Rebrands have always been high-risk, high reward. Businesses spend thousands, if not millions of dollars to inject fresh change into their brand identity to attract new customers.
There are several reasons why businesses would consider a rebrand, but often the intention is to change with the times or attract a new market or demographic. Recently, a wave of iconic Australian brands have taken this leap of faith.
In early July, Australian fashion staple Witchery announced its ‘bold awakening’ rebrand. But unfortunately, the only bold thing that has been awakened so far is criticism.
Intended to insert an edgier look, Witchery’s rebrand also came with removal of size 20 from its sizing range, which sparked controversy. Although the brand advised its size 20 customers to “try an 18 instead”, what Witchery seem to have underestimated is the demand for size 20 clothing and consumers who want to purchase from inclusive brands.
However, the leap of faith isn’t always met with criticism. In 2019, after months of negotiations with its American counterpart, Australian Caltex reportedly lost its right to the Caltex brand. Instead of having to rebuild and create an entirely new brand, Caltex announced the return of the iconic Australian brand Ampol.
Formerly known as the Australian Motorists Petrol Company, Ampol was founded in New South Wales in 1936. And although it was retired in 1995, the brand has a long, recognisable history with Australian consumers. In an interview given to The ABC, Ampol CEO, Julian Segal said; “our market research confirms that Ampol continues to be regarded as a high-quality and trusted brand by Australian consumers and resonates across our key customer segments.”
What the two rebrands and their divergent reactions tell us is simple — data is crucial. And its coordination is the guiding force in making more informed decisions.
Before a rebrand is announced, it is presumed days, months, or even years, are spent analysing consumer metrics, market trends, and rebrand strategies to inform decision making. Afterall, data doesn’t keep secrets. If it’s well stored, cleansed, and managed, data should offer organisations a clear picture of their customer base – spanning consumer habits and expectations – in turn, guiding decision making around critical strategy.
But the trouble is organisations today host numerous digital platforms, all providing their own data analytics on different parts of the business. The vast nature of these environments makes it easy to lose sight of data, with information often siloed and even lost. This has a domino effect on big picture decision making.
For example, in the retail space, a decision to stop stocking plus-size clothing may be tied to direct sales metrics. However, this alone does not consider the whole picture. Rather, low sales margins might not have been due to consumer demand, but rather a lack of consumer awareness.
Digital platforms that analyse and report on consumer behaviour are only as good as their ability to communicate with other technologies used by organisations. Systems, applications, and people must all be synchronised, and made available within a secure environment. This is the only way to ensure no important information, or insights are overlooked or lost in the decision-making process.
Hidden data isn’t an unusual reality by any means. It is reported as much as 60 per cent of an organisation’s data is unknown due to siloes in the digital ecosystem. But when making important business decisions, such as an expensive rebrand, a complete view of the organisation is essential.
A rebrand well considered could take an organisation to international heights. For example, DISSH went from a Brisbane women’s clothing shop to a global minimalist icon, undergoing a refresh in 2020, which replaced the brand’s bright colours with natural fibres and more modern designs.
Meanwhile, the iconic Qantas kangaroo was the result of a rebrand in 1944. Although the rebrand occurred before the luxury of data, it remains one of Australia’s most iconic brand logos.
These days, most retailers do have the added luxury of data, and they need to use it to their advantage. Paying careful attention to data and how it is coordinated is the closest organisations can get to predicting the future. It is the not-so-secret ingredient to understanding whether a rebrand will rise and excite customers or leave them deflated.
Nathan Gower is senior director for enterprise Asia Pacific at Boomi.