Is Debranding the New Branding?
We've spent the better part of a decade advising clients on brand strategy, and nothing generates more confusion - or more catastrophically wrong decisions - than debranding.
In the last five years alone, we've watched a financial services group attempt a debrand when what they actually needed was a market repositioning. We've seen a professional services firm strip their name from their logo and lose inbound enquiry momentum within six months. And we've seen the opposite: brands that genuinely were mature enough to pull it off, executing beautifully, and emerging with sharper market recognition than they had before.
The difference between those two outcomes almost never comes down to execution. It comes down to whether the brand should have attempted a de-brand at all.
In 2018, Weightwatchers did something drastic. To the mockery, and admittedly, bewilderment, of others - they opted to remove the word weight from their name and present themselves as WW. That's right. WW.
The move was not met with perhaps the gushing reception they expected. Critics noted that WW has twice the syllables of Weight Watchers and double u, double u may not be the best messaging for a wellness brand, whilst confusion reigned throughout their customers - most of whom still refer to them as weightwatchers.
But where did Weightwatchers go wrong? By trying debranding.
What is Debranding?
Debranding is a type of branding strategy where a brand or corporation will typically overhaul its entire visual identity. Usually brand names may change or be removed from visual identities, a company's logo will be completely redesigned and all of its marketing collateral will also be altered.
The motivation behind debranding is usually the brand wanting to make itself seem more consumer-centric than corporate-centric. To put it simply, debranding means promoting what a brand does for its customers, as opposed to what it does in its industry.
However, since Coca-Cola successfully deployed a debranding strategy in 2013 - boasting a 7% increase in consumption and an 870% increase in traffic to its website - many multinational companies have attempted to hop on the bandwagon. Most of them, unfortunately, have fallen right back off. The reason? The debranding problem.
The Debranding Problem
The problem with debranding - and the reason so many major brands have failed to hit the mark - is that not many people actually understand what it really is.
Most critics when writing about Weightwatchers' debranding used other examples to back up their points, but the examples they used were mostly brand refreshes. Take Rolling Stone magazine - often cited as a debrand. But it wasn't. Its name still appears, and apart from a very slight visual tweak, nothing else about the Rolling Stone brand was scaled back.
In comparison, British American Tobacco did debrand, and did so successfully. Not only did their entire name and logo change, they positioned themselves as more consumer-centric by removing their bland corporate name and instead outwardly displaying their brand promise to customers.
A brand refresh - any type of updated logo, new colour palette, and/or new visuals - does not a debrand make. The clue to a successful debranding strategy is in the prefix: 'de', which means to remove or reverse. With a debrand you're losing your name, your prior positioning, and/or your entire visual identity. With a brand refresh, you're keeping your name and making subtle tweaks.
The 3 Types of Debranding
There are three types of debranding, each serving a different purpose. Depending on the reasoning behind the debrand - whether it's to become more consumer-centric, lose some edginess, or transform from traditional to modern - depends on which set of debranding guidelines to follow.
1. Decorporatising
Decorporatising is the main type of debranding. To decorporatise, brands completely remove their name and/or logo from their products either permanently - like British American Tobacco - or temporarily, like Coca-Cola did in 2013 when they swapped their name with people's names. The motivation is entirely repositioning as more consumer friendly.
2. Transitioning to Generic
Transitioning into generic is the type of debranding strategy that Weightwatchers tried and got horrendously wrong. This is when a renowned brand changes its name and/or logo to something generic or unnamed. Other examples include KFC, who shortened their full name to an acronym facing conflict over their use of fried in 1991.
The motivation could occur for any number of reasons: drawing less attention to something within the name, or coming into line with more modern principles. Find out your brand's personality.
3. Modern Debranding
Modern debranding is the process of removing a brand name from a logo without changing it, in order to acquire other brands without completely overhauling the parent brand's identity.
A clear example is chocolate brand Galaxy/Dove - the same product, same font, same branding, just a completely different name depending on the market. Need to strategise your brand? Use our no-blathering guide.
When Debranding Isn't the Answer: A Huddle Perspective
At Huddle, we regularly work with clients who arrive asking for a debrand when what they actually need is a brand refresh - or in some cases, simply clearer messaging.
One such client was a B2B consultancy in the professional services sector. They'd built strong market recognition over 15 years under their existing name and logo, but felt their brand no longer reflected their ambitions. Their instinct was to strip it back: shorten the name, modernise the logo to the point of abstraction.
Our audit told a different story. Their brand recognition was actually their biggest asset - the very thing they were considering dismantling was what kept warm leads converting. What they needed wasn't a debrand. They needed a brand refresh that modernised the aesthetic while protecting the equity they'd spent 15 years building.
The result was a new visual identity that felt sharper, more confident, and more contemporary - without any of the audience confusion a debrand would have triggered. They retained their recognition. They gained the freshness they were after.
This is the question we ask every client before recommending any brand strategy: what are you actually trying to achieve? A debrand is not a brand refresh. Understand the difference before you spend a penny on either.
The Factors You'll Need to Meet to Debrand Successfully
Once you've decided which debranding strategy your brand will be pursuing, you'll need the following factors to ensure its success. Another reason so many brands have failed to debrand successfully - apart from not knowing the definition, nor why they're doing it - is that they haven't had one or two of the following.
1. Having a mature brand
By mature brand, Brad VanAuken from The Blake Project means the brand should: be capable of communicating its meaning and customer value beyond its products or services; flaunt high levels of awareness; and be progressive and visionary, with values and meanings already firmly rooted in customers' minds. One such example of a mature brand is Apple - it can afford to debrand to just the icon because everybody already recognises the brand and its values.
2. Not being a corporate powerhouse
If your brand is too megalithic and a debrand would likely alienate or confuse your consumers, it's best to avoid trying one. You risk losing credibility from bewildered customers, which has knock-on effects for your competitive positioning and your status as an industry leader.
3. Being in a debrand-friendly industry
The tobacco industry is a stark example: in 2015, recognisable logos were wiped from packages and replaced by graphic health warnings. The debrand was important for public health, but it cost them - sales and profits dropped. Depending on the demographic factors involved in your target audiences will determine whether a debrand will be embraced or rejected.
4. The right resources
Debranding is not straightforward. Depending on which debranding strategy you follow, changing an entire visual identity takes time, money, and business strategy. Failure to synchronise the debrand across all customer touch points is all but guaranteed to cause confusion about who you are and what your brand does.
Thinking of Taking the Leap?
As we've established, debranding is not necessarily the new branding - especially when some companies still fail to get it right - but it is still a form of branding that is increasing in popularity. At Huddle Creative we can take the time to add innovation and creativity to your brand, without losing you custom.
Learn about our innovative Huddle Hacks, see the success we've had in the past, or get in touch with our team of experts.