(Re)Brand New: Risks and Rewards of Rebranding

A company’s brand is the identity that it projects out into the world, and it dictates both how a company is seen and how it wants to be seen. This involves the logos, websites, marketing strategies, and all the way to communication with customers. Ideally, the brand should reflect the company’s values and philosophies, while maintaining an appealing image.

But as sure as the sun rises in the east, changes are bound to happen—the market landscape could evolve, a business platform could open up, a core company philosophy could shift—and the brand must adjust and adapt to these changes.

A rebrand can come in all forms and sizes. To a person, a necessary change could mean just a small tweak, like a new haircut; or something drastic altogether, like packing up and starting fresh in a whole other country. The same goes for companies. Rebrands can range from simple logo updates to complete top-to-bottom overhauls. 

Many globally-renowned brands have rebranded for various reasons, and to varying levels of success.

Quite recently, Oxford Dictionaries announced that they would be rebranding to “Oxford Languages” to better reflect their “transformation from traditional dictionary publisher to language content provider.” The rename comes with a refreshing color gradient visual theme. 

Similarly, in 2018 Dunkin’ Donuts has also rebranded and dropped the “Donuts” from their name, going by just “Dunkin’” now. Fret not, they still serve donuts, but the change indicated their new focus on being a “beverage-led, on-the-go brand,” putting more emphasis on coffee and drinks and other food items. 

Old Spice has been around since 1937, and its image had steadily appeared about as old as the company itself. To revitalize the brand and give it a fighting chance against its competitors, they gave the look a complete overhaul and a cool new marketing direction that would appeal to a broader and younger audience. Their “Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign became a viral hit, and to this day Old Spice is at the top of their game.

Closer to home, we also have many unique and beloved Filipino brands that have done their share of rebranding.

The National Book Store is such a familiar brand that it has quietly remained a constant part of many Filipinos from all generations, and we all have our fond memories of it. Founded in 1942, it started out with a simple white-and-red-striped logo that was designed by one of the co-founders, Socorro Cancio-Ramos. This was only changed in 1996 into a simpler and more modern “National” script against a red background, which gave the brand a more updated look and feel while maintaining its familiarity and position as the leading provider of books and school and art supplies. The logo was slightly changed again in 2016, with the text for “Book Store” becoming smaller, and the stores themselves we given a new layout and design. These subtle changes to the brand’s visual scheme, along with the consistent improvements in the services they provide, keep the company up to date. Until now are still the go-to book store, especially for those of us that are “Laking National.”

Another good example of successful rebranding is the transformation of “SM Department Store” into “The SM Store.” The rebrand gave it a new look and attitude, and positioned itself as not just a basic department store, but as a premier shopping and lifestyle experience. The interior layout and design was upgraded to a more bright and modern look, giving it an upscale vibe. The focus was to help in the “development of the Filipino shoppers’ fashion consciousness” by offering trendy and stylish selections, as well as other amenities such as bills payment and ATM banking areas and customer lounges. With this change, SM shows a good understanding of how much Filipinos like to spend their free time (and money) at malls to shop and unwind, and provides their customers exactly the experience that they want.

In the case of LBC, they had shifted the company’s focus into more innovative services, and needed their brand identity to match that. They transformed their logo into a more modern-looking one by changing the shape and font, while retaining their signature red color. They also removed their iconic “Hari ng Padala” tagline and changed it to “We like to move it.” While the redesign initially raised some eyebrows, it was their services that kept their patronage largely loyal. Their risk paid off in the end, and they now have a brand that is ready for the future.

All change is risky, but ultimately, rebranding should be a very calculated risk. A failed rebranding can be disastrous for business, but if done well, the payoffs can be huge: increased profits, better recognition, stronger staying power, and more. A successful brand should know their audience well, and evolve as their market evolves.

Learn more about our work on branding and art direction here.

Illustration / Designer: Andrew Catanyag
Campaign Strategist: Margaret Cantos
Writer: Chris Ignacio