This white paper cuts through the noise. It’s built on global research, marketing science, and brand leadership experience. It’s designed to help you make clearer, more confident decisions when it comes to your brand.

In this paper you’ll find:

• What is a rebrand

• When you should not rebrand (and why the world’s top marketers say so)

• When you should (and how to know it's the right time)

• Why sport rebrands more often, and what businesses can learn from it

• How to make it work, from strategy to execution

And most importantly, how to avoid wasting time, energy and equity on a brand change that does not move the business forward.

Introduction: Not All Brands Are Worn on a Jersey

Most businesses have customers. Sports teams have fans. The difference matters.
Customers buy. Fans wear it on their chest. They feel ownership. They show up in person, they cheer, they suffer. They expect more.

Sport reveals brand truth faster than most industries and more brutally. The emotional stakes are higher. The cultural pressure is sharper. You don’t get the luxury of hiding behind B2B ambiguity or brand architecture decks. In sport, the brand is lived, publicly and passionately.

So when a sports team decides to rebrand, it’s a big call - and a public one. But done right, it can mark a powerful shift. That’s exactly what happened with the Perth Wildcats.

At Hum, we’ve worked on rebrands for everything from legacy businesses to fast-growth brands and in the case of the Wildcats, a professional team with a national following.

The Perth Wildcats project reminded us just how transferable the core rebranding principles are. Whether you’re in a boardroom or a locker room, great rebrands are rarely about visuals. They’re about clarity, alignment and ambition.

So, What Actually Constitutes a Rebrand?

Let’s clear something up right away: not every logo update is a rebrand. Not every colour change deserves a LinkedIn post.

A rebrand is a strategic reset, a deliberate shift in how your business is positioned, perceived and understood. It doesn’t always mean changing your name. But it does mean changing what your brand means to people.

A refresh, on the other hand, is lighter. It’s about evolution, not reinvention. Maybe your brand still fits, but it’s looking tired. Maybe the logo needs a tweak, or the tone of voice needs sharpening. That’s a refresh, a tune-up, not a rebuild.

A true rebrand usually touches one or more of these five areas:

1. Visual Identity: The brand’s visual expression system. Your logo, colours, type, motion, imagery. The visual system that cues recognition and signals what’s changed.

Like a uniform, it visually cues who you are and when changed, signals that something inside has shifted.

2. Verbal Identity: The distinct way a brand speaks, sounds, and is recognised in language. Includes:

• Tone of voice

• Naming systems (products, services, brand architecture language)

• Linguistic style (formality, rhythm, word choice)

• Sonic branding and mnemonics (where relevant)

It shapes what the brand sounds like and influences how it's remembered and emotionally felt.

3. Positioning: The strategic heart of the brand: what you stand for and who you stand with. Includes:

• Target audience: who you serve

• Competitive frame: who you’re up against

• Differentiation and value proposition: why you’re better, different, or more relevant

• Tagline and messaging pillars are often derived from this

It’s the bridge between strategy and expression and it must be clear, credible and distinct before any identity work is done.

4. Brand Architecture: How your brand and sub-brands are structured and named. Covers:

• Masterbrand vs. endorsed vs. house of brands

• Naming conventions across products/services

• Hierarchy and relationships between offerings

Critical for clarity both internally (operations) and externally (customer understanding).

5. Purpose, Values & Personality: The foundational elements that inform behaviour and internal alignment. Includes:

• Purpose: your ‘why’

• Values: how you behave and make decisions

• Personality: your brand’s character and human traits

The point is: a rebrand is not a design decision. It’s a business one. And if you're only solving for how things look, you're probably just refreshing. That’s fine, as long as you know which one you're doing, and why.

Section 1: When You Should Not Rebrand

Let’s start with the unpopular truth: most rebrands are unnecessary. Or worse, damaging.

Too many businesses rebrand for the wrong reasons. A bored leadership team. A new marketing manager keen to leave their mark. A sense that the logo just looks "a bit tired".

