How to Navigate Rebranding Multiple Companies Without Destroying Brand Equity

Introduction

When Amaze found itself managing five distinct creator solutions with different logins, tones, and levels of trust, CMO Danielle Pederson faced a unique challenge. Rather than following the traditional rebrand playbook of starting with mission and working toward execution, she pioneered a reverse approach that preserved existing brand equity while building a unified corporate identity. Her methodology offers valuable lessons for marketing leaders managing portfolio brands or considering consolidation strategies.

The Clarity Problem That Sparked Change

The catalyst for Amaze's rebrand wasn't poor brand perception—it was internal confusion. When employees couldn't explain what the company did to their relatives, Pederson recognized they had a clarity problem, not a brand problem. "We asked our employees how they would explain what we do at Amaze to their favorite relatives or to their kids. And most of them had no clue really how to package this up," Pederson revealed. This exercise exposed how fragmented brand architecture creates operational inefficiencies and missed opportunities for unified storytelling to investors, creators, and partners.

Building Architecture Before Mission

Pederson's unconventional approach started with taxonomy and naming conventions rather than mission statements. By establishing "Amaze" as an umbrella brand and graduating existing properties to "Spring by Amaze" or "Teespring Marketplace by Amaze," the company created a flexible framework that could accommodate future acquisitions. This architectural approach meant building a system, not just executing a campaign—allowing each sub-brand to retain its individual mission and audience while leveling up to the corporate identity.

The Three-Phase Implementation Strategy

Phase one focused on internal alignment and taxonomy development. Phase two introduced the "by Amaze" modifier to existing brands, creating visual cohesiveness while maintaining separate platforms. Phase three aims to unify everything under a single Amaze login, where creators access multiple solutions based on their journey stage. This phased approach protected engineering resources while maintaining nearly 100% operational efficiency during the transition.

Transforming Marketing Efficiency Through Unification

The rebrand's most significant impact came through marketing resource optimization. Previously fragmented spend across five ecosystems could now focus on one story, one fu el, and one set of KPIs. This consolidation turned what many view as a vanity exercise into a growth strategy. By building the Amaze modifier into each sub-brand's marketing, the company created automatic brand awareness without requiring separate corporate advertising budgets.

Measuring Success Beyond Traditional Metrics

Convincing leadership to invest in rebranding required reframing the conversation from vanity to velocity. The unified brand enabled faster decision-making, clearer investor communications, and more efficient resource allocation. For public companies, this clarity becomes even more critical—as Pederson notes, "A private company, you sell a vision. In a public company, you sell proof."

Key Takeaways for Portfolio Brand Management

Pederson's experience offers three critical insights for marketers managing multiple brands. First, start with architecture when preserving existing equity matters more than creating new positioning. Second, implement changes in phases to maintain operational continuity—what she calls "repairing a plane that's flying." Third, focus on clarity and efficiency gains rather than aesthetic improvements when building executive buy-in. The result transforms rebranding from a resource drain into a strategic advantage that accelerates growth while preserving what made each original brand valuable.