5 Rebranding Fails

Rebranding any company can be tricky business, and there is no guarantee you will always get it right. These five companies are proof of that. Check out some of the most hated, most ridiculously expensive, and most cringe-worthy rebranded and redesigned looks in recent branding history.

Tropicana Orange Juice- Underestimating brand loyalists

In 2009, Tropicana decided to change their look by offering what they thought was a sleek and sophisticated design ready for the modern market. After two months of the redesigned packaging being on shelves, sales had dropped 20%, meaning a loss of 30 million dollars. The design and campaign and the loss in sales cost the company more than 50 million dollars.  But why did it fail? Customers reported a deep emotional bond with the original packaging, and when the rebranding occurred, they found what they called the “ugly” design to be too close to generic brands or store brands and also worried that the product itself had changed, not just to look of the packaging. Read more about the Tropicana branding failure here.

Pepsi- $1 million for a complicated process

Pepsi Logo

Pepsi Logo (2009)

The logo itself released in 2009 wasn’t unsightly in the least, but the cost to end up with the final product seemed unjustifiable, especially if you look at the overly complicated design document for the project which talks about “Pepsi’s gravitational pull”, balanced energy fields and “numerical harmony”.  Pepsi’s logo has been changed about once every ten years, but their competitor Coca-Cola has hardly ever changed their logo.

Gap- the Gap in the gradient

Gap Logo

Gap Logo (failed redesign, 2010)

During the holiday season of 2010, a silent and disastrous event took place. Gap had launched a new, crowd-sourced logo (estimated to cost about $100 million)  to replace the original 20-plus year old one. The logo (bold black font to spell Gap with a blue gradient square) began to generate negative buzz in the design community and after only six days, Gap was back to using the tried and true original logo.

MasterCard- the color blob

Mastercard Logo (1996)

Mastercard Logo (2006)

MasterCard’s logo is one that is instantly recognizable, from the overlapping circles to their brand’s color scheme. There was, however, a time when the logo was not so attractive. In 2006, the two circles were marred with an off-center and out of focus third circle in between, with the name of the corporation “Mastercard Worldwide” (formerly Mastercard International) underneath it. From a design perspective, this short-lived logo looked rushed and sloppy, a far cry from the current iteration.  

BP- from green to black

BP logo prior to 2000 redesign

BP logo (2000)

In 2000, BP’s mission was to project their appearance of “green growth” which led the petroleum company to set forth and redesign their logo to reflect that. The green Helios sunburst which became the new face of the company had a rumored rollout cost of $211,000,000. When the logo was first released it was not well responded to, and it took time for the uproar and negative reviews to die down. Things stayed quiet for a while, but in 2010, the “green” company was responsible for what is considered the largest marine oil spill in industry history: Deepwater Horizon. For a company trying to promote themselves as “green” in an inherently not industry, this incident only furthered the outrage.

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The Best and Worst Ads of 2017

The Best

Fearless Girl, Agency: McCann New York

The winner of five Grand Clio awards was created by Kristen Visbal and commissioned by State Street Global Advisors. The award-winning and now iconic installation was placed in front of Wall Street’s Charging Bull to promote and celebrate International Women’s Day. The statue’s strength paved the way for McCann New York to win agency of the year, and for State Street to win advertiser of the year.

MailChimp “Did You Mean MailChimp?”, Agency: Droga5

MailChimp is already an established brand, but their first major campaign introduces them to a new audience in a way that subverts almost every expectation. By creating goofy and fun mispronunciations of their name MailChimp is able to prove that they are true to themselves and use creative ways to help their customer base.

Samsung “Ostrich”, Agency: Leo Burnett

Samsung’s tagline “do what can’t be done” refers to their virtual reality headsets and what you are able to experience when you put it on. This ad premiered during the product launch of the S8 and S8+ and used #DoWhatYouCan’t to further promote the new Samsung product lineup.

Audi “Daughter”, Agency: Venables Bell & Partners

Rated as one of the top commercials aired during the Super Bowl, ‘Daughter’ pushes for equal pay and employment opportunities for women, pushing for progress with #DriveProgress. Though not directly related to any specific Audi model, spokespeople for the company say that progress is at the core of the brand.

The Worst

Jennifer Aniston Smart Water campaign, Agency: AR New York

Bland print ads and unfunny attempts to go viral have plagued the bottled water company’s campaign with a very popular spokesperson. However, a bright spot in an otherwise unexciting campaign takes an aim at celebrity gossip: a video that shows Jennifer Aniston’s “leaked security tapes” revealing all of her secrets, from being pregnant to wearing a wig.

GoDaddy “The Internet Wants You”, Agency: Bullish

GoDaddy was once the king of scandalous ads, especially during the Super Bowl, but this year’s ad went in a different direction, poking fun at internet trends, from sneezing pandas and water bottle flipping, to “David After Dentist” and Rick Astley. The commercial itself was clever, but fell flat, with almost too much going on to effectively promote GoDaddy’s services.

