From Bharat Dart To X: Brand Strategists Explain The ‘Science' Behind Rebranding

Blue Dart, a premier express air, integrated transportation and distribution company, founded by Tushar Jani, Clyde Cooper and Khushroo Dubash in 1983, announced the rebranding of its premium delivery service in India, making the transition from ‘Dart Plus’ to ‘Bharat Dart’ on September 12. The company said the move underscored its unwavering commitment to serving the diverse needs of Bharat. Blue Dart is not a sole identity as 75% stakes of Blue Dart have been owned by German logistics company, DHL, since 2012. This is why, Blue Dart's decision to rebrand ‘Dart Plus’ as ‘Bharat Plus’ seems interesting, particularly amid the ‘India vs Bharat’ row.

According to Indian ad film director Prahlad Kakkar, the transition to Bharat Dart makes sense. "It becomes more relatable because Bharat being the flavor of the month, there is going to be a lot of movement on the word Bharat. Amid talks of changing the name from India to Bharat because the opposition is named INDIA, there is going to be a lot of traction. And they needed to because dart means nothing, darts is a British occupation, so when they change the name to Bharat, which is trending now and it will be trending for quite some time. So they have hit the nail right in terms of the timing. The timing is perfect."

This was evidently the first major brand to go with a Bharat branding in recent times. Could others follow? Moreover, rebranding must also have a strategic purpose and fit. Something that is visible to customers and stakeholders. Do these rebranding exercises meet this criterion? The Core spoke to brand strategists on the importance of rebranding, what businesses should and shouldn't do when undertaking a rebranding endeavour, and more. Speaking on Blue Dart’s rebranding effort, brand strategist Harish Bijoor says, “Bharat is a buzz. Expect more of it all over. It will work in favour of the brands, there are no two ways about it.”

While Blue Dart’s decision to rebrand the delivery service comes amidst the ‘India vs Bharat’ debate, this isn’t the only rebranding to make headlines this year. From the recent Air India rebranding to Twitter (now X), rebranding seems to have become a business trend, yet again. 

Why Do Companies Rebrand?

Highlighting the reasons behind rebranding, brand strategist Ambi Parameswaran explains when a brand should take the rebranding path, “Rebranding has to be based on what are your objectives and what is the consumer perception about your brand. So, I don’t know whether Blue Dart has done research to find out that their brand is now becoming faded and old and therefore they need to do something about it.” 

According to Parameswaran, multiple reasons dictate when a brand should resort to rebranding. “When there is a major change in the business, or when a brand has to change the name due to copyright reasons. The third reason could be for ego reasons, say the new MD wants to change the name because you want to leave your imprint on the company.”

Last month, in August, Air India unveiled its new brand identity wherein the old logo with orange spokes was replaced with a modern design called ‘The Vista’. According to Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, “The new logo that you see here today… the vista signified by that historically used window (the peak of the golden window signifies limitless possibilities, progress, confidence and all of it."

Explaining Air India’s approach Bijoor said, “It is not rebranding really. It is refurbishing an old brand name. The airline is still Air India. All the attendant brand accoutrements such as font, colour, design and livery undergo a change. Air India is still Air India but with a touch-up. An avatar change. A change of clothing really.”

Meant to change the corporate image of a brand, rebranding has been a common practice globally. In the past, one of the most popular social media platforms, Instagram officially changed its logo in 2016 on both iOS and Android devices. Tech giant Apple too has had an evolution in its logo design from its multi-coloured logo in 1977 to a solid colour in 1998. "Logo is a very big deal because the logo is representative of the company and its philosophy. Rebranding the logo is a tough ask," Kakkar said on the importance of logo for brand identity.

While logo is definitely an important part of rebranding, it isn’t the only aspect that changes in the process, rebranding is a broader concept that involves changing various aspects of a brand, including name, values, messaging, and more. As per Bijoor, “Branding is a science for sure. Do not ignore the power of brand semiotic science when you rebrand. Do not get carried away by what looks ostensibly sexy.”

Only Rebranding Isn’t Enough 

On factors that influence decisions about visual identity, Parameswaran, said, “While rebranding, a brand can change the entire name, and the logo, and the positioning and the baseline of the company or you can just keep the name but just change the logo. And change the positioning of the company or we just keep the logo, keep the name, but dramatically change the positioning of the company, right? All three are possible.”

However, merely reworking the logo or colours isn’t always enough since brands are not just the names, logos, colours and fonts. They provide real-life experiences to consumers. Bijur said, “My key point is the fact that I insist brands must first correct their offerings and offer superior experiences before claiming the same. In the case of Air India for instance, offer a superior experience, wait awhile as people start talking about it with word of mouth and word of digital(which is even more powerful), and then advertise and unveil the new identity in a big manner.” 

