Everything Old Made New Again

Susanna Forest | May 2023

When we talk about a brand’s history, we’re really telling a story not so much about messages and identity as interaction and relationships. A good, consistent brand history builds customer loyalty: it is instantly associated with a product that can be relied upon. That kind of authenticity can only be built purchase by purchase as your message delivers over and over.

But brands and their audiences also move forward in time. Relationships weaken when a brand starts to shift out of alignment with what customers need or can get from competitors. Storied brands may cling to comfort zones as the world changes around them, and that’s understandable, because marketing history is littered with cautionary tales of bellyflopping brand relaunches.

Some were too sweeping, like New Coke—so infamous that Coca-Cola even have a great article on this on their own site. Others sidestepped the problems that led to a rebrand in the first place, like Facebook’s attempt to morph into Meta. Somewhere in between lies an intelligent balance between continuity and modernization that requires an open-minded understanding of the way your business has developed.

When we work with your legacy brand, Evviva will be navigating your backstory carefully: we’re testing the connections, looking for resonances that are fading or that have potential, and asking you difficult questions. Which strategies continue to be successful? What can be strengthened or boosted? What needs to go? We’ll also investigate your customer base and what they want from you now—with sometimes surprising results.

It’s always a good time to take stock and sign up for a brand audit. We’d love to hear from you in 2023.