But changing your brand identity (especially your name or core brand assets) comes at a cost. As Mark Ritson (2022) argues in Marketing Week when you change your name, you lose all awareness, salience and familiarity. Plus, you then have to build them back up from scratch. That’s not a rebrand, it’s a reset with everything to lose.

In his view, there are only two valid reasons to change your brand name: legal action or a merger. Everything else? Don’t do it.

Marketing science backs this up. According to Professor Byron Sharp and the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, long-term growth comes from mental availability, being easy to recognise and recall. Rebranding disrupts that memory structure (Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, n.d.).

Behavioural science adds another layer. Customers form habits. When a brand changes suddenly, it breaks those habits - creating friction, doubt and often, indifference.

That's why some of the world’s worst branding disasters came from unnecessary changes:

• Gap (2010): A new logo launched with no warning or strategy. Backlash was instant. They reversed it within a week.

• Tropicana (2009): Packaging redesign caused a 20% drop in sales. Customers didn’t recognise the product.

• Twitter/X (2023): Years of brand equity and cultural meaning thrown out overnight. Confused users. Damaged trust.

To paraphrase Seth Godin in his blog, a rebrand changes the promise you make... If the old brand was trusted, iconic and historic, then you’re burning down the house to get attention (Godin, 2024).

If your brand is still doing its job, even if it is not perfect, don’t mess with it. Refresh, don’t rebrand.

Section 2: When You Should Rebrand

Despite the risks, there are times when a rebrand isn't just valid, it’s essential.

Here are the seven strongest strategic reasons to rebrand:

1. Your strategy has shifted
   You've grown. Expanded. Entered new markets. Launched new products. The business has changed, but the brand hasn't. That disconnect holds you back.

2. The brand no longer matches the business you are building
   You've matured. You are playing in a more premium space. But the brand still feels small, basic or legacy. It undercuts your value perception.

3. Competitors look sharper
   In a competitive market, perception is everything. If your brand looks dated or unclear next to the competition, customers will assume you are too.

4. You are entering a new chapter
   New leadership. New ownership. New ambition. These moments often need a new signal, internally and externally, to mark the shift.

5. Your reputation needs repair
   If the brand is tied to negative perceptions, a rebrand can help signal change. But only if it is backed by real operational or cultural shifts.

6. You have merged or acquired
   When two businesses become one, brand confusion often follows. A rebrand can create clarity and signal a unified direction.

7. Your people do not connect with it
   If staff avoid using the brand, don't believe in it or find it unclear, that disconnect filters through to customers. A rebrand can realign internal energy and pride.

Beyond alignment and positioning, successful rebrands often deliver commercial returns - but those returns usually flow from renewed engagement. When employees feel reconnected to the brand, they show up with more energy. When customers see a brand that feels modern and relevant, they’re more likely to convert, buy, and pay a premium. In other words, the financial upside doesn’t come from a new logo; it comes from re-energising the people who matter most.

(These rebrand triggers are drawn from a combination of marketing strategy literature, agency frameworks, and brand consulting experience. Including the work of Byron Sharp, Greyser & Urde, and Interbrand’s brand audit models.)

Just be clear: this isn't about personal taste. It's about whether your current brand is helping or hindering your strategy.

And sometimes, it isn't dramatic. In the case of the Perth Wildcats, the brand didn't match the ambition of the new ownership, leadership and vision. That was reason enough.

Rebranding is not just about reinvention. It is about realignment.

Section 2A: What ROI Can You Expect From a Rebrand?

Rebrands aren’t just about looking better. Done right, they deliver measurable commercial returns.

• Most leaders see upside. In one global survey, 81% of executives reported a positive ROI from their rebrand (Hanover Research, 2021).

• Revenue impact is real. In banking, rebranded institutions grew nearly twice as fast as their peers, achieving a 13.6% CAGR vs 7.4% industry average (Adrenaline, 2024).

• Sales can surge. Old Spice doubled body wash sales (+107%) within months of its repositioning (Adweek, 2010).

