Over the past year, we’ve asked our clients, “What do you wish you knew before you did a brand review?”

Every organisation is different, so we didn’t expect overlap, but many answers were similar.

A brand review is as much about interrogating your core purpose, breaking down barriers to progress and getting clear on the way forward, as it is about design, identity, and outward expression. It’s transformative and requires making hard strategic decisions with your team.

This is never easy. It can be a surprise if you don’t know what you’re in for. Hopefully, these responses will help you and your team better prepare for what’s ahead as you consider a brand review.

Keep reading to hear the top 6 things our clients wish they had considered.

1. Embrace the tough questions

“Be willing to answer and ask the really tough questions. You must be honest with yourself about how your brand is performing and how it is perceived.”

A brand review requires unfiltered feedback from your internal and external stakeholders. Sometimes, it’s hard to hear the answer to questions like:

• What are your organisation’s shared values?
• What would happen if your organisation disappeared tomorrow?
• What future is your organisation trying to create?

But this introspection is not academic; it’s foundational to meaningful change. This is how you design a purpose-centred brand, considering both your employees and your audience. Companies who choose to go ahead without asking the tough questions and engaging these stakeholder groups risk creating a brand that resonates with no one, shouts into a void, and drives very little impact.

2. Clarify your goals

“Be certain about what you want to achieve, a strategic brand review can mean different things to different people.”

A strategic brand review is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Each brand’s ambitions and challenges are unique, as are their goals. Before you begin, define what success looks like for you. Are you aiming to reach new markets, redefine your company’s mission, or refresh your image? Clear objectives will guide your journey and help measure your progress.

These objectives will provide a reference point as you progress through the project. A reminder of the big picture as you encounter tension or disagreement, enabling you to find consensus and keep the project moving forward.

3. Allocate enough time

“Allow more time than you think you need.”

One common pitfall is underestimating the time a brand review requires. Transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a robust process that requires research to inform strategy, multiple design iterations, and various stakeholder consultations to make sure you get it right. You will be living with the end result for years to come so this is critical.

A typical brand agency will allocate 3 – 6 months for a brand review, This can be expedited or extended depending on the needs of your organisation.

4. Engage stakeholders early

“Involve stakeholders early, because you want them to buy into it.”

Rebranding affects everyone associated with your brand—from employees to partners to customers. Involve these key stakeholder groups early in the process. Their insights can provide valuable perspectives that might otherwise be overlooked, and their early buy-in is crucial for smooth adoption and advocacy of the rebranded identity.

We always suggest a thorough discovery and definition process and even co-creation when appropriate, to make the brand review as inclusive as possible. The benefits of diversity in decision-making have been studied by Cloverpop and reported on by Forbes, finding that:

• Inclusive teams make better business decisions up to 87% of the time.
• Teams that follow an inclusive process make decisions 2X faster with 1/2 the meetings.
• Decisions made and executed by diverse teams delivered 60% better results.

It’s critically important to build a representative team to support the brand review process.

5. Keep an open mind

“Don’t assume anything, go in with an open mind and prepare to be challenged.”

Enter the rebranding process with a mindset open to discovery and change. Don’t cling too tightly to notions about what your brand should be.

Often, the gap between what you think you brand is all about and what other people think is the very thing that the brand review is trying to resolve.

Be prepared to explore new ideas and accept that some of your existing beliefs may be challenged. This openness leads to transformative insights and a more authentic brand alignment.

6. Trust the process

“Be prepared to put your trust in the agency and respect the confidence of the process.”

Process is paramount. Creativity is often thought of as magic, and in some ways it is. But it doesn’t happen by itself. It depends on the right inputs, the right questions, the right tests – the right process. Finding a partner with a process you trust is crucial.

When you go shopping for a brand review you’ll see great finished products: slick videos, stunning visuals, and a brand that has transformed an organisation. But the middle of the project is quite different. The middle is messy, like getting a new kitchen installed. It can feel quite uncomfortable until it’s finished, but in the end you’ll wish you did it sooner.

Last thought

The experiences of our clients reveal a universal truth: a brand review is as much about introspection and strategic clarity as it is about design and outward expression. It’s about asking tough questions, engaging diverse stakeholders, having an open mindset, and trusting the process.

As you consider a brand review you may have further questions which aren’t answered here. Feel free to get in touch with our Growth Director Karen Newbold on (+44) 1926 678368 or email her at karen@rblteam.com.

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