Rebranding is a crucial change for a company. It can make or break the company image. If the campaign is not well planned and organized and fails to achieve a set goal, it could not only cost a company thousands of dollars, but place a negative light on the company’s overall image. Thinking with a modern view, composing a plan, retaining brand equity, and research are a few of the key strategies that are necessary to achieving a new and improved company image. Some campaigns have been highly successful while others have failed entirely. Here at AdEase, we have played a huge role in some lucrative transformations for some of our clients.
A few years ago, the popular restaurant, Pat and Oscar’s, underwent a few major changes in brand and image. The restaurant was previously named “Oscar’s,” but had to add the name of Oscar’s wife, Pat, to the beginning when marketing opportunities expanded and trademark issues came into play. At AdEase, we suggested that Pat be placed in front of Oscar as a 40th wedding anniversary gift from Oscar to his beloved wife. Oscar was worried that this strategy would hurt the brand’s image and cause the restaurant to lose sales and valued customers, but it did the exact opposite. With a focus placed on Pat and Oscar’s story of love, success, and the restaurant’s amazing breadsticks, AdEase was able to successfully increase sales by 7%. At the end of the campaign, the company saw positive transformations in sales and customer attitudes and retained the original image of traditional and delicious family dining.
Rebranding campaigns, however, are not always such a success. In early October of 2010, Gap launched a campaign to modernize the popular clothing company’s logo. Despite hesitation from the marketing team, President Marka Hansen launched the new logo via the company’s website. After much consumer backlash surfaced on blogs and websites all over the internet, Hansen realized that the change had produced a negative perception of the company’s image. Gap soon changed their logo back to their classic navy blue and white block letters, but the damage had already been done. The crucial first steps of research, customer surveying, focus groups, and other due diligence had been overlooked, and Gap is still recovering from the aftermath. Many large international companies have completed successful rebranding campaigns, but never without doing their homework.
Rebranding is an important turning point for many corporations. As a company grows to new heights, it is critical to consider the publics’ perception and establish effective marketing and advertising strategies. At AdEase, we strive to provide our clients with cutting edge work, and advanced strategies for raising brand awareness. It is our goal to provide each client with a powerful image and the planning to guarantee success.
