There are many examples we can mention when we talk of rebranding. In recent years, several global companies have rebranded. Similarly, so have many brands in Ghana. These rebrands were not just about changing the logos and colours of these brands, but also about repositioning their brands in the minds of consumers.

On the global scale Mozilla, PepsiCo, TotalEnergies, Mastercard and Meta easily come to mind. In Ghana, Absa Group, MTN, miLife Insurance, Republic Bank Ghana (formerly HFC Bank), Melcom, and more recently, Voltic (GH) Limited and AT Ghana are just a few examples.

In a previous article, we considered situations that necessitate a rebranding project. This article focuses on four rebranding campaigns and what we can learn from them.

Absa

Barclays Africa Group rebranded itself as Absa Group Limited, reflecting its separation from Barclays Plc. The rebrand saw a name change from Barclays to Absa (a name previously borne by the group) and a new logo representing the Absa identity.

Embracing its African roots, the new brand reinforces the bank’s belief in “Africanacity”- the uniquely African ability to find a way to get things done. Absa’s rebrand is a reaffirmation of its commitment to contributing to growth and economic development in Africa. The bank has made a successful effort in imbibing its brand value in its products, services and events. Before the completion of its three-year rebranding process in 2020, the independent African bank thoroughly assimilated its clients to the change within their banks and through its digital channels. The Absa logo was branded on the company’s assets: offices, ATMs, cards, stationery, websites and more.

Melcom

In September 2022, Melcom, a Ghanaian retail chain rebranded. The rebrand was accompanied by a logo that replaced the Melcom wordmark with the red oval wrapping. The new logo is the universal location sign in the same colours as the old one- red, blue and white. Manoj Sadhwani, group director of the Melcom Group of Companies, explains the blue colour in the new logo as representing trust, calm in the most adverse of situations and a sense of responsibility for stakeholders. Red symbolises the passionate, energetic and bold nature of the brand, and white indicates the brand’s pure, pristine and sophisticated intentions.

The chain store’s new logo, featuring the location symbol, captures the store’s ambition to be a global player in the retail outlet space. The brand now emphasizes health, wellness and happiness

With the introduction of a wide range of products, services and outlets, Melcom reiterates its commitment to continuous improvement in providing a premium shopping experience.

MTN Group

MTN, the leading telecommunication company in Ghana and Africa, also rebranded in 2022. The rebrand was a part of the company’s technology-driven Ambition 2025 which concentrates on fintech solutions, digital services, enterprise services, network as a service and the application programming interface marketplace. The rebrand revealed a refreshed brand identity and a renewed strategy. MTN’s new logo is MTN written in bold and black letters within an oval in the same colour, replacing the old red and white lettered logo surrounded by a blue oval.

MTN now repositions itself as a technology company rather than just a telco. The rebrand was accompanied by the Ambition 2025 campaign that highlights MTN’s commitment and focus to accelerate Africa’s progress. Their refreshed campaign is inspired by an insight that doing is a bridge between “can” and “do” because all progress comes from action.

The simplicity of the new brand design also indicates the company’s desire to make customers’ lives easier by leveraging technology to promote the simplicity of its offering, even though the products themselves may be sophisticated.

miLife Insurance

In partnership with foreign investment company, Leapfrog Investment, UT Life Insurance, a member of UT Holdings, rebranded to miLife Insurance. The rebrand involved a complete makeover- a name change, a new brand identity, a slogan, and a new direction.

For the management of the insurance company, the rebrand was an indication of the company’s evolution and its response to the exigencies of time. By this, claims that the rebrand was a result of the collapse of UT Bank, which served as the face of the UT Group, were disbanded.

The miLife Insurance logo features a wordmark and a heart-shaped like logo. The singular focus of the rebrand was on putting the customers at the heart of the business by making purchasing and owning insurance simple, affordable and more accessible.

miLife positions itself as a brand that helps customers realise their dreams through simplicity and affordability of service hence their partnership with telcos like MTN and Vodafone to enable clients to deposit or make claims on their investment. Since UT Life became miLife in 2018, the insurance company has been able to improve its reach, enable many people to understand the need for insurance and give access to affordable insurance policies to the underserved in Ghana.

