There can be many reasons why a company might choose to rebrand. It could follow an M&A process where a new identity could be preferred. You may want to reach a new audience, or you have dramatically changed the products and services you offer. Or it may simply be that you (and your customers) no longer feel your current brand identity is relevant.
Once you have decided to rebrand, there are lots of things to consider. Depending on the size of your business, it could well be a costly process. And it’s not something that is going to happen overnight, either. One important thing is to get your rebranding message to as many people as possible, and that needs good PR and media work. A major part of that is going to be a rebranding press release, but what should you include in it?
Understanding rebranding
Put simply, rebranding is a process where your organization revamps your corporate image, and this can include everything from your logo to your messaging. The end goal, of course, is to improve your business performance, outperform your competitors, and either establish or reestablish your business as a market leader in your particular sector.
While you may make the decisions around the brand, in many ways, it is something that belongs to your customers. You want your new brand to connect with them and for them to feel that your organization can best satisfy their needs and wants. When customers feel more connected to a brand, then they are more likely to remain loyal to that brand.
Image sourced from Papirfly
6 things to include in a rebranding press release
So, you’re a PR professional and you are called into a C-suite meeting where they announce that they have decided to rebrand the company. As the in-house (or preferred agency) PR person, they want you to put together a rebranding press release that may appear in various media outlets as well as the business’s website and social media platforms. What things should you include in a comprehensive and informative press release?
1. Capture the audience’s attention
You want people to read your press release but many may look at it only briefly. So, before anything else, you want a catchy headline that is eye-catching but informative at the same time. The main rules to follow here are to include all pertinent information but to avoid padding the headline out with unnecessary words.
Image sourced from NeilPatel
Keep it as simple as possible while focusing on creating a headline that captures people’s attention. For example:
SARASWATI PUBLISHING UNDERGOES REBRANDING: CHANGES NAME TO SARASWATI EDITING SERVICES.
That headline is concise and to the point and tells any reader what the rebranding press release is about. Now, some people may read only the headline, while others will read the full document (or some of it). Either way, you have got your basic message across.
2. Follow the 5 Ws rule in your first paragraph
Many people will not read the full document, so you want to get more of your message across in the first paragraph of the press release. To do that, you should follow what is known as the ‘five Ws’ rule. Those five Ws are:
- Who? Who you are currently (ie; the business name prior to rebranding).
- What? What will the new brand be called? These first two points are repeating what you should have said in your headline for emphasis.
- When? When will the rebranding take effect? That launch date may come with a major campaign and a special in-person or virtual event.
- Where? This can be an ambiguous W in that you may say where the business is headquartered or you may highlight the market/sector the organization operates in.
- Why? People are going to want to know why you are rebranding. Is it a result of a merger or a change in direction regarding products and/or services? For example, your business may be expanding into the BPO call centre services market.
The beauty of using the five Ws rule in that first paragraph is twofold. Firstly, it’s the same rule used by journalists so you are giving media outlets all the basic information they need to write a piece about the rebranding. Secondly, you are giving all the necessary information in that paragraph to those readers who won’t read the full rebranding press release.
3. Go into more detail in the remaining copy
For those who read beyond the headline and first paragraph, you now want to go into greater detail about the rebranding which will include expanding on the five Ws you used in that first section.
Image sourced from InfluencerMarketingHub
There are various stages of the rebranding that you need to think about when giving more details.
- Explain the journey. Tell people the story behind the rebranding. That could be as simple as a merger that has created what you feel is an entirely new organization. You can also explain how the new brand reflects your company’s values.
- Changes. Go into detail as to what is actually changing as a result of the rebranding process. The most obvious factors may be things like the company name and the logo, but can also include other things such as your website or the expanded (or new) range of products you will be offering. It might also include your company’s transition to a phygital marketing strategy.
- Contrast. You want people to understand the difference between old and new, so highlight what differences there will be and, perhaps most importantly, how the rebranding will better benefit your customer base.
- Retaining positives. As well as highlighting the positives that will come with change, you should highlight the positives of the old brand that will not change. For example, if your business has a great reputation for customer service, you can reassure readers that this is something that will not change.
- Use links. While your rebranding press release may be disseminated in written/digital form, it can help to include some links in it too. These may be links to any new website (or social media pages), or could even be a link to a short explanatory video using a script generator, or maybe even a message from your CEO to ‘welcome’ people to the new brand.
4. Launch date
There is a good chance that your launch (or effective from) date will have some things happening to mark the occasion. Giving advance information can help both customers and the media prepare for the rebranding. What you include in your launch celebrations is entirely up to you (or your C-suite) but could include some of the following:
- A special event where the logo is unveiled. This could be an in-person event (with added live streaming) or it could be a completely virtual event. You could also include a Q&A session in your event.
- Special offers. You may decide to offer a range of offers and discounts for ‘rebranding day’. This is something that can capture your customers’ attention and drive them to your website.
- Giveaways. On launch day itself, you may decide to offer some giveaways. These can be as simple as something like stickers which can help with spreading awareness and building the new brand.
5. Changes to your mission and values
Another thing to consider about the rebranding is whether there are any changes to your Mission, Vision, and Values statements. If there are, you want to focus on each change, why it is being changed, and what it means, both to how you operate as a business and also what it will mean for your customers.
Of course, many factors in those three areas may be retained, and you should focus on what is being kept as well as what is being changed. For example, your Values statement may expand to include specific CSR (corporate social responsibility) targets such as financing well-digging in developing countries to provide clean water.
6. Quotes from key players
A good add-on to any rebranding press release is to include a number of quotes from relevant people. These could range from a dedicated message from your CEO (which could also be in video form as suggested earlier) to a quote from one (or more) of your employees as to how they feel about the rebranding.
If you operate in the B2B sector, selling something such as contact centre solutions, you could also ask one or two of your major clients to offer a quote on what differences the rebranding may mean to them. One thing to note is to avoid any negative comments about the old brand and instead focus on the positives of the rebranding.
The takeaway
A rebranding press release is an essential part of any rebranding process. It gives both the media and your customers advance notice of what you have planned and why you are doing it. When done correctly, and including all pertinent information, you can highlight the rebranding in the media and on social media, widening the reach of your decision.
While ensuring you use formal language throughout the press release, avoid being too ‘wordy’, especially when it comes to that catchy headline and your introductory paragraph that utilizes the five Ws. Not everyone will read your entire press release so those first two sections can be of utmost importance when it comes to communicating what you are doing, why you are doing it, and when it is happening.
