After 15 years, a name change feels risky. But for Tom Damitio and the team at Roots Marketing, it was the only way to keep growing.
Tom saw firsthand how an outdated brand can create friction. He stopped treating his own brand as an “internal project” and started treating it like a client.
What I Learned From Renaming and Rebranding a 15-Year-Old Company
After 15 years as Corporate Conversions, we made the decision to rebrand and officially become Roots Marketing.
That sentence still feels a little surreal to write.
When you’ve operated under the same name for a decade and a half, it starts to feel permanent, and like changing it will be disruptive, risky, or even irresponsible. But looking back now, there are three things I know for sure:
- The rebranding process was easier than I expected
- Clients and non-clients embraced the change
- We proved to ourselves that we truly practice what we preach
Why We Changed Our Name
Our old name wasn’t bad. In fact, it served us well for a long time. We grew steadily most years, built strong client relationships, and established ourselves in the market. But over time, a few things became impossible to ignore. The name was too long, too vague, and required far too much explanation.
When your own team isn’t excited about saying the company name…
When people misread it on name tags and business cards…
When the first question you always get is, “So… what do you actually do?”
Those are signals. Big ones.
But the biggest reason we rebranded was: The name no longer felt like us.
Knowing Something Is Holding You Back
One of the most important lessons I learned through this rebranding process is simple, but not always easy to act on: If something is holding you back, address it.
It’s tempting to tolerate friction, especially when it’s familiar. Changing a company name feels uncomfortable. It raises questions. It introduces risk. And it’s easy to convince yourself that internal initiatives can wait while client work takes priority.
We could have kept going as Corporate Conversions. But we knew deep down that the name and messaging were no longer aligned with who we were or where we were going.
The Idea Started Long before the Launch
We didn’t wake up one day and decide to rebrand on a whim.
We first committed to finding a new name in December of 2023. It took about five months to land on Roots Marketing. That alone should tell you how intentional this process was.
“Roots” resonated because it reflects:
- Growth
- Our own roots in marketing
- The strong foundations we build for our clients
It finally gave us language that felt natural instead of forced.
The Part No One Talks about: Planning
Once the name was chosen, reality set in. Changing the name wasn’t “simple.” It was strategic.
We built a seven-month timeline and broke the rebrand into very real, very practical buckets:
- Social media
- Website
- Legal
- Content
- Media & PR
- Third-party tools
- Promotional items
- Sales collateral
This is where many businesses stall. Internal projects are easy to deprioritize. Client deadlines feel more urgent. And without structure, rebrands drag on…or never happen at all.
So we made a conscious decision to treat ourselves like a client.
We stuck to timelines.
We anticipated problem areas.
We rolled things out in the right order.
Because of that planning, we experienced zero issues with account changes, client communication, or prospect confusion.
What Surprised Me Most
Honestly the biggest surprise was how supportive everyone was.
Clients didn’t question it, and prospects weren’t confused. The response was overwhelmingly positive. That was a reminder that most of the fear around rebranding lives internally. When the strategy is clear and the execution is thoughtful, people adapt quickly.
Rebranding Isn’t for the Faint of Heart—but It’s Possible
I won’t pretend the process was effortless. It took time, focus, and commitment. But it also wasn’t nearly as daunting as it’s often perceived to be. More than anything, it breathed fresh life into our business and into our team.
And maybe that’s the most important takeaway: Rebranding isn’t about a new logo or a new name. It’s about alignment. It’s about making sure your brand reflects who you are now, not who you were years ago.
If You’re Feeling Stuck…
If you’ve been questioning your name, your messaging, or your brand identity, that discomfort might be telling you something. We’ve been there. We’ve done it. And we now help other businesses navigate that same process with clarity and confidence.
If you’re considering a rename or rebrand and want to see how we approached it internally, reach out. We’re happy to share the tools that guided us over the past year!
Sometimes, the change you’re avoiding is the one that helps you grow.