Creating Confusion by “Rebranding” an Organization

Kulula Airlines

Companies and organizations occasionally launch efforts to “rebrand” themselves. It usually occurs when sales and marketing efforts are flagging or there is a sense of aimlessness or malaise over strategic direction … a feeling that no one cares or is paying attention.

Before the Internet, companies would attempt to rebrand themselves with a new logo, letterhead and business cards. Other than that, it’d be pretty much business as usual, and nothing changed.

In the digital era, companies attempt to rebrand themselves with a new Web site in addition to new logo, letterhead and business cards, and, still, very little changes.

Vast amounts of time and money are spent on rebranding, doing things like debating fonts, colors, graphic standards, look and feel … and, that special quality that makes the rebranding team tingle with excitement. Yet, all too often, rebranding is akin to navel-gazing … it’s singularly about the company or organization when it should be about what audiences desire or need.

Think of a rebranding effort as trying to apply a bandaid to a massive wound. It requires more … much more.

Kulula Airlines

An airline’s audience, for example, is mostly passengers. Passengers need consistently fair prices and more legroom – perennial top complaints of air travelers –  not a new paint scheme on the exterior of the planes. Yet, airlines habitually focus on cosmetic rebranding attempts. Superficial and often expensive tactics.

While South Africa’s Kulula Airlines spent a fortune on a psychedelic new paint scheme, that deed, alone, would make me apprehensive about flying with them.

The brand of an organization is best described as how people who are important to you describe your products or services to others … and also their own, private perceptions of you. A brand is not about an organization.

A brand is reputation … and reputation is something that is earned, not bought.

Brand is about earning and building respect, accountability, trust and engagement … more primal, personal and sometimes intellectual qualities than a new logo, meaningless slogan or coat of whitewash.

A brand is measured by how an organization walks, talks and behaves in today’s world society. Sometimes, a brand can be improved by listening to clients, customers and the marketplace.

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1. Creating a WOM Airline
2. David Meerman Scott: Creating Authoritative Voice
3. Just Say, “Creating Jobs for America”
4. Southwest: Too Fat to Fly
5. How to Salvage Toyota’s Brand Reputation

Category: Featured, Reputation management