The short answer is: It depends. So let’s outline the influencing factors and break down the cost of rebranding an organization.

What affects the cost?

We start by talking about what’s motivating your desire to rebrand. Questions we might ask:

• Is it a thought, feeling or maybe even a directive that you need to rebrand?
• Is it because your organization has completely shifted, and what you’re saying and projecting into the world now seem off?
• Is it because your logo is outdated?
• Is it an alignment issue, meaning what you’re doing and saying just isn’t coming together?
• Is it because your customers have perceptions of you, good or bad, that you want to change?

Perhaps the most important influence on rebrand pricing, though, is the number of elements in your brand that you want to change. Are we completely redefining who you are, even your name, and how you present yourself to the world? That’s a bigger investment.

The answers to these questions matter because they reveal a lot about the foundational building blocks of your brand. For example, if what you say and do are not aligned, we recommend starting with those building blocks of brand strategy – positioning, value, core essence, brand manifesto – to achieve alignment.

To be honest, brand strategy is not the fun, sexy stuff. It is hard, deep work that takes time and money to do. And it’s worth the investment, because otherwise your brand foundation crumbles and you lose trust with your customers, who will see right through the cracks.

So, if there are foundational issues, that’s a rebrand, but you might want a brand refresh if your foundation is already solid. Imagine a house built on that foundation, and you want to make some simple cosmetic changes to the house like fresh paint and new wallpaper. The brand equivalent might be a couple of new colors in your palette or expanding your font choices. That’s a brand refresh, and it’s generally less expensive.

Rebrand pricing

I’ve previously explained the three-step Amperage rebrand process. For this cost discussion, I’ll add a fourth step:

• Research – What do you come to the table already knowing about your customers and what they believe about you? Do you know how they define your brand? If not, we recommend uncovering information first. After research, we’ll make recommendations on things to fix during the rebrand. Cost will vary depending on what you already know. Cost: $5,000 - $40,000.
   
• Brand strategy (platform) – The foundational building blocks of your brand. Cost: $10,000 - $15,000. If the strategy includes naming: $25,000 - $35,000.
   
• Brand identity – The fun stuff: logo, tagline/branding line, color palette, aesthetics that reflect your brand personality and voice. It is important to note: Your brand is NOT your logo. Your logo is just one element of your identity. Cost: $15,000 - $30,000.
   
• Rebrand execution – The cost of execution depends on what type of organization you are, how big you are, how many locations and the extent of your rebrand. In addition to a rollout plan, execution might include new signage, replacing all your basic business collateral, updating your website, replacing all your promotional and marketing materials. It can be phased to make it more manageable, but it is a big upfront investment.
  
  Consider execution cost in two parts.
  • First, the playbook, or rollout plan and strategy. Sometimes your team can execute, but you need help with a plan. Cost: $10,000 - $15,000.
  • Second, execution of materials is completely dependent on type of work and how much you’d like our help with. We truly cannot define an average cost range for this.

For a full rebrand (research, brand strategy, brand identity and rollout playbook), expect to pay $50,000 - $100,000, and it will take nine months to a year.

Amperage shares these broad cost ranges to help you make comparisons. Can someone else design a logo for less? Sure, but that’s not what we’re talking about in this process. Ours is a deeply strategic, comprehensive approach to rebranding, and that is reflected in these cost ranges.

That said, there is no one-size-fits-all, and the process can be tailored to your needs and your budget. If a strategic rebrand is your goal, let’s have a conversation.

Author Erin Earnest is Vice President of Strategy and a leading subject matter expert in branding for Amperage Marketing + Fundraising.