The Truis Rebrand

Written by: Jenna Brooker · General Manager · Marketing

I’ve always known that brand is important.

But the last two years have taught me that brand isn’t just an important thing – it’s everything.

For almost four decades, we went by the name Computer Merchants. Computer Merchants was formed to fill a gap in the market for refurbished tech, and our name expressed as much.

But a lot changed between the late ‘70s and now. Tech had changed. Our services had changed. And holistically, we had changed.

Various employees expressed their concerns that our name was hindering us.
New hires didn’t understand why we were called Computer Merchants.
And our long-term clients didn’t completely understand how our business had evolved – still identifying us as the secondhand brokers they connected with all those years ago.

It was clear that our organisation had evolved. And now it was time for our brand, and our name, to catch up.

The way I saw it – updating our name would have been a fresh coat of paint.
But what our organisation needed was deeper than that.

We had big goals for our culture and revenue, and the only vehicle that was going to get us there was a brand strategy.

We needed to reestablish who we are and what we stand for.
We needed to articulate what we do and how we do it.
And we needed to create messaging that strengthened the emotional connection we shared with our clients and our people.

Partnering with an external consultant, we set off on the brand strategy journey.
It was so important to us that our staff, clients, and suppliers felt like they were taking the journey with us – so wherever possible, we invited them to participate in interviews, workshops, and encouraged open discussion about the rebrand in less structured environments.

Like all good things, it took time.
But the results were worth it ten times over.

Now, it’s been two years since we bid farewell to Computer Merchants and stepped into the future as Truis. And I’ve never looked back.

The three areas that improved the most since the rebrand? Our culture, our recruitment, our bottom line.

1. A stellar culture

Since articulating our values and creating a brand strategy that puts people at the centre, I can say with confidence that our culture is the strongest I’ve ever seen it.

Our staff are excited to participate and share Truis-sponsored events with their families and colleagues. They’re engaged at work and proud to be a part of our team.

2. Top-notch recruitment

With the tech sector boom, most IT organisations have found it challenging to bring in new staff.

All the new hires we’ve welcomed in over the last 12 months have communicated that our brand strength had a lot to do with them choosing to join us. By expressing our brand values across all our media channels, we’ve also been able to attract the people who are a good cultural fit for us.

3. Promising business growth

The change from Computer Merchants to Truis enabled us to really home in on our digital strategy and SEO strategy.

As Computer Merchants, we’d factored SEO and paid digital advertising into our marketing strategy, but without a strong brand – these investments did little to move the needle.

Since the rebrand, our site’s gone from having 300 visitors per month to over 7,000 visitors per week. Our brand strategy has enabled us to increase our content generation – which has contributed to a 430% increase in leads. And it’s not just quantity. Last financial year, we achieved a 26% growth increase.

Looking back on the last few years, I am so glad we took the lead into becoming the brand we always were at heart.

And if there’s one thing you take away from my journey, I hope it’s this:
Brand isn’t an important thing. It’s everything.