Mastering the art of a brand refresh: Balancing tradition with forward momentum
Scott Bush, CEO of The Cheesecake Shop, recently led a significant brand refresh for the much-loved Australian and New Zealand franchise: all accomplished in a mere nine months. Here, he shares his top three tips to mastering the art of a rebrand.
With the rollout of the new brand across Australia and New Zealand underway, I’m going to share three invaluable insights on navigating the delicate balance between honouring the brand’s heritage and embracing its ongoing growth into the future.
Honour the past: Respect the original DNA.
Before embarking on The Cheesecake Shop’s major brand refresh, I dedicated time to connect with the company’s founders, brothers Robert and Warwick Konopacki.
Delving deep into the DNA of this highly successful business was crucial in shaping our strategy.
With a clear understanding of the brand’s inherent DNA, we prioritised preserving and reinforcing its core identity.
Every decision and innovation was carefully aligned with the essence of what makes The Cheesecake Shop unique, a factor that has driven its enduring popularity for over 30 years.
Emphasising this authenticity and remaining faithful to the brand’s roots, we worked to honour its legacy while confidently propelling it into the future.
Engage in the present: Work with the right strategic partners.
Collaborating with the right partners proved to be indispensable as we worked to revitalise The Cheesecake Shop’s brand.
Having partners on the journey who challenge you throughout the process is crucial to confidently navigating the complexities of a brand refresh.
We recognised the importance of humility, acknowledging that we didn’t possess all the answers, and brought in expert agencies to work with us on the journey.
Sharing our commitment to innovation and growth, these partners were instrumental in challenging the status quo and pushing everyone on the team out of their comfort zones as we explored the right direction to take moving into the future.
Our willingness to embrace discomfort and confront challenges head-on injected a dynamic energy into the process, ultimately propelling us toward our goals with renewed vigour and purpose.
Shaping the future: Take it on the chin.
When embarking on a rebranding journey, it’s imperative to embrace and evaluate feedback with meticulous care. Engaging with focus groups allows for a comprehensive understanding of different perspectives.
During The Cheesecake Shop’s rebranding, we had initial ideas about the direction we thought we might like to go. Engagement with focus groups provided broader insight from our core customer base.
Embracing criticism as well as validation of our ideas, assisted us to find an equilibrium between honouring the brand’s heritage and charting a course for its evolution.
Prioritising elements based on an alignment with the business’s core values and objectives was crucialand our strategy focused on strategic product positioning and defining clear sales objectives to guide our rebranding efforts.
Finding this balance between actively listening to feedback and staying true to our convictions allowed us to make informed decisions and move forward with the re-brand with confidence.
Scott Bush is CEO at The Cheesecake Shop.
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