Not only do the brands have to maintain the quality and experience of their offerings, a rebranding also requires a brand to follow up with significant new initiatives so that people see the difference in the brand. Parameswaran said, “There's no point changing your brand name, just to change the name, you can change the name if you can't use the name anymore, right? Because of copyright reasons or whatever, right? Otherwise, you're changing it, you should change it for a fundamental purpose, you change the business, right?”

Parameswaran pointed out that Elon Musk changing the name of the microblogging site Twitter to X will be “a waste of time” unless he manages to change the fundamental business of the company. 

The changes that Twitter (now X) saw in a run up to its rebranding, are an example of how elaborate a rebranding strategy can be. After acquiring Twitter, chairman and CTO of X Corp, Elon Musk said in 2022, that buying ‘Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app’. The following months saw multiple changes on the social media platform including paid verification badges, long-form videos, a major logo change and the renaming to ‘X’. And that’s not it, as Twitter CEO, Linda Yaccarino, shared more updates that will soon be introduced. “X is the future state of unlimited interactivity – centred in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking – creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities. Powered by AI, X will connect us all in ways we’re just beginning to imagine,” Yaccarino said on X.

Bijoor believes that Musk’s move to rebrand Twitter to X was the “final nail in the buy(or coffin)” as the name change completely kills the old equity. “What X has with it today are its users and followers of Twitter of yore. The obvious point Musk is making is that there is more to gain than lose. The Alpha Gen ahead is all about being edgy and buzzy. And X is just that. It is dark, edgy, buzzy, and is a quotient that is indescribable. This rebranding seems to be about getting Twitter into that space of the future, rather than let it be in the space of the past, which seemed quite saturated in any case. To hell with old equity then!”

Nevertheless, this in no way means that brands don’t have to retain their old customers as according to Bijoor, brands are long-term properties and shouldn’t be tampered with. “To retain old customers, the logic of change needs to be explained with clarity. If consumers feel you change every few years because your advertising and branding agency is telling you to, they will not respect you enough. In order to get your old customers to stay with you, there need to be old brand meta-tags still embedded in new offerings. This is a science in itself.”

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What Makes For A Successful Rebrand? 

Dominos could be considered a good lesson in rebranding, in its approach. In 2010, when Dominos received criticism that their pizza “tasted like cardboard”, instead of ignoring the review, they brought it in front of the world. Not only did they acknowledge the criticism, they changed the brand image by changing the recipe of their pizza, thus transforming the negative narrative. In 2012, the brand changed its name from ‘Domino’s Pizza’ to ‘Domino’s’ to reflect its diverse menu which included burgers, pastas and more. In 2023, Domino's still remains one of the foremost pizza chain restaurants globally.

On retaining old consumers and maintaining brand loyalty, Parameswaran emphasised the need for visible impact after rebranding. “You don't need to explain the reason for the change, but the consumer should feel that the company is different or the brand is different. There is something new coming from the brand and name is the icing on the cake. Name change cannot be the cake, it can only be the icing on the cake.”

Other global companies that underwent rebranding include the coffee and doughnut company, Dunkin’ which changed its name from ‘Dunkin’ Donuts’ after 68 years. Facebook was rebranded as Meta in 2021 in order to ‘bring the metaverse to life and help people connect, find communities and grow businesses.’

The automobile industry also holds significant examples of rebranding. Recently, in June 2023, British company, Jaguar Land Rover was rebranded as JLR, to bring in distinct brands, including Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar. Bajaj introduced a rebranded electric version of its iconic Chetak scooter in 2020. Following suit, other iconic brands like Yezdi, Jawa, and Vespa have also made a nostalgic return to the market since then.

Whether it is a comeback or revival, rebranding is never an easy choice to make as the outcome can never be predicted. How does one gauge its success? And how much time should one give the brand to gauge its effectiveness? According to Parameswaran, the success of a rebrand can be analysed within a few months but in some cases, it may take longer. “Two things can help you to gauge the response. One, are your current customers running away or are they staying? Two, are new customers coming to you in large numbers? If both these happen, then your rebranding is a success. But if your current customers run away and new customers are not coming, then rebranding is a colossal failure.”

Bijoor further explained that a rebranding campaign can be measured at many points. “The first point is the point of time 3 days after the unveiling. There is enough noise and chatter on social media that will help you understand whether you did right or wrong. The consuming public is straight-forward, candid, rude and even cruel. Accept all the feedback. And try to make amends, if that is possible at all.” 

Since rebranding costs time, energy, and money, Bijoor said that rebranding is always best avoided. “Brands establish identities and memories over decades. Replacing these memories with new ones is the task at hand in a rebranding. Therefore, I recommend rebranding only when your existing brand is a negative memory. A memory you want to run away from. The case of Satyam (Satyam Computer Services) in India is a case in point. The scandal left a scar too big to heal. When the scar is too big to heal, rebrand,” Bijoor said.