In the fast-moving world of beauty, staying in step, or even ahead of the market, is key to truly thriving. As strategic consultants, we often identify classic signs that signal a beauty brand may need a little fine tuning to the brand's positioning, messaging, or visual identity—while maintaining what the founder and customers know and love about the brand.
Here are some of the most common signs it's time for a brand refresh;
1. Your Customer Base Has Evolved Since You Began but Your Message Hasn't
As your beauty brand gains momentum, you will naturally appeal to new demographics as your customer base broadens. What's important to understand is that these new customer segments will likely have unique needs and aspirations. And to truly resonate with your audiences, you will need to begin crafting brand messages, content, and campaigns that encompass your entire customer base. Delaying your brand revamp means you miss the opportunity to develop stronger brand messages that hit the spot and resonate with your entire audience and help extend your appeal to more of these new audiences. Your true growth potential is stagnated.
2. You’re Finding it Challenging to Stand Out to Investors and New Retail Partners
Partnerships with new retailers and investors are crucial for driving your next phase of growth. However, securing these deals can be challenging if your brand's positioning, message, and overall presence fail to effectively communicate your unique value and compelling differentiation. Retailers and investors gravitate towards brands that bring their branding a-game, possess a unique and captivating narrative, and foster a community of passionate enthusiasts who resonate with the brand's story. A well-executed brand refresh encompasses all of these essential elements, showcasing your dedication to remaining relevant and meeting the evolving needs of consumers. This investment can position your brand to attract the support of retailers and investors, enabling you to forge valuable partnerships and secure necessary investments to move your brand forward.
3. Your Brand Looks Like Where It Started Rather Than Where It's Going
You have big dreams for where your brand could go, but when you look at your visual branding, you know there's a disconnect. What cut it at Day 1, doesn't quite do the trick a few years down the line. Your brand's visual presence feels a little dated and doesn't truly match the caliber of your products, what you've grown to become, or align with your future aspirations. Not taking action to resolve this holds great risk, it's likely prospective customers feel a disconnect with your brand's vibe too.
4. Brand Inconsistencies are Commonplace
You may have loosely defined brand positioning and brand guidelines from when you first got started, that are also loosely followed. Or, you may have no real positioning guidelines at all. Either way, this is where things can get unstuck as you begin to grow. You may commonly find that your team gets confused, and your external agencies and production partners can become unsure about what the brand stands for. When not addressed, this can result in a "patchwork quilt" brand experience for your customers over time, as a result of your stakeholders bringing their own interpretations to the table about how to express your brand. This brings with it the pain of re-works and re-dos that can frustrate teams and founders and become a costly exercise in the long run.
By addressing brand inconsistencies, adapting to evolving customer needs, and creating a more relevant narrative and differentiation for yourself in the market, your brand can exude a renewed sense of purpose and authenticity that can help unlock new growth opportunities.
Author: Effie Asafu-Adjaye
Effie Asafu-Adjaye is the Founder of Beautiful Sparks. Beautiful Sparks helps beauty and fashion businesses get more fanatics in love with their brands, by refining their brand strategy, messaging, branding, content storytelling, and community-building strategy. Read more about Effie here. Linkedin | Youtube
