The Most Surprisingly Important Rebranding Campaigns

Rebranding a company, product or business often poses a range of unique challenges.

After all, when developing a brand for the local community, a branding agency in High Wycombe can work with a blank slate and develop a sharp brand perfect for the local community and the present day.

With a rebrand, however, you need to ask serious questions about how valuable the original brand’s heritage is, how much you want to keep and how much you want to keep.

It is often very difficult, but when it works it can breathe new life into establish brands and lead to further success or a successful rebound from a period of loss or stagnation. Here are some examples.

Subway

Whilst the sandwich restaurant initially known as Pete’s Super Submarines has existed since 1965, it rose to global prominence in 1998 due to a man in Indiana who claimed to have lost over 14 stone by eating a diet primarily comprising of the sandwiches.

This story raised both the man and the company into the global spotlight at the same time and the brand’s marketing focused on both him and the idea of Subway being a healthier alternative.

This backfired when spokesman Jared Fogle was arrested and later imprisoned for 15 years, and with other fast-food restaurants also focusing on healthy alternatives, Subway had to rebrand.

The result was simpler, losing the italicised font, with striking bold colours and an emphasis on sourcing wholesome ingredients, rather than diet and weight loss.

Whilst the company is still struggling to find its identity in the wake of healthier local alternatives, it has at least for the most part divested itself of its tainted past.

Compare The Market

An example of a wildly successful rebrand coming about by complete accident, the price-comparison website Compare the Market ran what was meant to be a short-lived campaign joking about a website called Compare the Meerkat and complaining about the difference.

The advert, showcasing a CGI meerkat with a Russian accent was massively successful, increasing the market share of the website by 76 per cent and leading to similar mascot-driven campaigns such as the GoCompare opera singer.