T-Mobile #Unlimited Moves, Agency: Publicis Seattle

The Super Bowl commercial featuring Justin Bieber was in one word, underwhelming. Coming off of last year’s spot with Drake dancing to ‘Hotline Bling’, Bieber plays a “celebration expert” narrating touchdown celebrations throughout the years. Bieber is refreshingly down to earth, but his presence alone is not enough to give life to an otherwise unfunny commercial.

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Tech Gifts for Holidays 2017

The holidays are fast approaching, and with Black Friday less than two weeks away, it’s time to start thinking about the gifts you may need for your family and friends. If someone you know is into all of the newest technology, these gifts might be just what they’re hoping for!

Garmin Speak

If you drive a car without an infotainment center, the Garmin Speak is one way to upgrade your vehicle without having to buy a new car. This mountable device with Amazon Alexa voice assistant allows you to control smart devices in your home, ask for directions, and stream music all hands-free. The only thing to consider is that the device runs off of a data connection from a smartphone, so strong network coverage is key to using it to its full potential.

Amazon Kindle Oasis

Water-resistant, super light and thin, Amazon’s new Oasis eReader is a giant step up from previous models the company has released. The Kindle Oasis is available in 8GB and 32GB builds.

GoPro Hero6 Black

This new iteration of the GoPro Hero series comes on the heels of a rather rough year for the action camera company, but this camera is nothing short of exciting, especially for those looking to capture super high quality and high-resolution video. The hero 6 Black can shoot in 4K, has digital motion stability and is just as tough as it’s predecessors. Just make sure your recipient has the proper capabilities for 4K playback.

DJI Spark

The selfie lover will take their pictures to a new level with this tiny camera drone. DJI’s drones are known for their quality, and the Spark is no different. With all the features a novice drone user could want in a small and easily portable design. Perhaps the most exciting feature for selfie queens (and kings) is the gesture control option.

Amazon Echo Spot

For those who haven’t gotten into the hype of the Amazon Echo and Google Home movement, the Echo Spot operates as a high tech alarm clock that does more than just wake you up. Plan the entire day with an alarm clock that can also tell and show you the weather, read the news, set timers and more.

Xbox One X

Though the reviews are mixed about the newest Xbox game console, there is no denying that the powerful console is impressive, especially for those looking to show off 4K picture quality and high-definition visuals.  

iPhone X

The hefty price tag on the new iPhone makes it a controversial choice, but with the reviews that are starting come out, with some calling the iPhone X the best smartphone on the market.  The highly upgraded phone is just the beginning of Apple making high powered and exciting changes to their product lineup making the iPhone X one of the most sought-after tech gifts of the year.

Smartphone Camera Lens Kit

If the iPhone X isn’t in the budget but taking high-quality smartphone photos is a priority for someone on your gift list, a smartphone camera lens kit can upgrade their photos in a flash. From fisheye to macro and wide angle, you can use interchangeable lenses to go beyond the normal smartphone photos. There are many options for these kits available online, so you can look and find the one that will suit your needs.

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Essentials for the Traveling Entrepreneur

Travel is oftentimes a staple for entrepreneurs, and getting where you are going and making sure you are packed is only half the battle. These essentials can make travel easier, more comfortable and even more fun.

Audio splitter

Whether you’re listening to music or watching a movie, an audio splitter is an affordable travel necessity that makes it possible to share audio with your travel companions without any trouble.

Portable power bank

Don’t lose power on your phone while you’re on the go again. Having a portable power bank or a phone case that has an extra battery pack keeps your phone going when you’re away from your hotel room.

Wikivoyage: Kiwix

Wikipedia travel guides are a great tool for traveling, but if you don’t have internet they may be inaccessible. With the Wikivoyage download from the Kiwix app, you can access the entire TravelGuide database for information about your travel location, restaurants, things to see or do and more for free.

Neck pillow

Sleeping on any flight can be uncomfortable, but a neck pillow can keep your neck in one comfortable position and help you get to and stay asleep.

Smart suitcase

From motorized cases to expandable packing space to portable charging enabled, having a smart suitcase can make your trip much smoother. Travel and Leisure has a list of many great options to update your luggage.

Waterproof phone case

If you will be traveling near water, a waterproof phone case is the way to go, as you can ensure that whatever happens, your phone is protected. Amazon has many different waterproof options, but be sure to read the reviews so you don’t end up waterlogged.

Noise-canceling headphones

There’s nothing worse than needing to get work done or trying to sleep on a plane with a chatty seatmate. Noise-canceling headphones are a great way to block out the sounds that you want to avoid while playing the audio you want or even just acting as an over the ear earplug/ conversation repellent.

