Making the emotional link

BRANDING is about creating an emotional link between a company and consumers.

It’s the Holy Grail of marketing and major corporations spend frighteningly large sums of money to maintain brand values.

However, for some corporations a glossy new advertising campaign isn’t enough and the only option is rebranding, which can be a risky process.

Andersen is the end result of a decision in 1999 to rebrand Arthur Andersen and reposition the company, following a split with Andersen Consulting or Accenture, as it’s now known.

There are many reasons why a company may choose to undertake a rebranding, often it’s just to keep in step with contemporary attitudes.

KFC is a good example of a company changing a brand to fit with contemporary values.

Kentucky Fried Chicken invested millions of dollars to remove the word fried from its brand.

There are obvious advantages to re-branding and the opportunity to reposition a company in the marketplace but without extensive marketing activity, rebranding can erode positive brand values and leave consumers confused.

Market Equity director Julie Beeck said many marketing analysts believe brands have a life cycle and rebranding can have a reinvigorating effect.

“If you try and reposition a brand and let the market know you have changed, that might not fit with the old brand. Rebranding shows you’ve gone down a different path,” Ms Beeck said.

In some cases rebranding also represents a cultural shift in a company and an internal education process must be undertaken.

The decision to rebrand as Andersen was prompted in part by market research, which suggested Andersen was the stronger part of the brand.

However, Andersen didn’t want to replicate the high-spend-high-profile advertising campaign Accenture had embarked upon.

Instead Andersen has pursued a soft launch over a long period.

The role as administrator for the embattled Ansett has been an unexpected bonus for the new brand and presented a valuable platform to publicise the new brand.