Brand consistency is important for your potential client base. Seeing the same print, logo, slogan, etc. gives your brand legitimacy and engenders trust. Sometimes brands go through transition (brand refresh, change in upper management). It is imperative that when an organization changes to a new brand expression, that it is consistent throughout the business.
The Ottawa-Carleton region has two casinos. The first is Casino Lac-Leamy on the Quebec side. The brand has been established since 1996 and continues to offer multiple forms of entertainment (slots, table games, dance club, shows, etc.). The second has been around much longer, but is going through a transition. Formerly Rideau Carleton Raceway, currently Rideau Carleton Casino, and, in 2021, becoming Hard Rock Casino. I visited the three-named casino last week, and each name can be found on display somewhere within its walls. Their website is the same, multiple names for one location.
I’ve never done any marketing or advertising for a casino. Other than awareness campaigns, I’m not sure what else you’d need to get people to go. Casino goers are casino goers. You don’t have to convince them of the benefits of visiting, they already know. For Rideau Carleton/Casino/Hard Rock, they can ride out the transition until 2021, once the official name is adopted and the upgrades are completed.
But what about a local business? Can they operate in the same way? Absolutely not. There’s a company in the Ottawa area that operated under a household name for decades. A few years back, they decided to go through a brand refresh and changed their name. They have multiple locations in the Ottawa area. Some are branded with the new name, others with the old. I’m unsure of what the financial impact has been, but from a brand perspective, its an unfortunate situation. From the eyes of the client, it reads like two different companies. Was there hesitation on the part of the owner to forsake the former name? Fear of losing clients?
Make sure that every move is a deliberate one. Be Intentional. Be Consistent.