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Marketing Tool: Chatbots

80% of marketers are expected to be using chatbots by 2020. Personalized marketing is becoming an expectation for consumers, and chatbots are another tool to bring personalization to your audience. It is certainly fair to say that not every company will need a chatbot, and that some customers will not utilize or like the option of using a chatbot, but for ever-evolving times, it is important to understand this trend as it is, as it can be, and to fully acknowledge the pros and cons of using chatbots within a marketing strategy.

What is a Chatbot?

NBC defines a chatbot simply as: “simple artificial intelligence systems that you interact with via text. Those interactions can be straightforward, like asking a bot to give you a weather report, or more complex, like having one troubleshoot a problem with your internet service.”

How do Chatbots work?

A chatbot responds to a message just as a customer support employee would, but is available at all times. Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa are all examples of widely used chatbots. Chatbots are programmed with specifically coded responses to questions or can be built with AI and can, therefore, expand their knowledge base with machine learning.  When your customer asks a question or interacts with your bot, the responses that it gives are modeled to act like a real human response. Sometimes, a question will be impossible for the bot to answer, either because it has no prior experience with that question or because it is phrased in a way too complicated for the bot to understand. If that is holding you back, there are ways to program your bot to have prompts that might be able to get the bot and your customers back on track.

Why use a Chatbot for marketing?

Chatbots do more than just answering questions, they can also effectively drive engagement, make sales and nurture leads. Because chatbots built to use AI can learn, they can also remember details and have a more personalized and human interaction with your customers, something that is important as “nine out of ten consumers say personalization has an impact on their buying decisions, “ says research from LeadsCon. The evolution of social media and technology has played into the need to utilize big data in order to provide a more targeted and engaging approach to customer support and marketing.  Check out Hubspot’s list of seven brands using chatbots and get inspired!

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Marketing Tool: Generational Profiling

One size fits all marketing is a myth of epic proportions. Demographic profiling is one of the most important tools you can use when building a marketing campaign, and while demographics include language, location, age, and interests, generational profiling is another way to look at a broad overview of an age range. While not all members of a generational divide exhibit all of the traits that are common within the broader summary, embracing generational marketing is helpful for understanding prior influence and for predicting consumer behaviors. There are 5 major generations within our society right now, and each brings new experiences to the table. These profiles will help marketers understand these generational differences.

The Silent Generation (Traditionalists): Born 1945 and before

Members of this generation were children during World War II and were named the “Silent Generation” by TIME Magazine, because of the nature of the political and social world they had been born into. Because of the anti-communist beliefs, speaking freely was dangerous, and attempts to keep up a “clean” public image became much more measured. This generation was more financially cautious than their parents, especially after seeing the long-lasting effects of both the war and the Great Depression as young children. Statistically, this has always been a smaller generation, and as they age, numbers continue to dwindle.

Baby Boomers: Born 1946-1964

The Baby Boomers were free-thinking and spirited, generally moving away from traditional values held by their parents. Defining events for this generation included the civil rights movement, the moon landing, the rise of television and rock ‘n’ roll, as well as the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and President John F. Kennedy. This was the first generation of children and teenagers to have an influential amount of spending power, and the generally low saving, high consumption lifestyle introduced a booming “youth-focused” culture, in fashion, music, and vehicles.

Generation X: Born 1965 to 1979

The anti-establishment Gen X-ers were rebellious, thinking in anti-consumerist ways and many were just beginning to gain traction in their careers when the great recession struck. Important events for Gen X were the introduction of personal computers, the AIDS epidemic, and the Watergate scandal. Gen X is called “America’s neglected middle child” by Pew, stuck between the loud, overspending Boomer, and the student-loan burdened Millennial.

Millennials (Gen Y): Born 1980 to 1995

Perhaps the most talked about generation right now, for better or worse,  Gen Y, or Millennials have been discussed extensively. Millennials are often called entitled and narcissistic and are known for being tech-savvy, environmentally and socially conscious, and creative. Millennials lived through 9/11, internet and social media growth, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and a revitalized pop culture. The weight of student-loans weighs heavily on this generation, with the entire generation carrying about $1 trillion in student debt, and 48% of employed college graduates working jobs they are overqualified for, according to Inc.

Gen Z: Born 1996 and beyond

The youngest generation currently, Gen Z or the iGeneration comes across a lot like millennials, but more intense. This generation has never been without the internet, and the understanding of technology is further along than before. Gen Z is the most diverse generation, and is also one of the largest generations, with a population of over 23 million. Gen Z is critical of big government, values privacy, and has a lower amount of optimism about the future than their millennial counterparts. The war on terror, the advent of social media and the great recession will all be defining factors for these young people.

Demographics are a key part of building a target market for any new marketing strategy, and part of that has become understanding generational differences to better understand influence and consumer trust. The relationship between marketing and generational profiles is not a new one, but it is something that changes rapidly, and thus needs to be continually analyzed.

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