Rebranding, what is it really?
Google’s recent restructuring, and subsequent rebrand, into Alphabet is what good rebranding is all about: get the whole internet talking.
A good rebrand gives new energy to the public’s perception of your business. A new look, a new edge, to keep your customers excited and attract new customers’ attention.
Today, we’re going to look at three excellent rebranding efforts and take the lessons learnt from them.
1. Google and Alphabet
Google becomes Alphabet Google has come a long way since it’s humble beginnings in 1996. Originally an internet web page search engine, it has now evolved into an “all things internet” service provider and innovator – robots, virtual reality, even cancer cures.
And that evolution is the key reason for the restructure, and rebrand, into Alphabet.
Alphabet is a better representation of Google’s businesses. Google no longer deals with the internet alone – it deals with nearly everything we can imagine. The rebrand into Alphabet mirrors this, sending the message “we do everything from A to Z. If you need something, come to us, we’ll have something to help you.”
Lesson: When your company is doing great things, use a well executed rebrand to remind your customers.
2. Adidas Football Boots – X and Ace
In 1994, Adidas revolutionised the football world with the Predator boot – a boot that placed special rubber fins on the boot’s face to enhance ball control. Encouraged by the Predator’s success, in 2004 Adidas released a second boot, the f50, using special fabrics to keep the boot ultra-light. Both boots were extremely successful and have spawned countless iterations over the last 20 years.
In 2015, Adidas relaunched the above strategy completely. The Adidas Ace and Adidas X boots targeted the same two customer groups, but offered a brand new colour scheme, product design, and unique rebranded logos, and were received with great aplomb.
This was a great move by Adidas, as the Predator-f50 tandem was getting tired after 20 years of use. The rebranding of the two products allowed Adidas to “re-use” the success of the last 20 years, injecting new interest into the customer base.
Lesson: Recycle your past success through a rebrand, re-targeting your existing customer base to get them excited about your business again.
3. Starbucks
Everyone knows the Starbucks logo – classic forest green, smiling siren in the middle. What we may not have noticed is that the siren was rebranded in 2014, removing the “Starbucks Coffee” text from the logo, and enlarging the siren’s smiling face.
This subtle move may seem peculiar – what was the point? Could Starbucks have kept the old logo and done just as well?
Starbucks’ decision to rebrand indicates that the firm is moving with the times. It sent a message: “we are moving forward with you. Anytime you need a coffee, we’ll be here to meet your new, or old, preferences”.
Lesson: Don’t get stuck in time. The world is moving forward at a blistering pace – keep pace with it by keeping your branding and image fresh and modern.
Do you have an existing logo that you want to rebrand? Please feel free to contact us
