Rebranding involves more than just switching a name and swapping a logo. Take it from Carly Burson, founder and CEO of the Fort Worth-based fashion brand once called Tribe Alive, now called LAUDE the Label — a rebrand spurred by the killing of George Floyd and the conversations about racial injustice that followed.
Per Burson, the word “tribe” has negative connotations that could be deemed disrespectful toward Native Americans, and for a brand that puts particular emphasis on ethical manufacturing and improving the lives of women artisans in developing countries, a name change was in order. During a company brainstorm, creative director Katie Sansom suggested the name LAUDE (derived from the Latin word laudere, meaning “to honor”), and it stuck.
Burson took some time to walk us through LAUDE the Label’s rebranding process and delve deeper into the reasons behind the name change.
Inc.: Take us back to the day your team sat down to discuss your previous name. What issues came up during the conversation that ultimately led to the decision to drop “Tribe Alive”?
CB: The decision to rebrand and change our name has been an internal conversation that our team has grappled with for almost two years now. I wouldn’t say that I could trace it back to a single moment. It took a lot of reflection, thoughtfulness, and contemplation to arrive at a final decision. The motivation to change the name was present for a couple years, but as a small business, it took us time to take the leap based on how risky it was for us economically.
We had planned to announce our new name in early 2020, but COVID-19 changed everything for us, and we were forced to adapt to a very different business reality that left little room for future planning. It was still very much a part of our long-term goals, but definitely an initiative we had to put on hold for many months.
If I had to pinpoint a moment that propelled us forward, I would say it was in the wake of the unjust and horrific killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. At the time, our team watched as many major companies spoke out in support of communities of color and racial justice. We recognized it as a start but knew what was needed at that moment was action and decided that, despite the risk and the difficult timing, it was time to make an immediate change. For us, following through on what was a long reckoning with how the use of the word “tribe” has contributed to cultural stereotypes was just the beginning of our brand commitment to support anti-racism.
Inc.: Had you caught flack for the use of the word “tribe” in the past?
CB: We definitely received thoughtful feedback over the years that helped educate us on how the use of the word amounts to cultural appropriation and is insensitive to the centuries of injustices suffered by Indigenous people. Through feedback and “callouts,” we came to learn that the word “tribe” is a colonial construct that was used to marginalize Native Americans, and its continued use by non-Indigenous people fails to accurately recognize their history and unique status as Tribal Nations. As a brand, those moments of exposure were difficult to swallow, especially since we work so hard as a brand to support communities of color and employ countless Indigenous women worldwide. But looking back now, I’m thankful for the accountability and that I was forced to be vulnerable so that I could gain the courage to lead my company through such an important and difficult transition.
Inc.: Changing your name was certainly not as simple as just switching a name and logo. What all went into the rebranding process?
CB: It was an immense amount of work and truly took more energy than I ever imagined. In rebranding, you follow the same steps and address the same brand design components when repositioning a brand as you do when first designing the brand. But brand repositioning is more difficult than initially positioning a brand because we had to help the customer “unlearn” the current brand positioning, which is really difficult.
A rebrand strategy is all about marketing, and if the marketing plan isn’t a thoughtful and full-funnel approach, we would never be able to achieve the business result we needed to succeed. For us, it was a step-by-step process that involved a great deal of time and attention so that our efforts translated into a positive ROI. We followed the below steps in building our approach:
We set our rebranding goals, intentions, and objectives. It wasn’t enough for us to just say we need a new name — we needed to establish a compelling “why?” and take that forward throughout the process.
We did our research to understand our existing clients and potential new clients.
We spent a lot of time defining our audience in order to target the groups of people we could have the biggest impact on through the rebrand.
We developed a holistic and full-funnel creative approach. Rebranding for us wasn’t just about a new name and a new logo. It encompassed everything from visual to nonvisual elements. We took the opportunity to shift the creative brand vision of the company to truly reflect an authentic transition.
We defined our messaging platforms through taglines, sound bites, and brand copy to ensure consistency across the business when explaining the brand and what matters to us.
We created vision boards and style guides to keep the new branding consistent and cohesive across all teams.
We spent months planning and organizing the launch to ensure a successful and seamless rollout across multiple paid and organic marketing channels.
We pitched and landed multiple co-branded partnerships with well-known brands in the industry in order to support getting our new name out to the masses (we have an exciting collaboration announcement coming in April). Collaboration is key in the process, and we’re grateful to work with so many companies committed to support us through this process.
Inc.: How costly is the rebranding process?
CB: Incredibly costly. It takes a lot of capital and investment to do it right, but we’re a pretty scrappy and resourceful team and did most of it in-house to save where we could. It was an investment, but one I know we’ll see a return on.
Inc.: Are there any concerns the brand may lose traction with a new name?
CB: Small-business owners are never without fear, especially in current times, but I’ve worked really hard to let go of the “what ifs” and not allow them to impact the way I lead my business or my team. Our new name was established with the purest of intentions. As a company, we chose social justice and respect for all humans over profit. Doing the right thing is how I’ve always run my business, and it hasn’t failed me yet, so I’m holding on to that.