Overview
Have you ever witnessed a brand’s identity crumble before your eyes? Have you ever wondered how a single decision could join the ranks of the worst rebranding failures in corporate history? Rebranding is a risky move. Sometimes, it’s a story of a phoenix rising from the ashes; other times, it’s akin to a butterfly trying to crawl back into its cocoon.
A rebranding project can help companies double their market share when done right. It strengthens brand identity and improves market positioning. But failing to implement the strategy can turn the results around.
In this article, you will learn about different rebranding failures of the last few decades. You will get the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and avoid these pitfalls during your journey. So, let’s begin!
Major Worst Rebranding Examples
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of failed rebrand strategies. Many companies have experienced significant declines in sales, market share, and brand identity. Here are some significant rebranding examples that turned into disasters.
Tropicana’s Packaging Redesign Disaster
Another well-known rebranding example that could have done better is Tropicana’s rebrand. In 2009, the company hired Arnell’s group to redesign its packaging. The company aimed to give its brand a new look. But little did they know their efforts would become a classic example of bad branding.
The company released a new visual identity that completely overhauled its graphic design. When rebranding package design, the company replaced familiar imagery with something meant to be modern but ended up unrecognizable to their loyal customers.
The original packaging featured a bold orange with a straw that had become iconic and synonymous with the brand. As a result of this move, the company experienced a 20% drop in sales in just two months. The main mistake that turned the rebranding campaign into a disaster was a lack of knowledge about consumer perceptions.
Verizon Logo Redesign
In 2015, Verizon aimed to simplify and modernize its logo design. The company replaced its iconic logo with a new one. Their primary design plan was to shift the check to the end of the brand name. The new logo was supposed to enhance the brand recognition, but it didn’t work well.
The new logo removed the iconic checkmark from the center and reduced its size. It led to a loss of the logo’s distinctive feature. It also lacked the original logo’s personality and playfulness. These factors made the new graphic design less engaging and recognizable to customers.
It indicates the importance of market research and explains why rebranding strategies need accurate information about consumer perceptions. The main lessons learned from this rebranding disaster include:
- Simplify, but don’t make the logo boring.
- Maintain iconic elements to avoid alienating customers during a logo rebrand.
- Ensure that the logo is visually striking, simple, and instantly memorable.
- Incorporate symbolic elements into the logo design to communicate the brand’s values.
- Test the logo’s versatility and adaptability across various media and sizes.
The Irrelevant Swoosh of Capital One
Business Insider published its worst rebranding disasters list, including Capital One among the worst branding mistakes. The company tried to connect with consumers on a deeper level. The new logo lacked the previous design’s calm, clear, and professional qualities, making it less appealing to customers.
Incorporating a new boomerang “swoosh” in its awful beveled gradient was also a mistake. The rebranding mistake was costly for the company, as it kept the new logo for a long time despite many people expressing their dislike of it. It wasn’t until much later that the company decided to simplify its logo again. finally
Gap’s Short-Lived Logo Redesign
The Gap’s attempted logo redesign is a prime example of a rebranding process gone wrong. In 2010, as part of an ambitious brand development initiative, Gap released a new logo to signal a modern era for the clothing retailer. However, replacing the classic blue box with a plain sans-serif font was met with immediate and widespread disapproval.
Critics and consumers alike harshly criticized the redesign, lamenting its lack of the distinctive character and simplicity that had long been synonymous with the Gap brand. This hostile reception underscored a significant gap between Gap’s brand strategy and audience expectations.
Swiftly responding to the backlash, the company reversed course within one week. The Gap’s logo fiasco serves as a valuable lesson in effective rebranding. A successful rebranding effort should respect a company’s heritage while propelling the brand forward, ensuring that loyal customers feel included in the brand’s evolution rather than alienated.
Rebranding of Cardiff City
Rebranding failures are not limited only to CPG and FMCG markets. In 2012, the club owners of Cardiff City initiated a rebrand that turned out to be one of the worst in sports history. During this rebrand, the owners changed the team’s traditional colors from blue to red. It was a bold move in presentation design, as it was catastrophic for the brand value.
This rebrand aimed to appeal to a broader international market, particularly in Asia. But it backfired spectacularly. Loyal fans were outraged over the change, feeling that the club’s identity and heritage had been disregarded.
The bluebird was relegated to the background of the new badge, while a red dragon tool was prominent. This seismic shift in the club’s visual identity was seen as an insult to the community and history that the fans held dear.
Saint Laurent Rebranding
In 2012, Hedi Slimane took the helm at Yves Saint Laurent. His decision to rebrand the iconic fashion house to Saint Laurent was met with controversy. During the rebrand, the company changed its name and visual identity. One of the main drawbacks of the Saint Laurent rebranding was the perceived erasure of the brand’s rich history.
The removal of the founder’s first name, ‘Yves,’ from the brand name was seen as a move that disregarded the legacy of the influential designer. This decision struck a chord with fashion enthusiasts and loyal customers who felt a strong connection to the brand’s original identity.
Sierra Mist to Mist Twist
The shift from Sierra Mist to Mist Twist stands as one of the more terrible rebrands in recent memory, not because the logo changed, but because the brand lost its core meaning in the process. Sierra Mist had built equity around a clean, natural citrus profile. Mist Twist abandoned that equity overnight, creating confusion instead of momentum.
