This time last year, I took a plunge to rebrand our Lollipop brand.
I started the business as an online shop offering personalised baby t-shirts/onesies and nursery artworks. Using my skills I designed the artworks and all the marketing materials. As target market was mums with little babies, the branding i created was reflecting this audience. When I started the business I decided to call it Lollipop Baby, as “the designs are as sweet and colourful as lollipops, yet as quirky and funny as babies are from time to time.”
From baby/kids/children’s industry networking, I started picking up jobs for logos, website design and business marketing/stationery within the industry. Fast forward three years later, the brand evolved into a small graphic studio and the brand was no longer suitable anymore. I actually constrained the business opportunity by fencing my audience with the branding.
It was a scary thing as I already had a little brand awareness (if not much) and was scared that I might loose the brand awareness that I have been building. Most of the clients at that time came from the baby & kids industry who already knew me as Lollipop Baby. On the other side, the brand does not reflect who I am and the level where I wanted to take it to.
These are a few reasons why I took the plunge to rebrand:
My product has evolved and the brand has no longer represented what I do/sell.
“Lollipop Baby” is no longer relevant as I had no longer selling baby products.
Have your target market changed?
This is a definite “yes” for me. From retail market, I was heading toward Business to Business Service so instead trying to sell designer baby clothes of mums with little children, I am targeting a graphic design service for women entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Are you trying to reach bigger audience?
Though I could still trading under Lollipop Baby, I was trying to broaden my clients to not only come ftom baby & kids industry. Most of my graphic and logo portfolio still come from baby and children’s industry but I also do different other things.
Is your brand versatile enough to keep?
Not in my case. Beside my existing clients, not many prospective clients (from outside baby & kids industry) took plunge to hire me.
So the new brand emerged. I did promotion through Facebook, Pinterest and my brand awareness has been increasing significantly over the last year. Our Lollipop Creative Studio brand invited more clients from different industries (handmade products, travel accessories, you name it!). Most of all, this new brand represent what I do, what I believe in and where I want to take my service to.
