In 2008, when Wal-Mart ditched the hyphen in favor of the burst, they definitely got it right. With a campaign centered around their new tagline — “save money. live better.” — their success has come largely from keeping the consumer in mind. It is that brand to consumer connection where success can either make a splash or go off the deep end. Some companies have gotten it right, but why is it when it comes to branding overhauls most ad agencies leave consumers scratching their heads?

The answer is simple, but in order to get there we need to take a step back. To fully understand the woes of re-branding, we first must understand what branding is. Simply put, the ultimate goal of advertising and branding is to take a simple word or phrase associated with your product or service, and plant that in the mind of the consumer. Sounds easy enough, right? Brands like Starbucks, McDonald’s and Gatorade make it look easy. Over the years, the automakers have done the same thing — Toyota has done it with reliability, Volvo has made the connection with safety and BMW has made consumers believe that they actually invented driving. Yes, the awesomeness of branding is nothing short of powerful, but then again — it has to be. In such an advertising heavy world, how else can you turn potential buyers into die-hard consumers?

Getting your target audience to notice your brand, and your brand only, takes a lot more than just a new logo. You need a smart advertising agency that understands branding from the consumer viewpoint. Placed in the right hands (or minds, rather) a powerful marketing and advertising firm can take your brand from the somber depths of mediocrity to great heights for years to come. Whether it’s a complete overhaul or strategic planning, your brand’s messaging and appearance in the minds of consumers needs to stay sharp so it can continue to capture its target audience.

Let’s face it, advertising has changed drastically since the turn of the century — just look how successful companies use social media. You can’t reach consumers the same way you have in the past and expect the same results. With oversaturated markets and a short amount of time to capture consumers’ attention, the need for re-branding is more apparent now than ever. Your brand is your face, personality and essence of your company — everything it stands for. Call me crazy, but you can’t afford to throw it out in the consumer world, only to get buried on the bottom shelf of consumers’ minds.