Rebranding – so much more than a change of logo 

What exactly is a rebrand, and why do companies do it? 

Branding experts often talk about “brand fade” where for any number of reasons, a brand may resonate less over time. They suggest that while your goals and mission as a company may have adapted over time to your customers’ unique needs and challenges, your brand may not clearly reflect that anymore. We believe that our rebrand will not only resonate with people who are familiar with Tall Poppy, it will also attract new customers. 

Through the eyes of the designer 

Tall Poppy’s lead designer Susan Tiumalu was the brains behind the visual aspect of our rebrand. With a long and proven track record of helping organisations to look incredible, she relished the opportunity to revolutionise Tall Poppy’s look and feel. 

A rebrand is a strategic makeover that involves reshaping the entire identity of a company. There are many reasons that might motivate a company to overhaul their brand. It could be to stay relevant in a competitive market, it might be a realignment of values, to overcome negative perceptions, or in the case of Tall Poppy, it’s because a look and feel no longer represents who we are.  

We’re an established, reputable, iconic real estate agency which has evolved and matured, so it stands to reason that we should have a brand that reflects this. We love our new livery, but this rebranding is much more than a pretty paint-job, it’s a complete reimagination of who we are and what we do. 

Real Estate you can see through 

We are famous for our fairness and delivering value for our vendors, and this was our starting point for change. The question was asked “what more could we do?”. To answer this question, we’ve been taking a long, hard look at our operations and putting a lot of thought into how we can be better at what we do so the customer gets the best possible results. 

We have redoubled our commitment to transparency in how we work. We have no hidden agendas, we don’t “do” surprises, and we believe anyone selling their property with us should know exactly what it will cost them, and what we are doing on their behalf at every stage of the process. This was the thinking behind one of our new taglines – Real Estate You Can See Through. 

The rebrand is an investment in our future, and at the same time we have been investing in the best creative people we can find. From designers to conceptual thinkers to photographers, videographers and 3D specialists, we are gearing up to ensure we lead the way in real estate marketing in Aotearoa. 

A tradition of transformation 

Shaking things up is what we have always done, and we have no plans to settle down any time soon. An example of this is making the very simple decision to produce for sale signs in Te Reo Māori. Given that it is an official language of New Zealand, and that we have agents working in communities where Te Reo Māori is spoken commonly, it was a no brainer to have signs available should agents want to use them. 

What was intended as simply something to help our agents to resonate with the people in their communities, has become a real talking point in New Zealand, with many thousands of comments on social media, and news sites getting in touch to find out more about this revolutionary idea. In the interviews that followed, Michael Seymour expressed his surprise. 

“I’m surprised that it’s seen as such a big thing. I’m surprised it’s not the norm, to be honest. It’s just such a simple thing, it just made sense to make signs in Te Reo Māori. What has humbled me is how much of a difference this has made to our agents – it’s lovely to be able to provide them with marketing materials that allow them to really communicate with the people in their community. It’s not mandatory, no one’s being forced to use them, they’re there if you want them.” 

Like anything new, the innovation has got tongues wagging, most of them positively. 

We wanted to do things properly, so we sought advice from Māori academics and advisors to make sure we were being culturally safe as an organisation. Whilst it is a small change, for some of our agents it has been a very big deal. 

Vendor Ngaire Heke was very quick to request a sign, and is convinced that it would become the norm in her neck of the woods which is Kihikihi and Te Awamutu. 

“I think it’s awesome. We are a Māori whanau, our kids go to kura kaupapa over in Putaruru and I think it is awesome. I love that we are basically the first whanau to have this sign – I feel honoured and privileged.” 

Te reo Māori lecturer at AUT and translator Hemi Kelly welcomed the move, saying the language should be heard, seen and used in every sector. 

“It’s breakthrough moments like these, where we see the language being used in a new way, in a new space, that will inspire others to do the same thing. I support it wholeheartedly. It’s important, however, that it’s done with a lot of thought and consideration.” 

Awanui Te Huia, a te reo Māori expert at Victoria University, said it was great to see organisations in the private sector supporting te reo Māori. 

“Having more reo Māori visible in our communities is a positive step towards the normalisation of our national language. Greater visibility of te reo contributes to the broader goal of language revitalisation. The availability of te reo Māori is beneficial for both Māori and non-Māori who are wanting to demonstrate their support for te reo.” 

The new branding is just the beginning 

Beyond the branding, we have some very exciting things happening this year that we’re confident will not only set the standard in real estate, it will revolutionise the property for house sellers in New Zealand. 

Rob Bullen, head of marketing believes this will be the year that Tall Poppy announces itself as more than just a real estate agency, but as the benchmark for excellence. 

“We have been in a period of transition over the past couple of years, and we’ve reshaped our workforce to ensure that every single person is 100% focused on making it easier for our agents to do an incredible job for their clients. I’m really excited about the technology that we’ve invested in, it’s going to be nothing short of a game changer. With the power of technology and the very best creative minds in the business, we’re about to embark on something quite special. When people encounter the Tall Poppy branding, they’ll know it stands for excellence, innovation and absolute transparency.” 

It will look distinctive, professional and will stand out from every other agency’s branding.  That’s because at Tall Poppy we are different, and we couldn’t be prouder.