By discarding the original name and tone, PepsiCo delivered one of those bad rebrands that instantly weakens recognition. Loyal consumers couldn’t connect the new identity to the product they trusted, and new shoppers had no compelling reason to care. It quickly became a textbook example of bad branding, a rebrand that introduces noise without strategy.
Ultimately, Mist Twist joined the ranks of failed rebranding examples and the worst company rebrands because it solved no market problem, diluted the brand’s USP, and damaged preference. Rebrands only work when they amplify meaning; this one erased it.
Hershey’s rebranding failure in 2009
In 2014, Hershey introduced its new logo with a more simplistic design. This move was met with mixed reactions. The logo aimed to modernize the brand identity, featuring a flat, simplified version of the iconic Hershey’s kiss. This change sparked considerable debate within the inbound marketing community.
Some consumers praised the cleaner and more versatile look. Others felt that the new design was overly simplistic and lost the distinctive charm of the original logo. Critics argued that the new logo didn’t effectively communicate the rich heritage and emotional connection many associate with Hershey’s products. This reaction underscores the delicate balance between modernization and the maintenance of core elements that resonate with consumers.
Best Buy’s Rebranding
Best Buy’s 2018 refresh is often cited as an unsuccessful rebranding example, not because it damaged equity, but because it simply didn’t move the needle. The company introduced a cleaner wordmark, shifted the iconic yellow tag, and rolled out an updated digital experience. On paper, it aligned with the brand’s existing recognition. In reality, the impact was barely noticeable.
The change lacked the distinction, relevance, and stopping power required to shift perception. When updates are too subtle, they fail to spark conversation or signal meaningful evolution, leaving the brand in the same competitive position it started in. Compared to the best rebrands of all time, the ones that drive behavior, not just aesthetics, Best Buy’s effort became a quiet rebranding failure rather than a revitalization.
It wasn’t the worst logo redesign or the worst brand ever situation, but it demonstrates an important truth: modernizing without a stronger point of view rarely produces results. Even the biggest rebrands of all time succeed only when differentiation is clear and strategically grounded. Best Buy maintained consistency, but consistency alone can’t deliver a successful rebrand when the market is looking for meaningful change.
Twitter Turning to X
The first and the most recent example of the worst rebrand is Twitter. Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX and Tesla, acquired Twitter in 2022. Soon after acquiring the brand, the new owners decided to rebrand the company, and in July 2023, they implemented the new brand.
During this rebrand, Elon Musk changed its old logo, a bluebird mascot, to an odd letter X. Although the new logo was aimed to be more modern, it didn’t work well. He also changed the company’s name from Twitter to X, making the existing customers unhappy.
Musk’s vision was to transform the social media platform into an “everything app” encompassing social networking, banking, and shopping.
Conclusion and Key Takeaways
Rebranding is never just a design exercise; it’s a high-stakes shift in perception. The brands that fail often ignore the fundamentals that protect brand loyalty and strengthen long-term equity. Tropicana’s redesign remains a cautionary tale: when you misread your audience’s emotional connection to brand elements, even a well-intentioned update can trigger backlash.
Many of the worst rebrands of all time, from Gap’s overnight logo swap to Cardiff City’s dramatic color change, stemmed from disregarding an established brand identity. When the new direction feels disconnected from the previous logo or the brand’s cultural roots, customers interpret it as a loss rather than an evolution, making it one of the worst rebrands in history before it even has a chance to land.
Clarity and testing are non-negotiable. Hershey’s muted rollout showed how a rebrand can create confusion when the “why” is unclear. And New Coke will forever sit in the hall of bad rebrand decisions, proof that without proper validation, even the most prominent companies can misjudge their market.
Layer on the importance of cultural sensitivity, visual consistency, and evolving rather than reinventing, and you have a roadmap to avoid joining the list of bad rebranding examples or the worst rebrands ever.
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SmashBrand is a data-driven rebranding agency built for brands that can’t afford guesswork. When your rebrand needs to safeguard your brand image, support a new name, or correct an original design that no longer reflects who you are, you need more than creative instinct. You need a partner who understands how iconic brands stay iconic and how to avoid the slow drift toward rebrand failure when making significant market changes.
Our process is built on research, real consumer data, and iterative validation. We pressure-test every assumption, refine every design direction, and confirm every decision through quantitative testing before you ever go to the shelf. The result: rebrands engineered for performance, measurable, defensible, and commercially effective. Ready to rebuild your brand with certainty? Book a time with our team.
A seasoned veteran in the CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) industry, Jason Vaught brings a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience as the director of content and marketing for SmashBrand. His comprehensive role at the forefront of brand communication ensures that CPG brands remain well-informed about the suite of services SmashBrand offers. Furthermore, his insights derived from the company's strategy, design, and testing services are invaluable to brand owners and managers seeking expert guidance.
From his early endeavors in launching a successful sports nutrition brand that gained prominence in significant bodybuilding and fitness retail spaces to his entrepreneurial ventures in kick-starting multiple brick-and-mortar and e-commerce startups across diverse industries, Jason's career is studded with substantial milestones. Notably, he has innovated numerous products later embraced by leading industry brands, showcasing his knack for anticipating market demands and setting trends.
Jason's journey in the CPG industry commenced at age 21. Over the years, he has worn multiple hats, ranging from a manufacturer and retailer to a distributor and brand owner. This multifaceted experience equips him with the rare ability to offer practical advice grounded in real-world expertise. His mission is to guide and support other CPG brand owners, directors, and managers on their path to success.
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