These rebrands and campaigns are indicative of the growing importance of branding. As the global economy continues to grow, businesses are increasingly recognizing the need to create strong brands that can help them stand out from the competition.

Key Takeaways

Here are some of the key takeaways from these rebrands and campaigns:

• Begin a rebrand with a clear understanding and statement of purpose for the project. Ideally, write down your reason. “I want to rebrand because…”
• Your clients and target audience are the pivot of your business. A successful rebrand requires a clear understanding of your brand’s positioning in the minds of your audience.
• Putting in place a well-executed marketing campaign can help appropriately to communicate your new brand identity and brand’s value proposition to consumers. Invest in good social media and offline PR.
• It is important to have a strong brand identity.
• Utilise creative and engaging marketing campaigns. Engage creative agencies to boost your campaigns.

These rebrands and campaigns have successfully repositioned these brands in consumers’ minds. They have also helped to increase brand awareness and generate positive sentiment towards these brands. It will be interesting to see how these brands continue to evolve in the years to come.

There have been two major rebrands in Ghana in the past quarter: Voltic and AirtelTigo (now AT). This move by these two well-known brands necessitates the question of whether a rebrand is necessary at all. If yes, when is it necessary for your business, and how do you carry out a successful rebrand?

A rebrand is a process of changing the brand identity of a company or organization. This can include changes to the company name, logo, messaging, and overall visual identity. Rebranding is often done to stay relevant in a changing market, reflect a change in company values or direction, or shed a negative image or reputation.

A rebrand can be a necessary step for many reasons. The most common reason is to stay relevant in a constantly evolving market. Rebranding is often done to improve a brand’s image, reposition it in the market, or appeal to a new target audience. If a company’s brand is outdated, it can lose its appeal to customers who are looking for the latest trends and technology.

Another reason for a rebrand is to reflect a change in company values or direction. For example, when a company decides to shift its focus to sustainability, it may need to rebrand to showcase its commitment to environmentalism. Rebranding can help a company communicate its new direction to customers and stakeholders. Additionally, a rebrand can help a company differentiate itself from its competitors and attract new customers. Voltic (GH) Limited’s rebrand could be considered one such. In 2019, Voltic introduced the eco-friendly bottle in their “Same Voltic, New Twist” campaign, which they still maintain in their recent rebrand.

Brands may also rebrand to appeal to a new target audience. If a brand wants to attract a new target audience, rebranding can be a way to do so.

Just like AirtelTigo (now AT Ghana) a rebrand also becomes necessary in the event of a merger or an acquisition (in the case of Absa Group)

Finally, rebranding can help a company shed a negative image or reputation. A company that has experienced a scandal or controversy can distance itself from the negative press and start fresh with a new image.

Rebranding can however be a risky undertaking, but can also be very rewarding if done correctly.

Before a company decides to take a step to rebrand, the following are necessary steps

1. Conduct a branding audit: This involves evaluating the current brand and identifying its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
2. Set branding goals: What do you want to achieve with the rebranding? Do you want to improve your brand image, reposition yourself in the market, or appeal to a new target audience?
3. Develop a new brand strategy: This involves setting a new direction and then creating a brand identity, including a new brand name, logo, tagline, and marketing materials.
4. Execute the rebranding: This involves rolling out the new brand identity to all your marketing channels.
5. Monitor results: Once the rebranding is complete, you need to monitor the results to see if it is achieving your desired goals. Do your research and be sure the rebranding is consistent on all your marketing channels.

If done correctly, rebranding can be a gratifying experience.

An important tip after you have carried out a rebrand is to be patient. Don’t expect to see results overnight. It takes time for people to become familiar with your new brand.

Do you think Voltic (GH) Limited and AT Ghana rebranding is a step in the right direction? Share your thoughts with us.

There are many factors that affect consumers’ purchasing decisions and preferences. Chief among these is the perception consumers have of different brands. No brand sets out with the intention of gaining a bad reputation; however, a brand may suffer loss in the absence of a robust strategy. A brand strategy ideally integrates the brand’s mission, promise and message.

Marty Neumeier, a branding expert, defines brand strategy as “a plan for the development of a brand in alignment with a business strategy.” It helps businesses to understand who they are, what they want to stand for and how they can effectively communicate that identity.

