Hey guys, Brand School is in session! Since you really appreciated it when we recently shared a #tellthetruths video that defined the difference between Branding and Marketing, we thought we’d do it again.
Repositioning vs. Rebranding vs. Renaming
In today’s video Rebeca runs through the distinctions between repositioning, rebranding and renaming, with some topline insights as to when you might need each one.
Check it out and then share your thoughts or any good examples you might have.
This video originally appeared in LinkedIn
If you enjoyed this video, check out:
What’s the Difference Between Branding and Marketing?
TRANSCRIPT:
Hey guys, it’s Rebeca Arbona, and I want to talk about some definitions because there’s a little bit of overlap, a little bit of confusion, especially between repositioning versus rebranding. I also want to talk about renaming, although I think that one’s more clear-cut.
So, the thing about repositioning is that it’s when there’s something amiss with an existing brand in terms of what it stands for or how it’s perceived. Like the brand is getting a little tired. It’s a little less relevant. And so, repositioning it is having it stand for some different attributes, maybe changing a little bit who it’s appealing to, that kind of thing. Very good example of this is Taco Bell. It was a little while ago. It was around 2010, but they decided to reposition from this kind of fast, cheap Mexican food with a little chihuahua. “Yo quiero Taco Bell!” You remember that guy?
Moving on from that…what they were aiming for was more of a lifestyle brand for young people. They started talking about it more holistically. “Live Más,” it’s not just about the food, it’s about how the food fits into your life. And (this is why there can sometimes be confusion) when they repositioned it, in order to bring that repositioning to life, there was some rebranding: They kept the bell logo, but they updated it. They, of course, changed taglines, as I just mentioned. They also redesigned some stores. They changed menu items, so they’re expressing the brand differently (REBRANDING) in order to bring to life standing for something different
strategically (REPOSITIONING).
And other examples…you see a lot of logo updating over time, right? So other examples of rebranding…car companies do it a lot, Kia, Volkswagen, food brands. Pringles has done it. Even Airbnb did it just a couple of years ago.
Different from the third one, the most easy to understand one, which is renaming. Sometimes you need a new name. There can be reasons for having a new name. Like, you wouldn’t do it lightly but if, for example, there’s a scandal involved with your name. I’m pretty sure, (I don’t wanna malign anyone, but) I’m pretty sure that when Andersen Consulting rebranded to Accenture, it had maybe something to do with Enron. Okay, maybe not. I should research more closely. But you know, Philip Morris getting more and more criticism over the fact that they make cigarettes, they decided to rename the parent company Altria to hide that sort of dark past. Sometimes people think that it’ll be catchier, like when Weight Watchers renamed themselves WW. I don’t love that one. I don’t think it’s any easier to say, but you can see how those are pretty distinct versus the first two.
I hope that helps. Hope we cleared up a few things. Let know if you want to talk about it. Thanks. Bye!
