Rebranding efforts that fell flat

5 examples of terrible rebranding failures

Rebranding is a strong marketing technique to connect with the audience, enhance brand image, drive sales, and get an increased return on investment. Rebranding is a tricky tool to implement. It needs a lot of planning and when done efficiently, rebranding efforts can do wonders for your company. When done without planning, rebranding can be a disaster and have a negative impact on your brand.

We have gathered a list of few rebranding failures, have a look:

Tropicana

In January 2009, the popular juice brand went for an appearance makeover. Originally, the image was of a straw sticking out of an orange, which made people assume that their juice was 100 % organic. The new packaging exhibits the actual product – a clear glass full of orange juice. The problem that arose was that people didn’t recognize the new Tropicana rebranding and their sales fell by 20%. This is an example of drastic rebranding which made the brand unrecognizable because of which its target audience started picking products from competitors.

Pepsi 

In 2019, Pepsi cans came out with the catchphrase ‘For the Love of it’ hinting at the use of the aerated drink during parties, outings, and events and highlighting the special bond that we have cultivated for ‘cold drinks’ over the years. However, this concept was claimed as a copycat phenomenon as people believe that the tagline was stolen from McDonald’s ‘I’m Lovin’ it’ brand tagline.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen decided to change the logo that signified the brand and its core principles. The new logo is very much similar to the previous one but it’s a more modern and cleaner version. However, many designers criticized it for the lack of detailed angles and designing basics on the logo and the unapologetic ignorance of all the designing rules.

SyFy 

Syfy boldly changed its name to SyFy before checking what it means. In several societies, ‘Syfy’ stands for syphilis. The brand couldn’t take the name ‘SciFi’ and therefore they went for the less-used, alternate spelling. This rebranding strategy backfired on the brand and people across the world associated the channel with an STD.

GAP

GAP’s original logo was there for years and years and therefore they considered rebranding it. However, the brand later realized that its customers were deeply connected with its iconic logo. The moment the brand introduced the new logo, customers lashed out and demanded a change. In 6 days, it had to revert to its initial design and all was well again

Brands must do proper planning before rebranding. If done inefficiently, it can backlash and the repercussions can be disastrous.