With more than 200 household brands under its company logo, Kraft Heinz is a powerhouse in charge of establishing when and how a rebrand will happen. Recently, Kraft Heinz decided to rebrand one of its most famous products when it gave Jell-O a new logo and look.
Rebranding is an important process that can better align a brand’s mission with changes in consumer behavior or even changes within a company itself. Sometimes, as in the case of Jell-O, it’s about staying current.
Getting it Right
Jell-O is about as American as it gets. This jiggly, sugary treat has been around for almost 125 years. And while the logo for Jell-O has undergone many changes over the past century, it got a rebrand recently after 10 years of keeping the status quo. The reason? To go with the look and feel of the times, of course.
The marketing wizards at Kraft Heinz succeeded by remaining faithful to the playful, colorful roots of the previous design, but bringing in a more modern aesthetic that will appeal to today’s new parents.
Learning from Mistakes
There are plenty of examples of rebrand attempts that didn’t go so well. One of the more often-cited mishaps involves the clothing company GAP, which updated its logo and did it so poorly that it’s estimated to have cost the company $100 million.
Lessons learned:
- Don’t use an outdated font
- Don’t spring a new logo on customers
- Don’t change a logo without a good reason (new website, product line, etc.)
Reasons to Rebrand
There are many good reasons to rebrand:
- Your logo or color scheme has become dated, such as in the case of Jell-O
- Your company has undergone a major change, such as a merger, acquisition or shift in focus
- Your brand no longer captures what your company does
- Your brand name or logo has become associated with negative events or controversial figures (Think Corona beer in 2020!)
Market Research
Companies expanding into new markets are wise to do some marketing research to make fact-based decisions about how a refresh of their brand can be more inclusive to these new markets. Your research will help determine if you’re due for a brand refresh, a partial rebrand or a full rebrand.
Your market research will also help you determine a strategy that lands with your target audience. Every aspect of the rebrand needs to be familiar to them, but also relevant. Understanding your target audience is the cornerstone of a successful rebrand.
Get in touch with SJC Marketing and we will help you evaluate whether it’s time to shake things up. From executing the market research to designing logos and restructuring your website, everything you need for a rebrand is under one umbrella with SJC.