Hit 'Em With the Remix

In 2024, iconic beauty brand Maybelline resuscitated its wildly successful tagline, "Maybe she's born with it," for a new generation of makeup enthusiasts on TikTok. Seizing upon the virality of social media and leveraging some of the most famous faces in the world, Maybelline successfully navigated a brand evolution that feels nostalgic and fresh, relatable and revolutionary.

Right about now you're going, "Who cares what a legacy beauty brand did with its tagline last year—my business is stalled today."

We're gettin' to it.

See, Maybelline embraced an inevitability of business that every brand has to face if they want to be successful: They leaned into a tactical brand evolution. This is a crossroads every brand arrives at sooner or later, but knowing when it's time to seize the opportunity to refresh your brand can be challenging. Here are some signs that you might be due for an update:

• Your audience has changed or grown—If your original brand was built for a niche audience, but you've since expanded your offerings or branched out into new areas, your branding might need to catch up. Remember, if it's not resonating with your audience, then it's not working (even if you love, love, love it).
• Your visual brand language feels dated—Design trends come and go, baby. If you leaned in to a particular style a little too hard for your logo, typography, or palette, chances are it'll be feeling dusty after a few years.
• Your business has undergone shifts—Whether it's a new offering or new leadership, big business changes can be the perfect catalyst for refreshing your identity, honoring where you've been while celebrating where you're headed.
• Your business is stalling—If you've had a few good years but are now experiencing declining engagement, poor performance, and customer loss, it could be that your brand is no longer resonating with your audience.
• Your brand isn't well-defined—If different teams are interpreting the brand differently, it's a huge red flag that your brand identity isn't well-defined or cohesive. A refresh can realign your team and ignite new inspiration.

But wait! Before you dive into the deep end on a brand revitalization project, make sure you've got clear and achievable goals in mind. It's not likely that an updated brand ID will revolutionize your business overnight, so if you're putting all your eggs in that basket, you may be disappointed. Here are a few things a brand update can help with:

• Differentiating your business from the competition—Imitation may be the highest form of flattery, but if you've got some copycats in your industry then a fresh brand approach can go a long way toward setting you apart.
• Turning confused customers into converts—Over time, it's easy for your core value propositions and messaging to become diluted or convoluted, making it tricky for your audience to understand what you do.
• Setting the stage for ongoing success—Modernizing your brand visuals and unifying your brand voice and tone provide a strong foundation that you can build on and that your audience can trust.
• Equipping your internal team—Easy-to-use tools and guidelines help your creative team execute highly effective collateral that looks, feels, and sounds like your brand.

If we're striking a chord here, then know you're not alone. It's easy to get caught up in the daily functions of your business and lose track of how your brand is performing. That's why we're here. Prolific Digital is your creative partner, teasing out threads of truth and weaving them into thing of branded beauty.

When we take on a brand evolution project, we do deep historical research into the why behind your business. We want to know what makes your team tick, what success looks like to you, what legacy elements of your brand—like Maybelline's iconic tagline—are untouchable. We refresh the brand with the care of an art restorer, breathing new life into dulled colors and shining new light on unique characteristics.

We are your long-term brand partner, updating your collateral with intention so that you can hit your audience with a remix that will drop jaws and open wallets. We are Prolific.