• Market value often rises. A study of 215 rebrands (between 1995-2015) found stock prices rose an average of +2.46% on announcement - a $31M average bump in market cap (UNO, 2018).

In the case of our Perth Wildcats project, in the first quarter of the 2025-26 (NBL26) season the rebrand and campaign translated into real commercial performance:

(Note: These are just the results at time of publishing for Q1 but they're continuing to see the numbers grow)

But not all rebrands succeed. From the same UNO study around 19% didn’t report a positive ROI. Tropicana’s 2009 rebrand caused a 20% sales drop in weeks (The Branding Journal, 2015). Gap’s logo redesign was pulled in 7 days, costing $100m (Design Rush, 2025).

A full rebrand in Australia-including brand strategy, visual identity, positioning, and rollout costs significantly more as the business grows, with ranges depending on scope, complexity, and agency expertise.

Small Businesses

• Cost Range: $8,000–$30,000 for a comprehensive rebrand.

• This typically covers strategy development, identity design, branding guidelines, basic asset rollout, and limited research.

• A simple logo refresh alone may cost $500–$8,000.

Medium Businesses

• Cost Range: $30,000–$90,000 for a full rebrand.

• Includes deeper audience/competitor research, extensive creative development, asset design (signage, collateral, website), and staff/customer engagement processes.

Large Businesses

• Cost Range: $90,000–$200,000+ for multi-site/multi-channel rollout.

• Can reach +$200,000 when including brand audits, extensive research, customer/fan engagement, large-scale digital/hybrid asset updates, change management, and comprehensive stakeholder engagement.

Approximate Cost of Rebranding in Australia:

Sources: These cost ranges are published by leading Australian branding agencies and industry surveys, with figures adjusted for inflation and recent market trends.

The difference between success and failure? Strategy. Rebrands that are rooted in clear business ambition, rigorous customer insight, and experienced execution pay back many times over. Cosmetic changes without substance burn cash and erode trust.

Section 3: Why Sports Teams Rebrand More Often

In business, rebranding is seen as a high-risk move and one that can backfire commercially. But in sport, brand refreshes happen regularly. Jerseys change. Logos evolve. Colours shift. And fans still show up.

So why do sports brands rebrand more often than corporates?

1. Fan culture rewards novelty
   In sport, merchandise isn’t just marketing, it’s a core revenue stream. A rebrand gives clubs the chance to reignite supporter pride and connection, which in turn drives direct financial uplift through new jersey sales, refreshed merchandise lines, and renewed fan spend. The commercial impact is immediate, and it’s fuelled by engagement. That’s why sporting organisations tend to rebrand more frequently than corporates. As brand strategist Ryan Dastrup notes, rebrands in sport are often used as a lever to generate buzz, create memorable fan moments, and refresh commercial opportunities (Dastrup, 2023).

2. Identity shifts match major moments
   Sports teams often rebrand to mark a new chapter, new ownership, a move to a new stadium, or a cultural reset. It is a visual cue that something is changing. The Brooklyn Nets rebrand is a classic case, a gritty, black-and-white brand built to reflect the borough and signal their arrival.

3. Fans feel ownership (and pressure brands to get it right)
   Unlike corporate customers, fans feel like they are the brand. That creates more pressure and more passion. When Leeds United unveiled a new crest without fan input in 2018, backlash was so intense they scrapped it in less than a week.

4. They compete for attention, not just sales
   Sport is entertainment. Teams are constantly fighting for airtime, relevance and emotional loyalty. A bold visual change can cut through, if it’s done well.

Lesson for business: A rebrand isn’t just a design exercise. It’s a signal. Done poorly, it creates confusion and backlash. Done well, it marks a new era and unites people behind it.
In sport, change is expected and even embraced. In business, change often meets resistance. But brands in both worlds are subject to the same truth: distinctiveness matters, and stagnation is risky.

Section 4: What Great Rebrands Get Right

The best rebrands aren't the boldest or flashiest. They are the most aligned.
From experience in both business and professional sport, here is what successful rebrands tend to get right:

1. A clear reason for change
   The business has evolved, and the brand no longer fits. That clarity of why now is the foundation.

