Rebranding from the inside

Rebranding, or changing the perception of a brand. Its message, values ​​and image, which require a coherently defined vision. Is it necessary? What are its benefits?

Rebranding is not just changing or refreshing the current logo, as many might think. It is a slightly more complex process. Its intention is to refresh the brand by giving it new values ​​and emphasizing advantages that customers have not paid much attention to so far.

In practice, this may mean changing the previously mentioned logo, changing the product image or the company name. This process is often used when there is a drop in sales and when there is a need to refresh the brand’s image.

There are three types of rebranding. The first one involves a complete change in the brand’s marketing strategy. This includes changing the visual identification and the target group.

The second one is product rebranding, which in practice means only changing the appearance of the product (graphic elements, colors, or shape.)

The last one refers to cooperation between two or more companies, consisting in the acquisition of one company by another, or combining forces.

Two years ago, Pizza Hut undertook a major rebranding, which involved not only a change in visual identification, but also a change in the menu and the entire philosophy of the company, which began to emphasize reaching a new generation of customers.

The trend related to healthy food was taken into account and the list of available ingredients was expanded. The graphic layer was also changed, which became more unified and now symbolizes pizza with tomato sauce.

A good example is also Old Spice, which carried out a complete rebranding of the brand a few years ago. Old Spice, which has been on the market for over 70 years, has been experiencing a decline in sales for some time. The problem was that the brand image was no longer attractive to the younger part of society. Therefore, the brand values ​​were completely changed, and consequently – the logo, communication and the packaging itself. As a result, the brand has been growing in popularity for several years, mainly among the younger target group.

As everywhere, there are so-called “fails” in rebranding. Let’s take the American chocolate manufacturer The Hershey Company as an example. In 2014, the brand decided to “refresh” its image a bit. How did it go? The answer is below:

The fail is so big that the image problem and a certain “discord” are caused by the fact that the company produces chocolate. The Internet was in a frenzy and remakes began to appear:

Rebranding is not an easy task for a company. As a result, it can bring a lot of success to the company, but also (as the above example shows) it can become a laughing stock. So before you start changing the company’s image, you need to create a detailed plan of action and have a set goal, so that the brand continues to create a coherent, but slightly better whole.