Essential Tips for Successful Rebranding in Mid-Life

The article gives a guide on some of the key steps to be considered when undergoing rebranding in mid-life

Tinevimbo V. Chokuda-Santu

7/22/20254 min read

Understanding Mid-Life Rebranding

It is a beautiful coincidence that i am writing this article mid-year, a time when most of us find ourselves looking back on the just ended first half of the year, while at the same time being hit by the realization that we only have six months left before the year is out. It is that time when you are doing a self-evaluation of whether you achieved the things you set out to do at the beginning of the year and more often than not, for one reason or another, we may find ourselves falling short. Fortunately, it is also that time, when we realise that we potentially still have the remaining six months at our disposal. Six months in which a lot can still be done either to salvage the situation or to maintain our trajectory, depending on how we fared in the first half of the year. Mid-life feels very much like mid-year. It is generally considered to be the central period of a person’s life, between around 45 and 60 years old.

We often hear people say, “Life begins at 40.” It may sound funny how that seems to suggest that life only begins when you have almost gone through half of it…essentially around mid-life. However, the thinking behind this notion is that the forties can be a time associated with renewed purpose, fulfillment, and new opportunities, often marked by increased self-awareness and a shift in priorities. Mid-life could thus be seen as an excellent time to rebrand, so to speak. In the corporate world, rebranding is all about changing an established identity to develop a new, differentiated image. It is the act of updating, refreshing, or overhauling a company’s existing image, identity, and positioning in the market. At an individual level, we can look at rebranding as an extension of personal branding. Branding at an individual level is all about being intentional about the way you present yourself to the world, and so rebranding is taking it a step further and revisiting that personal brand and giving it an overhaul.

Mid-life Crisis

Quite often, people are labeled as going through a ‘mid-life crisis”, suggesting that mid-life can sometimes be something quite unpleasant. A mid-life crisis is generally described as a period of self-reflection and emotional turbulence that some middle-aged adults experience as they reassess their lives and identities. It can be seen as a phase of introspection and potential dissatisfaction. The other perspective of mid-life is that you now have increased financial stability, greater freedom to make choices aligned with your desires, for example, changing career paths or simply enjoying more leisure time.

The expectation at mid-life is that you are now fully aware of your limitations. You now know what you can and cannot do, and that awareness if used properly can help positively change the direction of your life at mid-life. You have gone through potentially half of your life and during that time you have gone through experiences that have shaped you into the person that you have become. The expectation is that you have generally become more self-aware and more confident.

All things being equal, this is what mid-life is expected to look like. Since mid-life is a pivotal point in a person’s life, this is the time you want to look back at the time already lived and take whatever lessons you can to restrategise for the life ahead.

Intentional Steps for Rebranding

Rebranding at an individual level can be associated with the need to make tough decisions. This is where you are making decisions about maybe changing career paths, rethinking your life goals, letting go of things that are no longer serving you, whether it is personal relationships, a job or career, belief systems or investments that you are holding on to just to mention but a few things. So here are a few things that one may want to appreciate as they embark on rebranding in mid-life;

You need to define your goals. Start by outlining what you hope to achieve through rebranding, whether it is a career shift, a new business venture, or personal growth.
There is a need to evaluate the past 20 to 25 years of adult life already lived. Here, there is a need to be brutally honest with yourself. So key questions to be asked at this point are… how has the journey been so far? What have you accomplished? Where have things gone wrong? What decisions have been instrumental in shaping these 20 to 25 years? How much of what has happened during this time has been within your control and vice versa?
The next step is to establish what you would consider to be your strengths and weaknesses based on your experiences during these 20 to 25 years. What are you naturally good at? What makes you come alive? What do you suck at despite your best efforts? What do you dread doing?
You then need to identify areas of your life that need recalibration and redirection. It could be a change of profession or line of business that you are in. It could be moving out of certain investments or going into certain investments, or venturing into business. It could be letting go of personal relationships that are holding you back, or it could be relocating to another country to start a new life.
You then need to establish what needs to be done to facilitate the recalibration and redirection. What needs to be put in place first to facilitate these changes? Is there a need for upskilling or reskilling? What soft skills do you need to develop? What are the financial implications of these changes?
Lastly, you need to set things in motion. You need to commit to making those changes. You also need to be very intentional about this process for the rebranding to achieve the desired results.

Embarking on a rebranding journey in mid-life is an opportunity for growth and reinvention. By being intentional and considering the key issues at play, you can successfully navigate this transformative phase and emerge with a strong, authentic brand that reflects who you are today. Rebranding is always a journey worth embarking on because, whatever the outcome, you still end up with significant changes in your life. As the saying goes, “Aim for the moon. If you miss, you will land among the stars.”

Tinevimbo is a lecturer in the finance and digital banking program at Midlands State University, where she shares her expertise in financial services marketing, digital banking, and customer experience. In addition to her academic pursuits, Tinevimbo is an avid content writer, blogger, and brand storyteller, passionately sharing insights and trends related to marketing and digital innovation. Through her writing, she engages a broader audience, fostering understanding and appreciation for the transformative role of technology in marketing.

