REBRANDING
REBRANDING?
WORK IT OR
DROP IT.
By Spencer Okach
W
hat people usually mean
when they start talking
rebrand is putting a new
spin on things. Changing perceptions
without changing the business.
big car stereo on the same ramshackle
of a car. Everyone knows the same
car is under that new paint job and
blazing music, and they won’t believe
it’s a new car.
Nigel Hollis definition of a brand.
Therefore any attempt to change
these perceptions can be termed
as a rebrand? Quite a far-reaching
process, isn’t it?
Sometimes, just changing a logo is
thought of as a rebrand. Other times,
a name change is all that’s required.
But really that’s the equivalent of
putting some extravagant graffiti and
Let’s give Steve Blue audience at
the onset: “No matter your reason
for embarking upon a business
rebranding effort of a company or
product name, logo, phrase, design
scheme or other such asset, which
can be mixed and many, one thing
is certain: execute poorly and suffer
extreme consequences. There is
simply no rebranding effort where
the stakes are not extraordinarily
high and the margin for error is slim
at best.”
True, rebranding rarely happens all at
once, it’s an evolutionary process that
may take several years. A company
slowly changes and eventually realizes
they’re not the same company any
more. So they make it official by
changing the logo and shifting their
marketing; but more importantly
they shift their set of enduring and
shared perceptions in the minds of
consumers.
“Companies have
been rebranding for
decades in hopes of
perking up their sales.
But for many, it’s
done the opposite. So
what makes or breaks
a rebrand? Redesign
must happen for the
right reasons and
symbolize a transition
in the company – not
just the packaging.”
46 MAL 12/16 ISSUE
So what is Rebranding?
Nigel Hollis in his book The
Global Brand (2008) did define
a brand as “a set of enduring and
shared perceptions in the minds
of consumers. The stronger, more
coherent and motivating those
perceptions are, the more likely they
will to influence purchase decisions
and add value to a business”. For the
remainder of this article I will use
That’s what happened to AOL, now
Aol, and I would say they have a true
rebrand, albeit one that has been
forced on them over the years since
their disastrous merger with Time
Warner. Aol used to be an internet
service provider, now they are an
internet content provider.
Right Actions, Powerful Results
Companies have been rebranding
for decades in hopes of perking up
their sales. But for many, it’s done the