Five lessons from rebranding

Lessons We’ve Learnt From Our Rebranding Journey

In October 2025, NSPR officially celebrated the launch of its reimagining as Sayso. It’s been a voyage of discovery, filled with twists and turns, and we’ve learned a great deal along the way – about ourselves and about the art/science of rebranding. True to form, we are eager to share some of the wisdom we have gleaned from the process so you don’t have to learn the hard way. Here are five things we’ve learnt from our rebranding journey:

1.       Know your values

The core values of your organisation are the foundation on which your entire brand will be built: they define who you are, why you exist, and how you show up in the world. Without a clear understanding of these guiding principles, your rebrand risks becoming a superficial change in logo or colours, rather than a meaningful evolution of your identity.

Our three shareholders each had their own thoughts on what would make a good brand name, and let us tell you, the group chat was popping OFF (with just as many vetoes as suggestions). But being clear on our brand values gave us a pou to anchor to, and a strong base to work from. We had already dug deep into our kaupapa during our NSPR era, so that aside from some minor tweaks, we already had a clear picture of what our new brand needed to represent. Because we knew where we wanted to go, it was much easier for us to navigate the mood boards, website copy and overall creative direction.

2.       Surround Yourself with Experts Who Get You

A successful rebrand isn’t just about finding someone who can design you a schnazzy new logo; you need a partner who truly understands your short-term goals and your long-term vision. You also need to be able to challenge each other and feel comfortable having the hard conversations that invariably crop up along the way.

We chose to mahi tahi with Better Creative, based in Ōtepoti Dunedin, and we could not have been in better hands. Paul and the team were honest when they felt we were going down a wayward path with an early iteration of the brand name (they were right), and were open-minded when we pushed back and stuck to our guns on something else (we were right). The process always felt collaborative rather than prescriptive, and we knew that they valued and understood our kaupapa.

We also relied heavily on our IT support, ITC NZ, for the nuts and bolts of the changeover. When 80 percent of your day to day revolves around sending emails or being on a Teams call, a smooth IT process is imperative. This was not an element we wanted to DIY, and thanks to some tricky hosting requirements, we saved ourselves a world of pain by outsourcing to experts.

3.       It Takes Longer Than You Might Think

Even the most streamlined and straightforward of rebranding exercises has the potential to be delayed or sidetracked by unforeseen influences or a last-minute change of heart.

For any business, but particularly one in the professional services industry, the mahi involved in pulling off a rebrand is always going to take a back seat to client requirements. If you can time your rebrand for a quiet season, that’s great. If you can’t… well, it will take as long as it takes (and it invariably takes longer than you planned). But if you are realistic rather than optimistic about your timeframe, you can trust in the process and, ultimately, arrive at your desired-for outcome. The adage, ‘good things take time,’ exists for a reason!

4.       Done is Better Than Perfect

You’ll have lists, spreadsheets and project management systems galore, but even with a savant-level grip on attention to detail, you can’t entirely erase the reality that there will always be a final snag-list of things to do at the pointy end of the process. As with any major project, the final ten percent of rebrand-related tasks inevitably takes the most time to complete, but those elements should be insignificant enough that they don’t stand in the way of pressing “GO” on your launch.

So, if you stumble across a business listing somewhere that still has the NSPR logo, no you didn’t. That’s something we are currently, fondly, referring to as a ‘Summer Job’.

5.       It’s Not That Deep

After months (fine, more than a year) of agonising over every detail of the rebrand, we were ready to go, but there were still questions that kept us up at night. Did we do the best possible job?  Would people get the name? Had we chosen exactly the right shade green? The answer: probably 🤷‍♀️.

The harsh reality is that, more than likely, no one will care about it as much as you do. People will see your new brand and it’s out there in the world. While it’s the culmination of a huge undertaking and a lot of work, people will see the announcement and then move on with their lives. That’s not to dissuade you from taking the plunge – it’s a good thing!

Georgia O’Keefe said, “I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free”. Regardless of what people think privately (and sometimes publicly), you’re the one who will dedicate the most amount of mental real estate to it, so trust your instincts and don’t overthink it!

We’re excited to have you along with us for the next stage in our journey. If you’re considering embarking on your own brand transformation, we’d love to help you Sayso.