The Secret Framework to a Successful Rebranding

I was hired at Stay22 to improve the experience of our partners as part of the marketing team.

That meant understanding the perspective of our B2B partners and getting everything crystal clear. By bringing with me the do’s and don’ts of my previous projects, I was capable of transferring and applying this knowledge to my team, my fellow colleagues, and convincing our exec team.

Over the course of my career at Stay, I was lucky to tackle a handful of projects, and the most significant of it all was surely our company rebranding. Done entirely in-house and using very few resources — we spent less than a thousand dollars — this allowed us to gain more credibility from stakeholders, including investors, and increase user engagement. It also strengthened the bond between our team members and served as the foundation for the many current and ongoing projects of the marketing, sales, and product teams.

Our (not-so) secret framework to rebranding

I kicked things off with an excel sheet that somewhat looked like a grocery list: logo, colors, calligraphy, photography, illustrations, icons, etc. I considered these items as our “brand essentials,” and each of these either needed to be reviewed or redesigned from scratch.

And what was delivered

New Logo:

New colors:

New font:

New illustrations:

New newsletter templates:

Measuring success

Measuring the success of rebranding efforts is not an easy feat, as most of it is qualitative.

When we started to roll out our new rebranding, Andrew, the Stay22 CEO, received immediate feedback from investors and community members. It was positive across the board — thankfully! The Stay22 newsletter template was even referenced as a “model to follow”.

Using the rebranding to leverage trust and engagement

Looking back, there was much more to this rebranding than the redesign of a logo, the usage of new colors, or the creation of brand guidelines: there was also the desire to level up my team’s skills and expertise, to see them successfully achieve a project, and reach their full potential.

There was also the hype, excitement, and pride of the entire Stay22 team as we presented the new branding. All of us felt like the company was stepping up, and we all played a part.

On a professional level, the Stay22 rebranding was a win-win-win as it allowed our startup, my team, and myself to gain and earn trust from our many stakeholders.

For some, rebranding is a quick win or a flipping page into the company’s history. For myself, it’s a legacy that I'll proudly leave behind; an unforgettable experience that I’ll carry over to my future endeavors.