A brand strategy is a business plan on which direction to move in building its identity such that it achieves growth and profitability.

The key to developing a strong brand strategy, according to Sarah Robb, is to answer these questions: “Why does your brand exist?” “Who are you and how do you do things?”, “What do you do?” and “How do you look, feel, and sound?”

Let’s look at these questions and how you can effectively answer them to grow your brand.

“Why does your brand exist?”

Developing a brand strategy usually begins with the question “Why”. Having an answer to why you exist is fundamental to discovering your purpose and having a clear direction for your brand and your business. As a plus, your employees and other stakeholders understand the reason for the business’s existence and work towards achieving common goals.

Which problem are you solving? Which gap within the market are you filling? Who do you intend to serve?

“Who are you and how do you do things?”

Just as humans are accorded a character and personality, it is important to clarify your brand’s personality by defining your values to your employees, and most importantly to your customers. For instance, brands that prioritize environmental sustainability may best be known for their eco-friendly culture. It is important to define how you want others to view your brand.

What character do people associate with you when they encounter your brand?

“What do you do?”

Here, you describe what you are selling- your products, service, and experience. It is a proposition of what you offer to your clients. Communicate your product and service offering to target clients in a way that clearly states the benefits of buying into what you do. Crucial parts of answering this question include having answers to the following: How different are your offerings from those of your competitors? What is your unique selling proposition? What do you give that our competitors don’t? Do you offer value for money?

“How do you look, feel, and sound?”

There’s a saying that you dress how you want to be addressed. That is true for brands too.

The image your brand takes on, including your logo, colour palettes, brand voice and tone, and other visual elements, determines how your brand is projected. Investing in and creating a strong visual identity is an important aspect of differentiation within a market.

A solid brand strategy is undoubtedly an investment with high returns. If a business wants to remain profitable, investing in a viable brand strategy will help with its longevity.

Do you have a brand strategy for your business?

You could have a conversation with us to develop one for your business.

It is truly impressive how the ice cream and frozen dairy products manufacturer and retailer, FanMilk, has positioned itself in the Ghanaian market, expanding to other African countries such as Nigeria and Burkina Faso. The long-john bicycles ridden by their vendors, as well as their accompanying horn, could easily be considered a part of the company’s brand. In a way, those features of their distribution system easily distinguish the company from other ice-cream companies.

Plantain chips are a delicacy you can easily find on most streets in Ghana. Yet, what makes Sankofa Snacks different is the zing they have added to the popular snack and the food safety they guarantee with their products. Although they cost a little more than what is on most streets, the value the company has added in building their brand, especially in vegan communities, cannot be ignored. The company has been successful in projecting African culture through the international-standard packaging that forms a part of their brand.

The success stories of these companies are an indication that branding is not just an important concept for foreign businesses. Branding as a growth strategy works for both foreign and local businesses, big and small.

At its most basic level, branding is viewed as a company’s logo, visual design, mission, and tone of voice. However, branding extends far beyond what the audience sees when they encounter a brand.

Seth Godin defines a brand as "a set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another." Similarly, Marty Neumeier regards a brand as “a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or organization”

Successful brands have progressed from only focusing on beautiful logos and designs to ensuring that their products and services provide a valuable experience to their customers. They understand the importance of associating an emotion and/or an idea with their brands to promote a positive perception of their brands, and they do so.

Building and developing a brand is a process that must be continuous for the duration of the business’ existence: It is not an event, but a progressive process that, when done properly, has an enormous effect on the business.

Why branding matters?

It is especially essential for businesses to invest in developing strong brands.

• Businesses that invest in branding are likely to increase revenue and grow their market share faster than their competitors. A Forbes report suggests that consistent brands increase their revenue by up to 23%
• Branding helps improve customer loyalty toward businesses. As businesses focus on creating associations to reinforce their brands in people’s minds, they are also able to connect emotionally with their audience. A large number of consumers say that they can relate better to brands with which they share similar values.
• Branding has a greater impact on employee satisfaction and performance. Businesses that invest in building purpose-led brands are able to create strong company cultures that gives employees a sense of meaning and drives performance.

The past decade has brought significant changes in the global business landscape, making it more and more critical for businesses to become active in growing their brands. There is no space for those who want to sit on the fence—it’s branding now or crashing out.

