Brand Migration: How to Evolve Without Losing Your Identity
You’ve built a brand, that’s making real progress. The data shows how it’s gained momentum, and you’ve finally been able to allocate more resources to scale it up—amazing, congratulations! But then, market conditions shift, new customer sensibilities come up, changing customer preferences, or perhaps a new cultural narrative takes the spotlight. Or maybe new competition with a similar value proposition starts creeping into the same space. Maybe, as your business expands into new markets, you find that your message just isn’t landing with the same impact. These kinds of shifts can feel like they threaten your brand’s very survival. But here’s the good news: brands can evolve
And here is our first take: Brands must evolve to stay relevant, they must stay relevant to survive
This process of change is often called brand migration. It’s not just about slapping a new logo on a product; it’s about restructuring and repositioning your brand to stay true to its core identity while adapting to new contexts. Whether you’re shifting because of a merger, acquisition, or changing market dynamics, brand migration helps maintain your brand’s relevance and resonance.
But how do you make sure your brand stays authentic while evolving? Let’s jump into the process of brand migration and break down how to do it right.
What Is Brand Migration?
Brand migration is more than just minor tweaks—it’s about moving a brand from one market position or structure to another, often in response to external changes like mergers, acquisitions, or evolving consumer preferences. This is especially relevant in cases of M&A (mergers and acquisitions), where one brand is integrated into another or shifted within a new portfolio structure. It’s about seamlessly transitioning from one phase to another without losing what made the brand unique.
In contrast, brand adaptation is more focused on adjusting the brand’s message to suit different cultural or geographical markets, making small changes to stay relevant. While migration is about strategic realignment, adaptation is about tactical adjustments to fit into specific new environments.
Think of brand migration as re-architecting your brand’s foundation, while adaptation is more about remodeling a specific room.
When to Consider Brand Migration
Brand migration is essential when:
- Mergers and acquisitions introduce a new brand into your portfolio that needs to be integrated or restructured.
- Market evolution requires a pivot in your messaging to remain relevant.
- You’re consolidating or repositioning a brand within your portfolio to create a more cohesive brand architecture.
A great example is Unilever’s approach to managing multiple sub-brands. Over the years, they’ve carefully migrated acquired brands into their portfolio, ensuring they maintain a strong core identity while adapting to new corporate structures.
Another great example is Facebook’s transition to Meta. This migration was about repositioning the company for the future by pivoting from social networking to building the metaverse. While Meta still owns Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, the migration has shifted the parent company’s focus to new horizons, while attempting to maintain the core values of connection and communication.
How to Migrate Your Brand Without Losing Yourself
Navigating brand migration requires a fine balance between maintaining your brand’s core and repositioning it for new opportunities. Here are the best practices for making sure your brand remains true to itself while adapting to new realities.
1. Understand the New Context (Dig Deep)
Brand migration often fails because companies don’t dig deep enough into the new market context or corporate structure they’re entering. Whether it’s understanding the dynamics of a new portfolio or recognizing how consumer preferences have evolved, taking the time to research your new environment is key.
A really good practice:
Run comprehensive audits on how your brand will fit within the new corporate or market structure.
Talk to both internal teams and external audiences to gauge how the brand will be perceived post-migration.
Lets take a look at Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods. Both brands had to integrate values to build trust without losing their distinct identities. In this case, the digital giant merged its e-commerce values with the brick-and-mortar values of a grocery retailer. The migration focused on keeping Whole Foods’ core identity—organic, high-quality groceries—while bringing in Amazon’s expertise in logistics and technology. The result was a gradual transition that maintained both brand identities while creating synergies in operations and customer experience.
2. Retain Core Brand Values, But Stay Flexible
Your brand’s core values are its foundation, and during migration, these values should remain intact. However, how you communicate them and how they show up in different contexts should be flexible.
A really good practice:
Identify non-negotiable values that can’t be changed.
Determine what can be adapted—messaging, tone, or positioning—without compromising the essence of the brand.
When Marriot acquired Starwood Hotels, the company had to navigate the integration of two distinct hospitality brands. They retained the unique identities os Starwood’s Luxury brands like W Hotels and The St. Regis, while aligning them under the Marriot’s Umbrella. This migration showed the importance of maintaining a balance between portfolio integration and preserving individual brand prestige.
3. Align With a Broader Brand Strategy
When migrating a brand within a larger portfolio or as part of a new strategy, it’s critical to ensure that the brand aligns with the broader corporate vision. This often means rethinking its role in the overall brand architecture—whether it becomes a sub-brand or integrates more closely with the parent brand.
A really good practice:
Map out the role of your brand within the broader brand architecture. Is it a standalone entity, or should it be integrated more deeply into a larger corporate strategy?
Google’s restructuring into Alphabet is a prime example of aligning with a broader brand strategy. Google maintained its core identity, focused on search, ads, and YouTube, while creating the Alphabet umbrella to house other projects like Waymo, Verily, and Calico. This structure allowed Google to remain focused on its primary mission while giving room for its side projects to grow within the broader strategy of innovation.
4. Localize Messaging, Don’t Just Translate It
If your migration involves expanding into new regions or adapting to new customer segments, localization becomes critical. This doesn’t just mean translating words but making sure your message resonates with the local audience.
A really good practice:
Work closely with local teams who understand the cultural nuances of the market you’re entering.
Test your messaging on a smaller scale to ensure it works before rolling it out.
Brands like Nike have done this exceptionally well, using localized campaigns that align with their core values of athleticism and empowerment but tailor to the specific cultural climate of each region.
5. Plan for the Long Game
There’s something we need to be clear about: Brand migration is not an overnight process. It’s essential to plan for a gradual transition, allowing room for feedback and adjustment along the way. Trying to rush the process can lead to customer confusion and a diluted brand identity.
A really good practice:
Monitor how customers are reacting to the transition. Look for signs of friction or confusion.
Be ready to pivot if necessary. A very recognized brand, Abercrombie & Fitch is a prime example of a brand that once dominated the retail world in the 90s, only to struggle when cultural trends and market dynamics shifted. The brand had to redefine its image and re-establish its connection with a new generation of consumers. By updating its product lines, messaging, and overall tone, Abercrombie managed to bounce back as a favorite among Gen Z—showing how staying committed to a long-term strategy can lead to success.
Similarly, Apple also faced setbacks in the early 90s, only to bounce back with a strategic focus on innovation and emotional branding, reconnecting with its audience through consistent vision and product evolution.
Brand migration is a delicate balancing act. And again, is not an overnight process. In fact, we like to think about branding as a Discovery Process that involves the consumer, the market and team participating on building all the branding elements.
As any branding process, it’s all about moving forward, integrating into new structures, or adjusting to new market realities without losing what makes your brand unique. Remember, even if you’re a small business (and we don’t believe in “small” brands, by the way), you need to evolve to stay relevant and survive.. Whether you’re shifting because of a merger or repositioning within a competitive landscape, or just expanding to international markets, remember that it’s about staying true to your core while embracing the new.
If you’re ready to take your brand into new territories, either through migration or adaptation, we’re here to help guide you through every step of the process.
