From Cracker Barrel to Jaguar, why rebrands are falling flat
By Paul Noonan, Content & Insight Director, Aspectus Group
Many recent rebrands from Cracker Barrel to Jaguar have flopped, alienating customers and hitting sales. This post argues that in a bid to broaden their appeal, many marketing campaigns are focusing on radical brand modernization over conservation, and thus losing their core identity, heritage and customers.
A string of disastrous rebrands at big names like Jaguar and Cracker Barrel illustrate how a poorly executed brand overhaul is like a botched restoration of a beloved artwork that damages the original. Classic American restaurant chain Cracker Barrel recently scrapped its iconic ‘Uncle Herschel’ logo and triggered a public backlash and plunging footfall. Jaguar similarly ditched its trademark growling cat badge, swapped its traditional racing green for a pink concept car dubbed a “Barbie-mobile” and saw used-car sales nosedive by 9 per cent amid negative press.
In a fast-fluctuating economic and geopolitical climate, brands must adapt to survive. Yet it’s clear that the wrong kind of adaptation can be equally harmful. So why are so many rebrands falling flat and how can companies evolve without losing their essence and alienating their base?
Rebrands must blend modernization with conservation
Established brands should adopt the conservative ethos of evolution instead of revolution, bridging between old and new to bring existing customers on the rebranding journey. This ensures that companies are not seen to change in a way that is inconsistent with or contrary to their core mission, vision and values.
When Cracker Barrel ditched the folksy figure of an old man leaning on a barrel, they were also symbolically erasing the sense of Southern heritage, hospitality, and community that came with it. That was an unintentional metaphor for the way that poorly executed rebranding campaigns burn brand heritage instead of building on it. Much of the current ‘wokelash’ against rebrands is not just a reaction against the perceived politicization of corporations but against a ruthless marketing modernization that seems hostile to traditional brands and loyal consumers.
As the American Psychological Association notes “identity implies a sense of continuity” and rupturing that continuity risks losing the brand identity that makes a company recognized and remembered. Rebranding should be an evolution that blends modernization with conservation, connecting past, present and future. For example, Aspectus has helped traditional oil and gas companies reposition for the renewable energy transition by promoting the skills synergies between offshore oil and gas and renewables, and positioning them as bridging the gap between current and future energy solutions.
Don’t make brands too diverse
When diversifying to reach new demographics, many brands make the mistake of straying too far from the base in a bid to diversify their appeal. This can seem like a win-win, making a brand look more inclusive and reaching a wider market.
Yet a brand that tries to be “all things to all men” risks losing its identity and becoming generic and confusing. When Jaguar pivoted from its largely male motor-racing audience towards a younger more diverse audience by releasing an advert featuring fashion models instead of cars, many were no longer sure what the brand stands for. Indeed when Jaguar’s new ad was run without the branding, most of those surveyed couldn’t distinguish it from that of a fashion or clothing company. This prompted Elon Musk to tweet “do you sell cars?”, a humorous way of illustrating how some brands lose sight of their essence in the rush to reach new audiences. Similarly, when Jaguar ditched the ‘leaping cat’ logo symbolising its traditional focus on speed in favour of a more generic monogram badge, 83 per cent of people surveyed regarded the redesigned logo as ‘soulless.’
Brands should instead develop smart brand strategies that help them adapt while staying congruent with their identity. For example, we have helped leading energy companies strategically adapt their brand identity, messaging and visuals to incorporate multiple acquisitions while retaining a consistent, cohesive public image.
Rebrands should follow the evidence
Out-of-the-box thinking is essential to effective marketing but rebrands should also be rooted in research and strategy. Cracker Barrel’s marketing makeover backfired partly because they seem not to have adequately researched what customers valued most about their existing identity, such as the sense of nostalgia and country hospitality.
A brand overhaul must begin by examining what stakeholders’ like and hate about the existing brand. This ensures the most valued aspects are retained and any changes address genuine audience needs without alienating existing customers. Competitor reviews are also essential to help distil your key competitive differentiators so that they can be preserved amidst the repositioning. Evidence-based marketing helps brands strategically diversify their image and expand their audience without losing their core identity and customers.
For example, our Brand, Insight & Strategy team run executive briefings and messaging workshops and conduct rigorous competitor reviews to create evidence-based brand strategies. We sometimes interview our clients’ customers or partners to understand the current brand strengths and weaknesses from the perspective of their target audiences. This ensures that brand repositioning bridges the gap between current and desired audience perception, keeping what is most important while changing only what is necessary. Crucially, this helps identify the uninhabited ‘white space’ in the market that the brand can occupy, ensuring they create a genuinely distinct brand identity.
Threading the needle
The key to successful rebrands is to navigate the delicate balance between brand conservation and modernization, repositioning and reaching new markets while conserving existing brand equity. Successful rebrands are built on solid audience research and strategy, keeping the most cherished features of their heritage and identity as they evolve into a new form.
Key takeaways
Why are so many modern rebrands failing?
Because they prioritise radical transformation over continuity. In trying to modernise, brands like Cracker Barrel and Jaguar abandoned the identity and emotional connection that made them distinctive, alienating loyal customers and weakening recognition.
How can brands evolve without losing their heritage?
By practising evolution, not revolution. Effective rebranding should blend modernization with conservation—updating visuals, messaging and strategy while preserving the mission, values and heritage that define the brand’s essence.
What makes a rebrand truly successful?
Success comes from strategy, not guesswork. Evidence-based branding rooted in audience research and competitive insight helps companies adapt intelligently=keeping what customers love while strategically evolving to meet future opportunities.
About the author
Paul, based in our London office, is Content & Insight Director in our Energy & Industrials practice. He harnesses research and insight to create compelling brand messaging and sales materials and media content from thought leadership, award entries and infographics to white papers, research reports and more.
