There’s an uncomfortable truth that most of us marketers ignore: consumers don’t really care about brands.

Even Nike fanboys wear Adidas. Apple devotees use Windows. Coke lovers drink Pepsi.

And yes, there are exceptions to this rule. But it’s a bit like smoking - just because you know someone who smoked a pack a day and rocked it til 97, doesn’t mean shit. Science has proven smoking kills. And it’s also proven that for most people, brands are not that important (cc: all research from Ehrenberg Bass Institute).

But don’t get upset. It doesn’t mean your life is meaningless now. It just means that branding requires a different type of thinking. The reality is that brands grow big by having weak ties with many people, not strong ties with a few. So things like colour, typography, and symbols become crucial shortcuts for consumers to remember your brand – even when they can't recall the name.

And when marketers constantly fiddle with these shortcuts, they risk breaking the connection entirely.

Today’s article is all about rebranding, how to do it well and what not to do. Bookmark it, save it for future reference and send it to your boss as proof you were right that one time.

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Start with why

Not in the bullshit Simon Sinek “find your meaning way”. But the curious 5 year old way - why are you considering rebranding.

Sometimes rebranding is necessary. Maybe you're targeting a new market. Maybe competitors have made your positioning irrelevant. Whatever the reason, it should start with your customers, not your boardroom.

Understanding consumer needs isn't just part of your job – it's your only job.

Great rebrands are more than just visual tweaks. When your old way of communicating wasn't landing, successful brands pivot to become more consumer-focused. It's the only way to win.

Want to master this? Learn from the legends who've walked this path before. As Charlie Munger said: "All I want to know is where I'm going to die, so I'll never go there."

Here are five lessons from brands that absolutely nailed it.

1. Be human, not a logo

Oatly's rebrand wasn't successful because of pretty colours or trendy fonts. It worked because they found their voice.

Before, they were just another generic health food trying to blend in with every other dairy alternative. After the rebrand, they became your weird friend who makes jokes about oat milk. Copy like "It's like milk but made for humans" didn't describe the product – it revealed the brand's personality.

In a crowded category, memorable beats beautiful every time. Oatly went from niche Swedish startup to billion-dollar global phenomenon. Not because they changed what they were selling, but because they changed how they were talking.

2. Understand what drives decisions

People were grossed out by Mother’s "apple cider vinegar drinks." So they repositioned as "healthy soda" without changing a single ingredient.

But here's the genius part: they also switched from premium glass bottles to everyday cans. Suddenly, instead of a special-occasion treat, it became a daily habit.

Consumer perception trumps product reality. Every. Single. Time. They understood through research that appetite appeal and taste is the key driver - not how “healthy” the drink is. What makes this a killer move is their “all-in” attitude. The “Mother” brand had already received national coverage on Shark Tank and was reasonably established. But they knew it was going to hold them back, so they burned the boats and committed to a dramatic rebrand.

It’s now one of America's fastest-growing beverage brands and got scooped up by Pepsi for a number with lots of 0’s.

3. Less is more

If I throw you six tennis balls, you'll miss them all. Throw you one, you'll catch it.

Ecover had 17 different messages crammed onto their laundry detergent packaging. Post-rebrand and that number drops to seven. They embraced white space, made their logo massive, and let one key message dominate each product.

In our attention-deficit world, clarity beats cleverness every time. Their old packaging tried to tell the entire sustainability story at point of purchase. The new design made the purchase decision effortless. Say less, get heard more.

This applies to everything – websites, ads, emails. Stop trying to say everything and just say the thing that matters.

4. Keep it simple, superstar.

Halo Top created one of the most explosive growth stories in CPG history with four words: "240 calories per pint."

Before the rebrand, they were doing complex nutritional education about "light ice cream" with nutritional info plastered everywhere. The after play hits different. Pure permission marketing – eat the whole damn pint and don't feel guilty about it.

Your communication should be so simple that anyone can instantly get it. Traditional diet ice cream made people feel guilty for wanting dessert. Halo Top made them feel smart for choosing it. They turned "I shouldn't eat this whole pint" into "I can eat this whole pint."

That mental reframe created social media gold and built a business worth hundreds of millions.

5. Evolution beats revolution

We can’t all be Oatly or Poppi. Unless something is absolutely not working, most brands should evolve and not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Chobani faced a classic problem: how do you expand beyond your core category without losing what made you special?

Their solution was masterful restraint. Instead of dramatic change, they evolved to embrace a hand-drawn, craft-made identity while expanding their messaging from "Greek yogurt" to "food-focused wellness."

Rather than chasing trends or making dramatic pivots, Chobani recognised that trust takes years to build and seconds to destroy. They leveraged existing consumer trust to expand thoughtfully, always keeping the consumer's wellness journey at the centre.

The results speak for themselves: 36.9% household penetration (up 3.8 points) and record-breaking monthly sales. Your greatest asset is consumer trust – don't gamble with it.

Reality bites

Every successful rebrand in this list started with the same thing: deep consumer understanding. The visual changes were just the expression of that insight.

The brands that fail do it backwards. They start with aesthetics and hope strategy follows. They confuse rebranding with redesigning. They prioritise looking different over being different.

Here's what actually works: Simplicity wins in a noisy world. Personality matters because consumers buy from brands that feel human. Psychology beats logic because how people feel about your brand matters more than what you think they should feel. Trust is everything – it's easier to evolve existing relationships than build new ones. And consumer-first always wins because if your rebrand serves your ego instead of your customers, you've already lost.

Great rebrands don't live on your website or in your style guide. They live in the minds of consumers. And in their minds, you're not competing with other brands – you're competing with everything else fighting for their attention.

Make it count.

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