Rebranding? How To Get Your Merchandise Right First Time

A rebrand is an opportunity to think carefully about how you want people to experience your organisation, not just how you want it to look. From your website and communications to the things your employees, customers and stakeholders see, use and receive, there are plenty of touchpoints that need to reflect your new brand.

Branded merchandise is one of them, and thinking about it early gives you time to make considered choices about what you need and what you want it to achieve. Leave it too late and you can find yourself with fewer options, tighter timescales and unnecessary costs, just when there are already plenty of other things to manage.

Sam Pella, Director at Pellacraft, has advised businesses through rebrands of all shapes and sizes. Here, she shares her practical advice on what to consider, when to start planning and how to make sure merchandise supports your rebrand from the outset.

Start With What You're Trying To Achieve

Involving a merchandise partner early in your rebrand gives you more time to explore your options, avoid unnecessary compromises and make decisions based on what you’re actually trying to achieve.

At Pellacraft, we'd much rather hear about your rebrand objectives and the people you're trying to reach than receive a finished shopping list. Understanding the bigger picture gives us the opportunity to recommend ideas you may not have considered and, equally importantly, tell you when something isn't necessary.

Think about the different audiences your new brand needs to reach, from employees and new starters to customers, prospects and stakeholders, then consider the experience you want to create for each of them. The right merchandise should support that experience rather than simply display your new logo.

Give Yourself Time To Get The Details Right

Every rebrand will have its own timescales and requirements, but we advise our clients to consider the following in the planning process:

• Early Planning: Bring us into the conversation, share your objectives and key dates, and identify the audiences, teams and locations affected by the rebrand.
• Before Product Selection: Review existing branded stock, identify physical touchpoints and agree what needs to change, what can stay and where new merchandise could add value.
• Product And Creative Planning: With the bigger picture agreed, we can recommend suitable products and explore branding options with budget, sustainability, quantities and lead times in mind.
• Ahead Of Launch: Approve artwork and products with enough time for production, while planning delivery, stockholding and fulfilment so everything reaches the right people and places when it needs to.
• Launch And Beyond: Think about what happens after launch day, particularly if different departments or locations will need to reorder merchandise. Pre-approved ranges and online ordering stores can help maintain consistency without adding ongoing administration for your central team.

Remember That A Rebrand Reaches Across The Business

Marketing may lead the rebrand, but its impact goes much wider. Conside the needs of HR, Internal Communications, Facilities, Events, Health and Safety, CSR teams and others across the organisation.

Talking to those teams early can uncover requirements that are easily missed, from onboarding packs and event materials to workwear, stationery and stakeholder gifts, while also reducing the risk of old branding unexpectedly reappearing after launch.

Make Merchandise Part Of The Plan

The best product choices come from understanding what you want to achieve, who you need to reach and how your new brand works across your business.

Speak to our team early and we can help you see the bigger picture, from managing existing stock and overlooked touchpoints to lead times, logistics and ongoing ordering. With more time to plan, we can share ideas, anticipate potential challenges and make sure every recommendation has a clear purpose.

If you’re rebranding, talk to us before you have all the answers. Tell us what you're trying to achieve and we'll help you turn your plans into a practical merchandise strategy that brings your new brand to life.

Talk To Us About Your Rebrand  →