It’s no secret that people change over time; the same thing can be said about companies. Not all of them are going to be the exact same from when they first started to over 100 years later. This is why some of them undergo rebrands, or even multiple.
Recently, companies such as Carter’s and Tropical Smoothie Café have announced changes to their logo, slogans and marketing campaigns. This is to keep up with current trends and to triumph over competition. Most companies undergo major rebrands every seven to 10 years in order to stay relevant with consumers. Social media is making relevancy a harder goal to accomplish for companies as it’s always promoting “the next thing”.
The age of influencers and social media really make or break marketing campaigns. Connecting with consumers with familiar faces of celebrities and influencers can drive people to purchase from the company.
For example, Nike signed then-rookie Michael Jordan to create and build a shoe line in his name back in 1984. Nike and Jordan created Air Jordan and have inspired other companies to follow along, creating the modern sneaker culture we see today.
Sometimes, these campaigns also create the opposite effect. Sydney Sweeney’s “Great Jeans” American Eagle ad campaign last year caused some controversy and a dip in traffic and sales to the company while also impacting Sweeney’s public image.
Rebrands and ad campaigns are hit or miss for companies and are huge risks. One company can spend millions of dollars on a rebrand for it to make sales drop further and/or make the company lose relevance.
In 2009, Tropicana replaced their orange with a straw logo with a more plain, generic orange background. This caused sales to drop by 20% within the first two months of this new design debuting leading to a $30 million loss before they switched it back.
Just because there are high risks doesn’t mean there aren’t high rewards. Some campaigns overly succeed and can really turn around a whole brand.
Dunkin’ Donuts wanted to play the long game and created a strategy based on higher beverage sales in 2019. The company dropped the “Donuts” in their name and shortened it to Dunkin’, promoting their coffee and espresso drinks over donuts as they had a higher profit. This was also an opportunity for them to modernize, prompting them to be the fast, on-the-go beverage brand we know them as today.
Carter’s, a children’s clothing brand, recently announced they were undergoing a rebrand to reconnect with young millennial and Gen Z parents. The company also created a new slogan and logo to better highlight that every child is unique, focusing heavily on self-expression and individuality. The brand is changing their digital channels throughout the rest of this year, and in-store designs and packaging will switch over in 2027.
Tropical Smoothie Café has announced their new branding as they plan to rapidly grow to over 3,000 cafes in the future. Theirs includes a new logo, brighter and updated color palette and a new “Eat Some Good!” philosophy. This new philosophy is to make the consumer treat “tropical” as a feeling and not just a place.
A successful rebrand can make consumers feel like they need to be a part of the company. The brand isn’t just selling a product, but rather a whole experience that is different from their past.
