Is January a Good Time to Rebrand? The Case For and Against

The case for January

• A natural story. A new year gives you an easy reason to announce something new.
• Fresh budgets. Many businesses have money to spend at the start of a financial year.
• Quieter periods. Some sectors are slower in winter, so the team has time to focus.
• Planning is done. If you decided in December, you can start straight away.

The case against

• A rebrand takes time. A proper project usually runs for weeks or months. See how long a branding project takes. Starting in January doesn’t mean launching in January.
• Your busiest season may be close. Launching just before a peak can be risky.
• The new year is noisy. Everyone announces something in January, so you may struggle to stand out.
• Rushed decisions are costly. A rebrand begun because of the date rather than a reason rarely goes well.

Better questions than “when?”

1. Why are we doing this? Read signs your business needs a rebrand and write the reason down.
2. What must be ready on launch day? Website, packaging, signage, email, legal documents and social profiles all take time.
3. When is our quiet period? Aim to launch then, and plan backwards.
4. Who needs to approve? Make sure they’re available.
5. Have we tested it? See how to test a rebrand before you launch it.

A sensible approach

Use January to start: audit the current brand, agree the goals and brief an agency. Aim to launch when your business is ready, which could be spring or even autumn. Our rebrand process guide lays out the order of work.

A realistic timeline

Working back from a spring launch, the plan might look like this: January for the audit, goals and brief; February and March for strategy and design; April for testing and refinement; May for production and rollout. If your busiest time is in the spring, move everything a few months earlier or later. The aim is to launch when you can give the change your full attention.

What to do in the meantime

• Run a brand audit
• Collect examples of where your brand doesn’t work
• Talk to customers and staff
• Set a budget. See our brand budget planning guide
• Choose who will manage the project

The honest answer

January is a fine time to begin, and not always the right time to launch. Pick the date that suits your business, not the calendar.

If you’re thinking about a rebrand next year, book a free brand consultation and we’ll help you decide whether and when.