How to Navigate a Rebrand with Clare Schmitt

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Feb 26, 2026

Clare Schmitt, a B2B marketing leader who led a mid-market rebrand at Piedmont Global. She breaks down hiring naming agencies, running RFPs, and why the CEO must own the go-to-market. Learn about keeping decision teams small, realistic timelines, rollout project management, and post-launch QA and measurement.

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ADVICE

Force The CEO To Own Rebrand Go-To-Market

Get the CEO to own the go-to-market for the rebrand and treat it as a company-wide initiative, not just marketing.
Clare says a CEO with clear vision who will drive execution across teams is critical to avoid the rebrand becoming a siloed marketing project.

ADVICE

Run A Tiny Decision Council For Faster Choices

Keep the decision-making council intentionally small to avoid endless committee input.
Clare's core council was just her, the CEO, Focus Lab, a brand strategist, and her content manager, while broader teams were interviewed during research and involved at checkpoints.

INSIGHT

Research Lets You Include Voices Without Expanding The Council

Do comprehensive research with execs, front-line staff, and customers before final decisions to surface differing perceptions.
Focus Lab led interviews across departments so voices were heard without bloating the decision council.

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#333 | Dave is joined by Clare Schmitt, a seasoned marketing leader and a member of our CMO community, to walk through what it actually takes to lead a rebrand at a mid-market B2B company. Clare shares how she partnered with her CEO to drive a full rebrand, from hiring a naming agency and running an RFP, to managing a small decision-making council, rolling out the new brand across every department, and measuring success post-launch. If you're a marketing leader thinking about a rebrand, this episode is a practical, top to bottom playbook from someone who just did it.

Timestamps

(00:00) - Why rebrands come up and what this episode covers
(02:58) - Clare's role at Piedmont Global and how the rebrand got started
(05:13) - Should you hire a naming agency? What it costs and what they actually do
(08:41) - Running an RFP and why they chose Focus Lab
(09:27) - Why the CEO has to own the rebrand go-to-market
(11:03) - Keeping the decision-making council small and who was in it
(19:09) - How to get CEO buy-in: framing a rebrand as infrastructure, not a marketing initiative
(21:46) - Timeline: how long a rebrand actually takes ($50M+ companies)
(23:28) - The rollout: project management, execution, and building the website internally
(25:25) - Measurement, post-launch QA, and tracking whether your narrative is sticking

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