Rebranding? Make sure your team’s all in

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again – a rebrand isn’t just a new logo or a shiny slide deck, it’s a signal to the world about who you are and where you’re going. If your people don’t believe in it, it won’t stick.

When you’ve spent months crafting a brand that looks incredible on paper, only for teams to react with blank stares or eye rolls, it’s gutting. So here’s how we make sure that doesn’t happen.

1. Give them the ‘why’ before the ‘wow’

Sure, a shiny new brand is fun to show off. But if your team doesn’t get why you’re doing this, all they’ll see is some fonts they didn’t pick and some values they don’t identify with.

Start with the real story. Why now? Are you outgrowing who you used to be? Shifting to new markets? Shaking off a tired image to stay competitive? Whatever the reason, say it out loud.

Can’t explain it to your team? Then don’t expect them to explain it to your customers.

2. Show, don’t just tell – without the Death by Powerpoint

Nobody – and we mean nobody – wants a 40-slide deck explaining what hex codes they need to use in Canva now.

Instead, bring your team inside the journey. Share what wasn’t working. Show how you got here. Talk about the evolution, the struggle, the breakthrough. Give them before-and-after visuals, so they can see how much it’s improved. Play the video that gives people goosebumps.

If you want belief, you need more than bullet points.

3. Ditch the marketing jargon

Your marketing team might care about the typeface. Your frontline staff? They couldn’t give a monkey’s.

Make it real for them, instead. What does this brand mean for how they talk to customers? How they sell products? When they show up on Monday morning?

Because if people can’t see how this changes their world, they’ll keep doing things the old way, and that’s your rebrand down the toilet before it’s even had chance to bed in.

4. Go home before you go big

Here’s a bit of advice from us: if your team hasn’t already bought in before launch day, you’ve already lost.

Don’t just drop the new brand on them and expect applause. Bring people in early. Find the people who get it ­– the inside influencers, the ones putting in the extra effort – and give them the opportunity to be part of it all.

When people have skin in the game, they’ll be the first to fight for it.

5. Make it a moment, not a memo

Trust us – the reply-all email is where great rebrands go to die.

This isn’t just changing a logo. This is starting a new chapter of your business. So make it worth it.  

This needs to be a moment your team will remember. Whether that’s a launch event, surprise swag, teaser campaigns, or simply getting everyone in a room together, make it special.

After all, if your team isn’t excited, don’t expect your customers to be.

The bottom line: you can’t fake it until you make it

A rebrand is a line in the sand. It’s a way to say, “This is who we are now,” or “This is who we’ve always wanted to be.” However, if your team isn’t part of that shift, your brand will be all surface, no soul.

Make it real. Make it bold. Make it theirs. A brand only works when the people behind it believe in it. But when they do? That’s when everything changes.

Want to make sure your brand lands with your people first? That’s what we do. Drop us an email or use the contact form to get in touch and find out how we can help your rebrand roll out successfully to the people who matter most.