2. A strong brief and shared ambition
   Everyone knew the commercial goals, the creative challenge and the job the brand needed to do.

3. A tight, trusted team
   No layers. No passengers. Just experienced people doing the work. The CEO trusted the team, knew his strengths and let experts lead where needed.

4. The customer is always in the room
   For the Wildcats, we constantly asked: how will the Red Army feel? We reflected regularly on insights from the club's Fan Survey - conducted before the rebrand began - to stay grounded in what mattered most to fans.

5. Fast, visceral decision-making
   No overthinking. No endless revisions. If it didn't feel right in the room, it probably wasn't.

6. Aligned inside and out
   The best rebrands align strategy, culture and communication, what we call an inside-out approach.

Great rebrands build pride, clear confusion, and give the business momentum to grow.

Section 5: So, Should You Rebrand?

If you’re asking the question, that’s usually a sign something’s not sitting right.

But before you commit to change, gut-check your reasons:

• Has the business evolved in a way the brand no longer reflects?

• Is your identity creating confusion or holding back growth?

• Are customers or staff disconnecting from it?

• Is there a clear commercial or strategic reason to rebrand - not just a cosmetic one?

If the answer is yes to more than one of those, it might be time.
But if your brand still works, and the issues are surface-level? Think twice. You might just need a refresh. Fix what’s broken. Keep what’s working.

In sport and in business, brand drives belief. Not just in what you sell but in who you are, and what you’re building.

How Hum Helps

At Hum, we help businesses rebrand the right way, with purpose, clarity and momentum.
We don’t just write the strategy. We embed with your team, cast the right experts, and keep decisions sharp and aligned.

We’ve led rebrands for major organisations, professional sports teams, and fast-growing businesses across Australia. Always from the inside out.

If you're wrestling with your brand and whether it’s time to change it, refresh it or leave it alone, we can help you figure that out, and if needed, get it done properly.

Curious whether your brand needs a rebrand, or just a refresh? Let’s book in a time for a no-commitment chat about your business, challenges and ambition.

See the link below: Book time with Damiano Di Pietro: 45min Intro / Discovery call

Sources

• Ritson, M. (2022, August 30). National Lottery: Don’t rebrand, revitalise. Marketing Week.

• Ehrenberg-Bass Institute. (n.d.). How do you measure how brands grow? Marketing Science.

• Sharp, B. (2010). How Brands Grow: What Marketers Don’t Know. Oxford University Press.

• Godin, S. (2024, December). The problem with shock design. Seth’s Blog.

• Dastrup, R. (2023, May 4). In the rush to rebrand, sports teams must listen to fans: Lessons learned from the Columbus Crew. LinkedIn.

• Brooklyn Nets Rebrand – Fast Company

• Gibson, O. (2018, January 24). Leeds United’s new crest mocked for looking like Gaviscon logo. The Guardian.

• Forbes & HubSpot. (2020). The state of brand measurement. Retrieved from https://f.hubspotusercontent00.net/hubfs/3409306/The%20State%20of%20Brand%20Measurement.pdf

• Adrenaline. (2021). The art and science of naming for banking brands. Retrieved from https://www.adrenalinex.com/blog/art-and-science-naming-for-banking-brands/

• Adweek. (2010). Hey Old Spice haters, sales are up 107%. Retrieved from https://www.adweek.com/creativity/hey-old-spice-haters-sales-are-107-12422/

• University of Nebraska Omaha. (2018). Is rebranding worthwhile? Retrieved from https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-business-administration/news/2018/03/is-rebranding-worthwhile.php

• The Branding Journal. (2015). What to learn from Tropicana’s packaging redesign failure. Retrieved from https://www.thebrandingjournal.com/2015/05/what-to-learn-from-tropicanas-packaging-redesign-failure/

• DesignRush. (2023). Gap logo fail: Branding lessons from a famous flop. Retrieved from https://news.designrush.com/gap-logo-fail-branding-lessons