Rebranding: How it Affects Brand Image
Payton Costenbader
Marketing Editor
Rebranding is a marketing strategy that consists of changing a brand’s outward appearance to refresh the brand image and reflect changes in a business model. There are many examples of brands changing the identity of a product to effect the public’s opinion on the brand or compete with competitors. PepsiCo and Pearl Milling Company recently changed their product images and have been able to achieve the results that they were looking for.
Pearl Milling Company is a syrup brand that underwent a rebrand in 2021 to modernize the brand image. Previously known as Aunt Jemima, Pearl Milling Company wanted to retire that name due to negative connotations surrounding it. One million dollars was dedicated to this rebrand that was said to “empower and uplift Black women and girls.” By retiring the old brand image, it left the racist imagery of the Aunt Jemima name in the past. The image on the bottle of pancake syrup was a depiction of a minstrel character, a racist form of entertainment in the early 1900s. Other than Aunt Jemima, a notable minstrel character was Jim Crow, the namesake of the state and local laws that enforced racial segregation. It is clear why Pearl Milling Company would want to show they do not support the origins of their brand that date back over 130 years. By removing the caricature on the bottle and changing the name, this brand has shown progress towards racial equality.
Not all rebranding is for such important social justice causes, such as the Starry rebrand of 2023. PepsiCo shocked lemon-lime soda lovers by removing their beloved Sierra Mist from the market and replacing it with Starry, a similar lemon-lime flavored soda that differs in sweetener and can design. Sierra Mist was sweetened with sugar while Starry is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, initially giving consumers concern over flavor differences, but ultimately being successful.
This rebranding was inspired by Sierra Mist’s failure to gain market share in the category of lemon-lime flavored soft drinks. The original PepsiCo soda was unable to compete with Coca Cola’s Sprite after nearly twenty years of trying.
Brands are constantly trying to market themselves in the best way possible, whether to avoid controversy, as in Pearl Milling Company’s case, or to better compete in the market, such as PepsiCo’s soda rebrand. Companies are doing their best to provide products and please the current market. Consumers will always have an opinion on a brand changing their logos, products, or color schemes but overall change is good in the corporate world. Consumer demands are always shifting and brands must adapt to be able to survive.
Contact Payton at costenpa@shu.edu