For many the risk of renaming and rebranding something that is much loved and highly successful can be too great – but for others the danger of becoming ignored and no longer relevant is even greater. So what companies are choosing to give themselves a refresh to stay ahead of the game?

Grass Roots Ambassadorship

Circle K, formerly known as Topaz have begun rebranding the 420-strong network of forecourts around the country. This rebrand is part of a global rollout and is expected to take 18 months to complete with an estimated total cost of €55m (with €35m being invested in the development of four new sites)

Niall Anderton, managing director of Circle K in Ireland, said the Irish rebrand was the final leg of a Europe-wide rebrand by the Canadian group, which also owns the former Statoil network on the continent.

The company’s investments to date go beyond the rebrand and new sites – with money also being spent on new pumps, new coffee machines and new premium products. “We have to stay investing in the market so our consumers get the best offers,” said Mr Anderton. Circle K is currently running a television and outdoor marketing campaign this summer to highlight the new brand and the change from Topaz to Circle K.

The current marketing and advertising shows the value of engaging employees with the rebrand by making them brand ambassadors. Ultimately, no marketing strategy or advertising campaign will ever communicate the brand as favourably, or as sincerely, as engaged employees, amplified by social media. Understanding your employees and empowering them with marketing savvy and social media freedom can incentivise ambassadorship and sincere messaging. Your workforce can double-up as brand evangelists, inadvertently communicating the awesomeness of your company to the world!

 

Here are some successful rebrands you may remember happening within your lifetime.

Marathon to Snickers

In 1930 Mars introduced Snickers, a chocolate bar consisting of nougat, peanuts and caramel coated with chocolate and named after the favourite horse of the Mars family. The bar was marketed under the name “Marathon” in the UK and Ireland until July 19, 1990, when Mars decided to align the UK product with the global Snickers name.

BackRub to Google

Larry Page and Sergey Brin, students at Stanford University in California, developed a search algorithm – originally known as “BackRub” in 1996. The Google company was launched in 1998 by Page and Brin to market Google Search, which would later become the most widely used web-based search engine in the world.

Opal Fruits to Starburst

Opal Fruits were introduced by Mars in the UK in 1960 and introduced in the US in 1976 as Starburst. In 1988 the UK name was changed to match the US brand in order to keep a constant brand name.

Blue Ribbon Sports to Nike

On January 25, 1964, Blue Ribbon Sports was founded by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight. On May 30, 1971 Blue Ribbon Sports officially became Nike with its iconic “swoosh” logo to represent the sound of speed.

 

Your brand is vital to your company’s potential, and must be instantly identifiable for the successful future of your business, it’s important to get it just right!

Have questions about your company’s brand? Why not pop in and chat to Idea?  

Stephen Gibson, Creative Director