Rebranding Your Startup: The Right Conceptual Development Makes All The Difference I launched my own business, MB Consultancy, a digital marketing agency in Cape Town, South Africa four years ago. Like many startups, I had done very little consideration of the actual brand identity of my enterprise.
By Marianna Boguslavsky •
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I launched my own business, MB Consultancy, a digital marketing agency in Cape Town, South Africa four years ago. Like many startups, I had done very little consideration of the actual brand identity of my enterprise. I didn't properly understand how to formulate the company's essence, title or name, logo development, font choices, and finally, the positioning.
But as the company grew -I opened an office in the UAE at the beginning of this year- so did the need for a rebrand to reflect the personalized nature of my agency. Instead of hiring my sister to design another logo (rookie mistake), I decided to invest in a professional branding agency that specializes in startups and SMEs, JPd. JPd is a UAE-based boutique agency spearheaded by international branding specialist James Pass, whose agency is making best practices in branding available for passionate entrepreneurs and startups.
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I approached JPd having already decided on the new company name, Boguslavsky & Co, as I wanted to use my surname to reflect the personalized nature of the agency. It was also important to leverage my digital strategy experience and skills, as it's vital to the work I do with my clients. I added the suffix "& Co" as I wanted to show it's not a one-woman show- I work with quality team members that add considerable worth to my company. In terms of positioning, I wanted to make it clear where our skills, knowledge and expertise lie.
So what does a rebranding experience entail? The process kicked off with a face-to-face meeting with JPd. The purpose was to establish an understanding of my business objectives, goals, and current standing in the market. Through an in-depth interview process, which took me through questions that I hadn't before considered, I really thought about the core essence of my agency and our personalized approach. Not long after, JPd came back with their first presentation; the detailed understanding of my business, and a comprehensive analysis of my competitors and their current brand positioning, blew me away.
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For instance, I was surprised to realize that so many digital agencies tend to use same colors and the same wording and verbal tone. Luckily, JPd and I were on the same page- it was important that I differentiate my business from the rest. Our follow-up presentation was the one I was most excited about, as it involved my new logo, and the creative ways it can work with my name. I mean how much can you really do with a logo for a company called Boguslavsky & Co? Apparently, quite a bit.
Adding to my excitement was the overall look and feel that complimented the logo and brand positioning, giving me added creative tools such as typography, shade palette, and graphic layouts. Ultimately, from the in-depth immersion in the process to their phenomenal creativity I was incredibly pleased with the results. I realized that branding is the first step to launching your business if you want to do it properly. All in all, the rebranding experience was much needed and fascinating process- it has resulted in a new brand that I am very proud to call my own.
