Know When And How To Rebrand

Ok. I’m going to hold my hands up and admit something. Until about a week ago, I had no idea who or what Cracker Barrel was.

Now, I know that may come as some surprise to my friends over in America, but the Cracker Barrel brand really wasn’t a thing over here in the UK.

It turns out, it was quite a well-known and well-loved brand over there in America. I say well-loved, but it was a brand that was loved but not often interacted with by people.

The fact is, there are times when a business may feel that its very nostalgic brand identity is holding it back. It appears that this was the rationale behind the rebranding of Cracker Barrel’s logo and brand assets.

So the business decided to design a more modern take on its identity. Seemingly, to appeal to a younger audience, and also to try to pick up the business that was fading away from this old-fashioned brand.

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Unfortunately for Cracker Barrel, it would appear that a lot of people in America weren’t happy with this decision. The company’s stock value dropped drastically, and even Donald Trump Jr was weighing in with comments like “WTF is wrong with @CrackerBarrel??!”

The company responded, explaining some of the thinking behind the changes, and clarified that the old man who was lost from the logo isn’t being removed entirely.

It turns out, though, that it wasn’t enough for Donald Trump Jr to comment on this rebrand. Now, Donald Trump was weighing in. “Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll), and manage the company better than ever before,” Trump said. He also suggested that Cracker Barrel could earn “free publicity” if it reverted to its old logo.

And that was the end of that. Only hours after Trump’s proclamation, Cracker Barrel announced that it would bring back the old logo. Hoorah for the old guard! But is it the right move? We don’t know yet.

But really, none of this was my point. My point was, there is this historic brand that everyone in America feels so closely affiliated to, but over here in the UK, we’d not heard of it.

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This made me think about what is truly powerful about a brand. In its simplest form brand is identity + meaning. And this Cracker Barrel situation has made it clear that both of these things have value to a brand. A brand’s identifiable features are important assets by which people recognise the brand. But what really matters to people about a brand – what people really value – is the brand’s meaning.

This brand meaning, that through decades and decades of cultural significance has played such a role in people’s lives in America, has real tangible value. To both businesses and consumers.

And it shows me that where a brand truly exists, where it finds its value, is in the minds of its audience.

Reinvention can be a powerful restart for a brand sometimes. However, when identification is key (and when isn’t it), reinvigoration can better aid recognition and distinctiveness, while also preserving the associated meanings people have with your brand.

Here are four tips when considering a rebranding:

1. Always start a brand refresh from an informed position of knowledge. You are not your audience, and so your opinions may not match those of your audience.
2. Identification is vital for a brand. Work out what you do need to change or update, and what you don’t.
3. Sometimes, the smallest changes can make the biggest difference. The fact that consumers can’t notice a change in an identity design isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
4. Test your new designs with the end consumer. How they react to the designs is what really matters.

Paul Bailey is Brand Strategy Director at Halo – a brand-first agency in the UK, who, with bold strategy and commercial creativity, improve audience experience and business performance through brand.

At The Blake Project, we help clients worldwide, in all stages of development, define or redefine and articulate what makes them competitive at pivotal moments of change. Please email us to learn how we can help you compete differently.

Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Growth and Brand Education

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