Marketing Publication Marketing Beat asked me to review the rebrands of six UK brands, from British institute John Lewis to price comparison Go Compare and suggest if the rebrand was needed and will it be effective.
John Lewis
John Lewis rebrand really is a repositioning, like most traditional brands there comes a time you need to appear to do more than a simple reposition or tagline change. The repositioning was needed for existing customers, for new customers, I am unsure this repositioning will land. For me it was a well-timed and calculated move paired with the macroeconomic situation in the UK, over time I can see its effectiveness increasing, most likely in time for the famous Christmas ad and then the impact on this year’s Christmas sales.
- Was the rebrand needed? It’s more of a repositioning than rebrand, it is an important time to clarify their brand promise.
- Do you think it will be effective? Most likely, this will be linked to macroeconomics, Christmas sales and the new year period will be a key indicator.
Go Compare
I am not convinced Go Compare needed to rebrand to Go.compare, its new rebrand is however nicely executed and enables the brand to appear more contemporary.
In a competitive space known for gimmicks and meerkats, this might gain cut through from its volume approach to advertising. For the everyday consumer, I can’t see it positively impacting how the brand is perceived, they have been smart with how the rebrand connects with TV sponsorship and with the go.compare domain redirecting to gocompare.com they are able to track its advertising impact rather than relying on third-party tools.
- Was the rebrand needed? I challenge whether it was needed but internal data likely suggests so
- Do you think it will be effective? Midterm yes, it has to be paired with a large number of advertising campaigns to ensure it is effective.
Sodastream
Sodastream appeared to struggle to understand its place in the market before the Pepsico acquisition, a rebrand was needed to reintroduce the Sodastream brand to younger generations.
With the tie-in to ‘at-home mixology’, it is essential for Sodastream to understand how their products and brands stack up against other well-established brands in the mixer space and provides an opportunity to build the rebrand, like many rebrands the approach to how much they advertise the change is key to know if it is effective. I am sceptical about if this rebrand will be enough for Sodastream.
- Was the rebrand needed? Yes
- Do you think it will be effective? I am sceptical.
School Of Marketing
Ritchie Mehta School of Marketing has approached its repositioning well by embracing industry leaders and understanding the issue most platforms like this face, saturation. A repositioning or rebrand often is not enough to move the needle.
If the industry leaders continue to push and help to promote alongside word of mouth, it can have a positive impact. With that said this type of social proof won’t be enough, what will help is blending with other activities.
- Was the rebrand needed? No, however, rebranding and building out new marketing touch points are key to making this work.
- Do you think it will be effective? Not on its own but paired with other marketing and advertising activities it will help.
Engine & ODD
When brands or agencies merge you have to understand which is the stronger brand and how to get the internal teams and clients behind the rebrand. The rebrand for Engine & ODD to House 337 is part of the journey the two agencies will have to be on and overly promote.
Like most agency rebrands or merges, the brand names need explaining and the proof will be if these agencies will be known as House 337 or known as the original agency names. Whether it will be effective, it will take a long time to adopt the name, their work and delivery is going to be key in making the rebrand successful, not the marketing around the rebrand.
- Was the rebrand needed? It was a necessity.
- Do you think it will be effective? It has to be, but their work and delivery are going to be the biggest indicator of if it will be effective.
Read the Marketing Beat article here.
If you agree or disagree let me know by tweeting me on dannydenhard