There’s a fine line between using your brand well and using it until it just gets sweaty.

Companies make significant investments into developing a brand—from a logo to a tagline to a tone of voice. And getting a new brand, or a refresh—or even a campaign—can do a couple of great things for you.

No. 1, it can fill you with immense relief. “Finally, I have the tools to do what I need to do well! We’re going to look so good! We’re going to sound so good!” And No. 2, it can inspire. “Oh! If we apply this new concept to (item A, B, C), wouldn’t that be neat?”

Here’s the problem. There’s a place where you go from sounding good to sounding repetitive. And about the time you start applying your shiny new concept to Item P, Q, or R, audiences start to eye roll.

So, where’s the line? How do you know?

1. When everyone else catches up.
Check out these color palettes. All three belong to organizations that have significant footprints within 75 miles of my home. It is very conceivable that I could get a direct mail piece from all three in one day—say, at end-of-year donation time or during party seasons. I can tell you whose brand was developed first, second and third (I pay attention to that sort of thing). But does it really matter? Are you reaping the retention benefits of branding when your peers are wearing the same sweater? This question goes for tone of voice, messaging, and digital aesthetic as well. Do you really think you’re the only organization using words like “impact” or “[fill in another really generic marketing word here]” to describe who you are? Nope. You are not.

2. When success turns into a parody.
Let’s take a quick look at Pure Michigan, shall we? At its inception, this campaign was a tremendous concept and a tremendous success. It instilled pride in residents, notably moved the needle for tourism, and was simply beautiful to look at and listen to. People swooned over each new ad. And then, at some point, someone sold out, and a high-fructose-corn-syrup brand logo started to appear on the billboards in conjunction with the Pure Michigan brand. (That’s OK, we’re selling all our water to Nestlé anyway.)

And now, all consumers can rest assured that they’re eating Pure Michigan eggs in their breakfast sandwich. (What? Thinking of egg production doesn’t bring to mind scenic vistas and winding roads? Hmm. Weird.)

And then, this:

And this:

And we won’t even talk about Flint water or the PFAS problem.

Needless to say, there comes a time when your brand or campaign might need a rethink.

3. When you’re bored.
Any visual artist will tell you, working with the same brand elements for a decade can get … tiring. Even if your font *does* come with 48 styles from thin to black, plus some sexy condensed options thrown in. At some point, all visual artists yearn to stretch and look for fresh ways to do things—as they should.

But when you find your art team looking a little bedraggled, when all the fresh iterations have been played out or reused, with the light is snuffed out of their creative eyes? Use that as a red flag to look at your audiences and see if the light has gone out of their eyes as well. If so, that’s a clue you may be near that fine line between brand affinity and brand weariness.