Your client is unhappy with the rebranding results. How can you turn their dissatisfaction into success?

Here's my strategy: I'd schedule a meeting to hear the client's specific concerns, asking questions to uncover underlying issues and understand root causes. Next, I'd propose a collaborative workshop to brainstorm improvements, ensuring the client feels ownership in the process. We'd prioritize actionable changes aligned with their brand vision. Then, I would create a detailed action plan with clear milestones and frequent check-ins. This might involve refining visual elements, messaging, or brand positioning based on feedback. Also to change negative perceptions, transparency and responsiveness are essential. I'd provide regular progress updates, showcasing iterative improvements throughout the process.

It is crucial to actively listen to the client's concerns and use that feedback to refine the rebranding strategy. This shows your commitment to their vision. For example, if a client feels their brand voice is too formal, you can pivot by incorporating more approachable language, which not only aligns with their goals but also demonstrates your adaptability and dedication to meeting their needs.

The client knows more about her business than we do. It is important to listen to the client and her unhappiness. You might have missed something and now is the time to rectify. Use the strategy as the base for deep brainstorming with the client involved at every step. See what are the possible causes of misalignment and understand the deep underlying problems. Once you do, address them one by one. If necessary, offer to do the full thing again. The client will have a reason and the sooner you do it, you save the client from losing her money and her brand's reputation and share.

If the client is honestly unhappy with the rebranding results, it means there is either a promise that hasn't been fulfilled or an expectation that isn't met. It's possible that the promise you gave or the expectations your customer had aren't clearly communicated. I would sit down with the customer and re-assess the complete process to understand what went wrong. As a brand strategist, if it's a mistake on my end I would rectify it to meet the expectation of my customer. If everything went as per the process and timely approvals were taken from the customer, there wouldn't be much for me to do other than offer to make the changes as per their current expectation.

Develop a clear, step-by-step strategy to address each concern. This might include design revisions, additional market research, or refining brand messaging.