You put in all the time, the research, the energy, and the money. You made sure everyone felt heard and all the stakeholders approved. This new look feels like a “fresh” and “modern” take on your brand while remaining true to your roots. But then you launch it, and the unthinkable happens: everyone hates it.
This exact thing happened to Cracker Barrel last month, and it was hard to ignore the public outcry around the launch. So hard to ignore, in fact, that the restaurant chain almost immediately reverted back to their old brand and suspended plans to carry out their $700 million rebrand. As a designer who has gone through many rebrand journeys, I felt that pain deep in my soul.
So what do you do when your new brand is not received with arms wide open? You have a couple of options, but each one really depends on your business and how you generally handle your image with the public. Let’s look at some recent brand flops and how they moved forward:
Try it on, then return if it doesn’t fit
Max’s return to HBO Max (after re-learning how to call up the Max app with Alexa!). Sometimes the user audience gives you enough data to come to the realization on your own without a huge punch to the gut in internet opinions or lost sales. Viewers had come to associate the HBO brand with quality content (with intense themes), and the “Max” rebrand just didn’t give off that same vibe and thus resulted in a steady drop-off of viewers.
Pull an “Uno” Reverse card
Like Cracker Barrel, other brands have had major brand launch flops and pulled it back as fast as they could. In 2009, Tropicana replaced the classic orange on its cartons with a full juice glass and minimalist type. While the internet chatter was quieter back then, the huge drop in sales that followed spoke for itself. They quickly found themselves returning to the old brand.
Just move forward as planned
Jaguar’s abandonment of its old-money style for a colorful futuristic aesthetic. Classic car folks can’t stand it, younger car audiences don’t get it. While sales have continued to drop in the midst of the rebrand, they’re holding strong to the new look.
Truly listen and find an opportunity
In 2020 the internet lost their collective minds over the “creepy human teeth” on the new live-action Sonic. In response, the film studio decided they would go back and change the titular character’s face to more closely match the video game version. They took the feedback from their core audience and successfully updated the look to avoid alienating them: two sequels later, the franchise has grossed $1+ billion worldwide.
A rebrand can be exciting, but it can also be rocky. We love the entire rebranding process, from conducting deep competitor research to setting up focus groups with your core audiences and even sending surveys to your team or board. Sometimes, you have to listen to what your audience is telling you they want and refine your rebrand. The great thing is, we have a great team of humans that can help you through the whole process when you’re ready to start.