Are you building a brand for your business? How are you building your brand?

Share with us what has worked for you…and what hasn’t.

We live in a fast-paced world where all things are expected to move quickly. When the data on a website fails to load quickly, it keeps users away. These days, people do a lot of mindless scrolling. This has dramatically affected how brands market their products and services in the digital sphere. For brands to be successful, they need to make use of digital resources in a way that distinguishes them from the competition.

Considering the declining rate of attention spans, it becomes a concern as to how to fixate the attention of your audience on your content. It is becoming more and more necessary for brands to create content on their digital media to captivate their audience. How then do marketers create content that grasps the attention of their audience?

One proven digital marketing concept is that content that moves gets clicked faster. This is why motion graphics are important in your brand’s marketing strategy.

What are motion graphics?

Motion graphics are the animation of text, graphics, and illustrations. The more you explore the possibilities by which you could use these to your advantage, the more traffic you attract to your pages, and the better your business experiences growth. However, it is important to note that conversion rates only increase with relevant content. Sharing captivating content that does not provide relevance to our audience hardly translates to sales.

There are many benefits of including motion graphics in the content you put out.

Motion graphics make mundane content interesting. Consider trying to explain a complex subject to your audience: most people would rather have an interest in watching a video to explain the concept than in reading about it.

Brands are more likely to create and increase awareness with motion graphics than with static media. This does not entirely neglect the essence of pictures and static graphics.

Motion graphic content is the kind of content people will want to scroll back to in their feeds to see. As people mindlessly scroll on the internet, they are more likely to click on and interact with content that includes motion graphics.

Brands can use motion graphics to their advantage when they know how and when to use them. Marketers can use motion graphics in diverse ways and on different media. Any business must invest in motion graphics designers. A typical motion designer should be trained in graphic design and should be an expert at integrating the elements of time, sound, and space into the existing model.

How to Use Them

Motion graphics are an invitation for your audience to watch, read, and listen to your content. The more senses you appeal to, the more engaging your content becomes.

There are different ways to incorporate motion graphics into selling your brand, products, and services. Below are examples of how you can use motion graphics to elevate your marketing strategy.

● Animated logos

Motion graphics are a great way to bring your logos to life. Animations of logos draw attention and are a powerful tool for branding. Motion graphics may help you connect your brand’s identity and even propound your brand’s narrative. Presentations, live events, and testimonial videos are all ways to incorporate animated logos. Additionally, they help to improve sales pitches.

● Explainer videos

Explainer videos make complex concepts a lot more understandable. Explainer videos are the ideal choice if you’re trying to market a complicated product. Motion graphics can be made to transition between multiple perspectives with pop-up text that provides instructions that make the use of your product or service more understandable.

● Social media posts

Scrolling through a social media feed is a passive activity for most people, but motion graphics grab viewers’ attention and cause them to halt or scroll back up to see what they missed. You might see a rise in interaction as a result. The trick is to seize the opportunity quickly and hook them. Working with a social media post designer with experience is essential since they know how to account for the conversion potential of each post.

• Captivating animated ads

As we already established, most people’s attention is drawn more to videos than to static graphics. Advertising your products and services through motion graphics is a great way to create awareness of your products and services. Motion graphics can be used to enhance your advertisement with catchy images, music, and text. Animated advertising frequently outperforms plain ads.

• UI and website design

Motion enhances the charm of everything. Motion can make navigating your website or app fun for the user. Your website and mobile apps draw a lot of traffic when they are engaging. There are many fun ways to make your user experience a lot more delightful. You may use in-line text animations that help clarify an idea or the movement of elements as your users scroll.

Creating motion graphic content is a great way to engage your audience and create awareness about your products and services. With great investment in creating motion graphic content, you can create captivating content that easily translates to sales.

At Insait Global, we are aware of how motion graphics may enhance your use of digital platforms. We are aware that a website that is both useful and aesthetically pleasing, including motion graphics, can help keep visitors reading and boost conversion rates. We are aware that by making your social media material more interactive and engaging, you can improve the interactions your audience has with you and give your company much more visibility.

We are confident that making the most use of the resources that are already at your disposal and those that you will get access to through collaboration with us will help you achieve your goals in the digital arena.