Insights

PERSONAL BRANDING IN THE DIGITAL SPACE

Branding is one of the concepts that is very central to marketing since it is the facet of marketing that is responsible for communicating identity to the market. The digital age is an exciting time to be alive because we have witnessed the reshaping of so many aspects of life in unimaginable ways. For one, digitalisation has enabled branding, a concept largely associated with corporations and formal businesses to be applied at an individual level in ways that never used to be possible.

People at an individual level, have always branded themselves in most cases subconsciously but digitalization has made the process of personal branding a very conscious and intentional pursuit. In social media circles there is often talk of content creators, digital creators, influencers, brand ambassadors etc. On different social media platforms from YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, you name it, we have seen different individual brands representing different facets of life from comedians, health and lifestyle enthusiasts, prominent business people, musicians, motivational speakers and authors etc. This just shows how limitless and how fluid the concept of personal branding has become.

In the past few years, here in Zimbabwe we have witnessed big individual brands being born out of almost nothing but the relentless and persistent delivery of engaging content over time. Think of names like Larry Mafukidze (Lawrence Mafukidze), Nijo (Nigel Maritimu), Mama Vee (Mhosva), Madam Boss (Tyra Chikoko Munetsiwa). We have also seen strong personal brands born out of inspiring humble beginnings and success stories such as the KwaTerry Traditional Restaurant (KwaTerry). Terrence Maphosa the owner of KwaTerry built the self-branded Traditional restaurant from nothing much but a small piece of land in village 6 in Mhondoro. He then made a strong media presence, largely on Facebook and managed to grow a following of ……… and has become one of the most popular traditional restaurants in Zimbabwe at the moment.

In the more formal business circles, we have seen prominent media personalities like Trevor Ncube increasing his visibility many times over owing to his popular podcast, “In Conversation with Trevor”. If you are looking for the more serious engaging content or if you are looking for inspirational content featuring home grown success stories and personalities who are making waves in different areas of life in Zimbabwe and the diaspora, then this is your go to podcast. The man has been in the media space for as long as I can remember but, in my view, this podcast has been the ‘it’ moment for him.

Now, what are the key success factors for personal branding in the digital space?

1. Good quality content

This might sound obvious but as obvious as it may sound, coming up with good quality content is not a walk in the park. Crafting engaging content that will attract an audience and keep it tuned in is one key ingredient in building a personal brand. One thing about digitalisation is that it has resulted in a world where there is limitless choice. Audiences are seriously spoiled for choice and it takes some considerable amount of effort from content creators who are trying to build a brand and make a name of themselves to really come up with content that is top notch and has massive pull. To ensure that happens, that means that one has to be well versed on their subject matter, depending obviously on the type of media presence that one has. It means that you have to strive as much as possible to become the go to person on that subject matter. And the one sure way to achieve this is by continuous learning on the subject matter and keeping up with trends in that particular area.

With other types of content, one may need to be a natural. Comical type of content will require that one be funny and witty by nature. Being a comedian is an art that can only be horned and perfected but I doubt it is a skill that one can acquire. So, creating good quality content requires that a person be honest about their capabilities and follow what naturally comes to them.

2. Consistency

In most endeavours, nothing beats consistency. In a digital world that is awash with information of all types, consistency is key. You need to be known for something. Let your name be associated with that one thing that you are so good at. Become a household brand in your subject matter or in your area of specialization. That can only be achieved if you are consistent and relentless in doing that one thing you have set yourself to do. Pick a niche and stick to it.

3. Relatability

One thing that is sure to keep audiences engaged is to talk about relatable issues. Issues that feed into people’s everyday reality. People are more concerned with information that they can identify with, no matter the way in which it comes packaged. It could be a serious informative podcast on education and career choice or some comical skit intended to make audiences laugh. For that content to make an impression, it has to be something that actually means something to the audience. So, the creation of a successful personal brand also hinges on how relatable your content is.

4. Personality

In personal branding, personality is everything because personality is the very thing upon which a personal brand is developed. Each personality type can be a developed into a unique personal brand attuned to a person’s personality. Whatever personality type however, the end goal is to create a personal brand that resonates with one’s target audience. The idea at the end of the day is to be able to create a brand that sells, so to speak. So the first step here is to be self-aware and acknowledge one’s personality type and then develop a brand around that.

5. Continuous improvement

On the aspect of continuous improvement, the name that comes to mind is Jah Prayzah (Mukudzei Mukombe). To think of just how far this guy has come from the time that he was singing ‘gochi gochi’ and ‘tsviriyo’ to the electric performance he delivered at the live launch of the Chiremerera Album, that is a show of what dedication and continuous improvement can do to a person. The man is now a mega brand. Brand building is a process and just like any process, it takes a considerable amount of time to perfect. The transformation that we have seen happen in the musician Jah Prayzah is testimony to the fact that personal branding is an investment. The musician has invested time and financial resources into perfecting his craft and becoming the brand that he now is. Now he is doing private ensembles, he is doing live acoustic performances and in all that, the digital space has enabled him to reach a much wider audience both locally and abroad.

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