Does Rebranding Work?
With fast paced lifestyles come fast paced businesses. Product improvement alone is no longer enough to make a brand stand out in the consumer markets. The name of the game is rebranding, making a brand more accessible, relevant, and appealing to a wider audience. While rebranding doesn’t have to be big, it can also be a slight change in the logo; it is still a reinvention of the brand. However, in their rush to change brands often forget that rebranding is strategic and not a mere quick fix to avoid brand erosion.
A prime example that became the talk of the town was the rebrand of Jaguar. Their rebrand attempt highlighted the crucial mistake of moving away from the values that have defined the brand since its inception. Once a brand considered highly for its car and branding fell apart and missed the mark on their last advertisement, their customer base no longer understood their vision, or in the case of the internet, what they are even trying to market. This example serves as a reminder that rebranding is not just a quick fix. It goes beyond flashy advertisements and is about the emotional attachments of the people. Customers distance themselves from a brand that they no longer feel connected to the identity of. We can also see this through Hindustan Unilever, who made the decision to rebrand Lipton Masala Chai to Lipton Chai Pleasure which proved to be a costly mistake. Removing the cultural element that had kept the brand rooted in Indian habits led to distaste from its core customer base.
As is often the case, a bad marketing move can leave a much longer lasting impression than a good one. However, rebranding does not go wrong all the time. Understanding the brand’s position and segment and having the market research is key to a good rebrand strategy. In the early 2000’s Burberry was perceived as flashy, far from its initial heritage status as a luxury brand that it had held since its inception. The brand decided to focus their new strategy on reviving its lost legacy by focusing on craftsmanship and a timeless product, their famous trench coat. Together with celebrity partnerships and a new digital initiative the brand regained the luxury status it had. In the Indian market, Hero Moto Corp., the largest two wheeler brand, worked to rebrand itself after its joint venture with Honda ended. They had a behemoth of a task as ‘Hero Honda’ was a household name, but they smartly positioned themselves as a brand that was reliable and truly Indian. Their slogan “Hum Mein hai Hero” also debuted during the time of the rebrand, helping it establish its rebrand.
Ultimately, a rebrand is more than just a visible change in the tagline or the logo aimed at gaining new customers, rather, it is a fundamental shift in the identity of the brand that must be handled with care for the brand’s status and history. The key to achieve a sucessful rebrand is to have a clear mission and communicating it in a way that does not lead to the alienation of the existing customers.
About the author,
Kashish Sehgal
A quiet observer, she is drawn to the stories behind people. She enjoys all things art and pop culture with a curiosity in their intersection with lived experience, seeing what may have been unnoticed.
