Ring The Changes
Rebrands are of the most popular strategies for a company looking to shore up its equity or attract a new audience—especially since the turn of the last century. A few successful glow-ups have inspired half of the corporate world to put a new face on their brand and confidently go after a new share of the market, sometimes resulting in wild success; other times, disastrous failure.
Whether or not it’s time to shake things up with a rebrand is slightly subjective. Some indicators that it might be time for a rebrand are a change in a company’s product or service, new management or ownership, a change in values, or just a general indication that the brand has gone stale or failed to keep up with the times. Additionally, a sneaky rebrand can sometimes help a company steer away from a negative image, such as Phillip Morris’ rebrand to Altria. Sometimes, external factors can force a rebrand: a logo or culture might suddenly seem dated or insensitive in the face of changing times. Regardless of the reason, rebrands and refreshes often make for a fascinating insight into what works and what doesn’t when a company shakes things up.
A Rebrand We Loved: Burger King
One recent rebrand that we fell head over heels for was Burger King’s. The previous logo had been present for several years and was due for a change, and we feel they went in the right direction with the stripped down, simple logo that they opted for. The more muted colors and the softer font are reminiscent of a bygone era, we think the exclusion of the previously used blue was the right call. The burnt orange and red of the new logo are much more likely to invoke appetite according to color theory.
Our Favorite Retro Brand: Blue Plate Mayonnaise
Of all the rebrands we looked at, we liked this one in particular—not just because we’re all Louisiana locals at heart, but also because of the beautiful aesthetic that Blue Plate opted for when they went back to their roots with their latest rebrand. Reminiscent of the award that became their namesake, the new branding is intricate without being overly complicated. The pelican and riverboat emphasize the Louisiana heritage behind the brand, and it’s also apparent when looking at the old logo that the brand was ready for a shake-up.
A Rebrand We Disliked:Twitter/X
We’re not the first to say it: Twitter’s recent full rebrand to “X” was the perfect example of what not to do. It wasn’t long before the sale of Twitter and the subsequent rebrand to the virtually un-searchable single-letter name that “tweet” had made it into the dictionary. Part of the rebrand, however, was the renaming of “tweet” to the much more generic “post,” rendering the dictionary entry superfluous. The iconic bluebird logo and the associated vocabulary are still colloquially used despite its relaunch, which shows that Twitter’s original branding was as effective as its new brand is unappealing.
A Rebrand That Felt Unnecessary: PEZ
What makes PEZ’s recent rebranding so bizarre isn’t only the fact that very little about the logo and branding changed, but also the extravagance with which it was unveiled. Austrian creative studio Zunder profoundly presented their new PEZ logo across social media last year, but we weren’t really sure what the logic behind this slightly more bolded version of a classic logo was. We don’t necessarily dislike it—but we’re not sure it was called for, either.
What Makes A Good Rebrand
There’s no perfect formula that determines what makes rebrands good—and plenty that determine what makes one bad. It’s not an exact science, but the intent behind it might be the most reliable factor. While it may be tempting to overhaul the entire brand when you’re searching for a new share of the market or looking to inject some life into your brand, it’s important to remember to keep the essence of your current brand when possible. After all, you don’t want to alienate and subsequently lose your current audience!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the rebranding process, we can help! Our agency has a highly experienced creative team that can present you with options for your new look that are backed by sound marketing principles, and our accounts team can keep you informed and involved through every step of the process!
Contact us today and learn more about how we can put a new face on your brand!