24 Tips to Reinvent Your Brand a la Kiefer Sutherland

Not once, twice, or even three times did 24 star Kiefer Sutherland have a brush with the law. On four separate occasions, Sutherland has been arrested for driving under the influence.


Amazingly, Kiefer Sutherland’s checkered past with alcohol abuse hasn’t kept him down. It didn’t even stop tequila brand Jose Cuervo from picking him up as the poster boy for their latest ad campaign.

From television to print to social media platforms, Jose Cuervo is rolling out its ad campaign through multiple avenues, encouraging consumers to live without regrets and have a story (and shots, we’re sure). Of course, Cuervo’s “Have a Story” campaign has garnered attention for using Sutherland to promote their brand, especially given his questionable history with DUIs.

But just as Jack Bauer escaped from seemingly impossible circumstances, perhaps there’s a secret to brand reinvention as well. Similar to the mythical phoenix, there’s no reason mistakes from yesterday should limit your opportunities tomorrow. From Old Spice to Volkswagen, there’s a long history of brands that have come back from the grave. And apparently we can now add Kiefer Sutherland’s persona to that list.

Reinvent Your Brand like Jack Bauer

So in honor of the man behind Jack Bauer, here are 24 tips for reinventing your brand:

1. Acknowledge that the market has changed. From new competitors to the digital world, you’re likely no longer defined by your original vision. Only after acknowledging this change can you move forward!
2. Rethink your customer base and their needs. For instance, the restaurant market has strongly catered to Millennials despite overwhelming evidence that Baby Boomers eat out a lot more – much more. Are you targeting the right people?
3. Consider launching a new product or service to grow your market. Diversification is a powerful tool to grow your company into existing or emerging markets as long as you stay true to a solid strategy.
4. Begin investing in new marketing channels such as content marketing. We know what you’re thinking: it’s probably easier and cheaper to write your own content. But web marketing tactics must be kept in mind, which is why even the smartest businesses invest in content writing services.
5. Repurpose old content to keep the essence of your old brand while creating a new image. Did you know there are 37 ways to repurpose a single blog post?
6. Grow your influence online. It’s important to grow your clout and understand that mass media and the digital platform not only define you, but provide opportunities for your business.
7. Network as often as you can. Chances are that you’ve gotten complacent and have stopped making new business contacts. Remember what they say: your network is your net worth.
8. Be transparent. There’s a tendency for businesses to become defensive during hard times. Be outgoing and responsive instead.
9. Consider new avenues for growth. Be sure to understand the when, why and how of brand extension.
10. Redesign your website. You’ve noticed that major brands such as Google and Facebook continuously update their successful sites. Is there a secret to the madness?
11. Invest in a new logo. New times, new image, right? Major corporations and small businesses alike have all changed their logos for a newer, sleeker image.
12. Analyze your current situation – completely. What is it exactly that you want to change? Where do you want to be? Only by answering these questions can you achieve your goal.
13. Get passionate. If you’re business has struggled, you may have lost passion about quality or creativity. But now passion is more important than ever!
14. Communicate with customers. Find ways to improve your customer service and marketing. Did you know that social media doubles as both a customer service and marketing tool?
15. Solicit feedback. By understanding how you can better serve your clients, you create a better brand. An estimated 81 percent of customers say they are willing to give feedback if they know how.
16. Avoid too much hype. You might be excited about reinventing your brand, but don’t make a promise you can’t keep!
17. Change your style, and then show that change through various platforms! No, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Simply pull back the veil and use content marketing to build trust – it works.
18. Acknowledge previous mistakes.
19. Learn from previous mistakes
20. Avoid those mistakes.
21. Hire a new team for fresh excitement and energy. Not sure how to hire new team members that will mesh well and help grow the company? Here are some tips for a highly successful team interview and selection process.
22. Update your slogan. A slogan is one of the most powerful pieces of content marketing. We like to call it perfection in a sound byte.
23. Revise your mission statement. Similar to writing a bestselling novel, your brand and its values have to be fully developed before you re-launch.
24. Acknowledge that your brand’s story is ever-fluent and evolving and isn’t indicative of what tomorrow may bring.

By keeping these things in mind, you’ll ensure that your brand has the opportunity to start anew and continue reinventing itself time and time again. With a little inspiration from Kiefer Sutherland and his impressive nose-dive turnaround, you’ll enjoy growing alongside your business, and relish the incredible opportunities that growth brings!

What will you do to remake your brand? Have you taken steps toward rebranding or expanding your brand?

Article courtesy of Social Media Today