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How to Fix the Engine While the Plane’s Still Flying: A Little Ditty About Rebuilding a Brand

  • Writer: Teri Freeman
    Teri Freeman
  • Oct 24
  • 3 min read

What it really takes to rebuild a brand that’s already online — and still running.


Octopus calmly repairing an airplane mid-flight while multitasking with tools and coffee — symbolizing brand repair in motion.

Most marketing projects don’t start with a blank slate. They start mid-flight — with a logo, a website, a few campaigns already in the air, and a business owner wondering why nothing’s quite landing.


You can’t hit pause. The business still needs to run, sell, and stay visible.

So you learn to repair in motion.


Even B.B. King once restrung his guitar during a live performance. He didn’t stop the show; he kept performing while fixing the problem. That’s what this work feels like — staying steady under pressure, solving quietly, keeping the rhythm intact.


What does 'repairing in motion' actually look like?

Step 1 · Assess the Reality


Before changing anything, you figure out what’s actually there.

That means digital triage — what exists, what’s broken, and what’s salvageable.


  • Are logos and colors consistent?

  • Do all platforms list the same information and hours?

  • Which parts are helping the brand grow, and which are just taking up space?


Rebuilding a brand begins with detective work. You’re identifying the gaps between reality and the current digital footprint.



Step 2 · Quiet the Noise


When a brand’s been patched together over the years, everything starts competing for attention. That’s when it’s time to clean up: remove duplicates, standardize language, shut down outdated accounts, and choose a single logo—or a purposeful set—for consistent use across all touch points.


That’s the difference between confusion and credibility.



Step 3 · Rebuild the Core


Once the clutter’s gone, you can see what matters. Maybe the tone fits but the visuals don’t. Maybe the visuals work, but the message never matched the experience.


This is where the brand system takes shape — building consistency that’s flexible enough to work anywhere. You refine color hierarchy, tighten typography choices, define image style, and standardize tone and messaging so they all tell the same story.


It’s also the stage for creating clear usage rules: when to use the primary logo versus a brand mark, how sub-brands or campaign assets fit in, and what not to do with them.


The goal isn’t perfection — it’s intentional consistency that still feels alive.



Step 4 · Reintroduce Strategy


Only after the foundation is solid do ads, SEO, and analytics make sense again.

Otherwise, you’re just amplifying chaos.


Good marketing looks simple because the messy part already happened quietly, mid-flight.


Final Thought

Whether you’re a business owner or a marketer, the truth is the same: brands don’t stop mid-flight. The best thing you can do is keep your hands steady, stay focused, and trust the systems that keep you in the air.


For Business Owners


If your brand’s been around a while and things feel disconnected, you probably don’t need a rebrand. You need someone who can see the whole picture, fix what’s off, and keep the show going.


For Marketers


If you inherit a brand that's already in motion:

  • Audit first.

  • Simplify.

  • Realign before you amplify.


The calm you bring to the chaos is the job.

Even if you’re restringing mid-song, keep playing.


A brand only takes one-tenth of a second to make a first impression; it takes 5 to 7 impressions for consumers to remember a brand. 

(Source: CapitalOne Shopping)

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