you want your brand associated with (or the expertise you want the athlete you represent to convey). These new additions to your content strategy will make the rebranding switch seem gradual to followers, which will make them more likely to stick around when you’ve completed the full transformation should you decide that new design, partnerships/sponsorships, and other larger changes are necessary.
Yell it from the rooftops.
You love your new brand so much, it’s time to tell the world. Generating new buzz around your company, even though it’s not a “new” company or brand anymore, is valuable. The re-branding can make the news on its own once it has been shared, which in turn starts to create awareness for your brand among people who are a perfect match for the new persona, but who may not have known about your brand otherwise. If you’re going to make the changes, go big when it comes to spreading the word about your new look. Make sure that you’re talking about the changes often and that your communication style represents your refocused purpose. You can do this inexpensively and without much time commitment too, thanks to the ease of use and accessibility of social media.
What tricks have you used in your rebranding efforts so as not to scare committed fans away?
