Brand positioning and rebranding

If people cannot see how you differ from everyone else, they choose on price. It happens when your website says one thing, your social media another and you tell a third story in person, or when the business has changed but its image is still the one from ten years ago.

We work with you to pin down who you serve, what you offer and why you are worth choosing. Then we turn it into words and an image you use everywhere: website, social media, Google Business Profile, quotes, shop sign.

When you need it

• Customers ask for discounts because they cannot see the difference between you and cheaper options.
• You have expanded or changed your services, and your name or logo no longer represents you.
• Your website, social media and printed materials look like they belong to three different companies.
• You are about to open a new business or product line and want to start with a clear idea.
• Two partners, or two generations, see the business differently and you need common ground.
• You want to enter a new market, for example moving from consumers to business clients.

How we work

1. Listening. We talk to you and, where possible, to a few customers, to understand what they really ask of you and why they chose you.
2. Competitor analysis. We look at how the businesses you are compared with present themselves, to find the space where you can stand out.
3. Positioning. In a few lines we write who you work for, what you solve and why people should trust you, and we check it together.
4. Messages and tone. We draw out the key phrases, the way you speak and, if needed, a new name.
5. Visual identity. We turn it all into a logo, colours and typefaces, or update the ones you have.
6. Rollout. We bring the new positioning to your website, social media and materials, and leave you guidelines for everyone who works with you.

The work is led by Federico, who specialises in brand identity, storytelling and copywriting.

Rebranding: when it makes sense and when it does not

A rebrand changes how you present yourself: sometimes just the look, sometimes the name and messages too. It is an investment, so it should be done for a clear reason.

It makes sense when:

• the business has changed and the image still reflects the old one;
• the name causes confusion with a competitor or limits the services you can offer;
• the image is so dated that the business looks less well run than it is;
• there has been a merger, a change of ownership or a handover to the next generation.

It does not make sense when:

• the real problem is a slow website or irregular communication: those need fixing, not the logo;
• you are tired of your logo but customers recognise it and associate it with something good;
• you are hoping a new image will make up for a service that has problems.

The right answer often lies in between: an update that keeps what customers recognise and fixes the rest.

A real example

When a rebrand also involves the website, the biggest risk is losing your Google rankings. For Athena SCF we rebuilt the website from scratch, moving from WordPress to Astro, and kept every address of the 375 pages and 282 articles. It is the same method we use when a client’s image changes: the new look arrives, and the work built up over the years stays.

Who it is for

Small and medium businesses, practices and professionals in Perugia and Umbria, Italy, and clients working with us remotely, who feel they have outgrown their image or are starting out and want to do so with a clear identity.