Sometimes, the need for a rebrand can be obvious and feel very pressing. Other times, it can be more subtle. While there’s no set-in-stone checklist for knowing when you need to rebrand, we do see a recurring set of criteria leading up to breweries pulling the trigger. Here are a few of those reasons.
YOUR OVERALL LOOK IS DATED AND DOESN’T REFLECT YOUR CORE VALUES. It’s not uncommon for design to age poorly. (I’m wearing boot cut jeans while writing this. I get it.) If your brand identity was not professionally developed or, perhaps worse, was done in a superficial, trendy manner, the design (and your overall look) can begin to show its age quickly. And if you’re a brewery that’s growing and making some exciting moves, this can inhibit your progress. Just think of any one of the cool or cutting-edge companies that you follow—do they have bad branding? I’d bet a case of beer that they don’t.
YOU’RE MAKING MAJOR CHANGES WITHIN YOUR COMPANY. You’re no longer the small outfit you once were. Perhaps you’ve brought in a new head brewer. Maybe you’re planning to start canning that taproom favorite NEIPA and want to make it stand out on shelves (but are worried it will clash with the rest of your packaging). Or, you could be ready to transition from bottles to cans. These and other major changes, including repositioning, or renaming your brewery (or beers), or shifting your portfolio, can fall flat without a solid and unified brand to support them.