Five catastrophic company rebrandings and their valuable lessons:

Five catastrophic company rebrandings and their valuable lessons:

In the world of business, rebranding can be a powerful tool for modernising a company's image and appealing to new markets. However, as several high-profile rebrands have demonstrated, such changes can also lead to spectacular failures. Here are some valuable lessons businesses can learn from these missteps.

In 2010, Gap introduced a new logo that replaced their classic blue box with a simple, modern design. The backlash was immediate and intense, with customers expressing strong emotional attachment to the original logo. The company reversed the change within a week, teaching us two key lessons: never rebrand without thorough market research and always avoid abrupt changes that alienate loyal customers.

Tropicana's packaging redesign in 2009 is another cautionary tale. The company removed the iconic image of an orange with a straw, replacing it with a clear glass of juice and a redesigned cap meant to emphasize purity. However, customers struggled to find the product on shelves and felt the new design was cheaper and less personal. Sales dropped by 20%, and the company reverted to the original design shortly after. Key takeaways include maintaining recognizable brand elements that customers rely on and testing changes extensively before full rollout.

Coca-Cola's introduction of "New Coke" in 1985 is a classic example where altering a beloved formula sparked consumer outrage and led to a quick reversion. The lesson is that even product changes (not just visual identity) must be managed carefully and consider customer loyalty.

The Catholic Church’s Archdiocesan Youth Commission Logo, once award-winning, became controversial decades later as public perception shifted. This illustrates the importance of ensuring brand evolution aligns with cultural and societal changes so that the brand remains appropriate over time.

These examples highlight that rebranding can be risky and costly without careful planning and customer consideration. Richard Hunt, the director of Liquidation Centre, advises businesses to respect their heritage when rebranding to avoid losing customers' trust and appreciation for the brand's history.

In 2023, Twitter rebranded, replacing Larry the bird and his tweeting with an 'X' that was just a unicode character. This move drew mixed reactions, with some seeing it as an opportunity to honour the brand's Korean roots and others finding it unnecessary and confusing.

In the same year, Jaguar Land Rover rebranded to JLR, positioning Jaguar, Range Rover, Defender, and Discovery as separate brands. In March 2025, the brand PrettyLittleThing rebranded, shifting from a bright pink branding to a black-and-white minimalist look with a new script font wordmark. These changes backfired, with many shoppers taking to social media to complain about the loss of the playful and fun branding.

Richard advises that changing a well-known brand name should never be rushed and that businesses should meet customers where they are. He also emphasises the importance of not forgetting a brand's heritage and avoiding confusing customers during a rebrand.

Hyundai launched a campaign in 2023 to change how people pronounce its name from 'Hyun-die' to 'Hyun-day'. This rebrand did not appear to have been designed intentionally, demonstrating the power of familiarity in branding.

In conclusion, the lessons from these examples are clear: don't rebrand too quickly, don't forget your heritage, and don't risk confusing your customers. Businesses should conduct market research and customer testing before launching a rebrand, keep key visual elements that customers associate with the brand, avoid making too many changes at once, be mindful of cultural shifts and evolving societal attitudes, and have a clear strategic purpose behind rebranding, not just rebranding for the sake of change.

1. A well-planned rebrand can help modernize a company's image and attract new markets, but hasty decisions can lead to a loss of customer loyalty, as the Gap's 2010 logo change showed.
2. Tropicana's 2009 packaging redesign, which removed the iconic orange image, led to sales drops and negative customer feedback, highlighting the importance of maintaining recognizable brand elements.
3. Coca-Cola's "New Coke" in 1985 serves as a reminder that changing a beloved product formula can spark consumer outrage and lead to swift reversion.
4. The Catholic Church's Archdiocesan Youth Commission Logo showed that a brand's evolution should align with cultural and societal changes to remain relevant and appropriate.
5. Richard Hunt, the director of Liquidation Centre, advises businesses to respect their heritage during rebranding to avoid losing customers' trust and appreciation for the brand's history.
6. In 2023, Twitter's rebrand elicited mixed reactions, illustrating the need to consider the potential impact on customers, whether it's an opportunity to honor a brand's roots or a confusing change.
7. Jaguar Land Rover's 2023 rebrand and PrettyLittleThing's 2025 rebrand backfired, as customers on social media expressed displeasure over the loss of their playful and fun branding.
8. Hyundai's 2023 campaign to change the pronunciation of its name from 'Hyun-die' to 'Hyun-day' demonstrated the power of familiarity in branding, suggesting that changes should be made intentionally and with careful consideration.

In conclusion, those undertaking a rebrand should conduct market research and customer testing, cherish their heritage, anticipate cultural shifts, minimize confusing changes, and have a clear strategic purpose to avoid costly mistakes.

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