A Change of Brand – Détails, épisodes et analyse

We’re stepping into the overlooked and underappreciated world of verbals to reflect on the best (and worst) brand writing of 2024. From one-off campaigns to full verbal identities, which brands made this year’s naughty and nice lists? To weigh in on the good, the bad, and the missed opportunities is Carissa Justice, Founder of The Subtext, an online destination by and for writers, amplifying unique voices and fresh perspectives.

To see more of the brands discussed today, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @changeofbrand.

Check out thesubtext.online (here) for exciting and inspiring copywriting in branding and beyond.

Created by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard (@blakehoward), edited and scored by ATAM Audio, fact-checked and coordinated by Jill Jeffries, produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Stephanie Kim.

When Pepsi’s overly philosophical rebrand launched in 2009, it was a real head scratcher for average consumers and design aficionados alike. While their 125th anniversary provided an opportunity for change, how do you even begin to rebrand such a global company like Pepsi? In this masterclass on playing the long game, Mauro Porcini, Chief Design Officer at Pepsico, tells the story of how he and his team across 17 Pepsi design centers executed a rebrand 10+ years in the making.

To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.

Created by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited and scored by ATAM Audio, brief-in by Dee Boyle, fact-checked and coordinated by Jill Jeffries, produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Stephanie Kim.

After Glassdoor’s acquisition of Fishbowl in 2023, they enlisted the help of Deanna German, Creative Director at Koto, and her team to reposition them as more than just a workplace insight platform, but a place for community conversation. The catch: Glassdoor requested an open design process, meaning Koto would share design concepts with the public early and often. How can you have such a wide range of feedback and still move forward with work you believe in? This episode may be about transparency, but you’re just going to have to listen for yourself to get the full story.

To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.

Created by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited and scored by ATAM Audio, fact-checked and coordinated by Jill Jeffires, produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Stephanie Kim.

As a highly successful and ever-expanding company, the Minecraft brand began spawning major inconsistencies as it was built over time; block by block. But in 2022, they released a brand update that tidied up the logo system and individual identities for their ever-growing amount of sub-brands, extensions, and products. Harry Elonen, Senior Brand Manager for Minecraft at Mojang Studios, shares how he and his team regained control by refining the master design system.

To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.

Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited and scored by Landon Oseitutu, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, written in part and produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Rachel Jackson.

Despite being known as a B2C telecom giant turned dying star, Nokia’s focus has been on developing B2B network technology for the past decade. For Nokia’s first major rebrand in 45 years, it was crucial to be seen as the digital innovator they are, not the mobile phone company they were. In this episode, we talk to Lee Coomber, Creative Director at Lippincott, to learn how his design team righted the misperceptions of an enterprise legacy brand.

To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.

Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard, co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited and scored by Landon Oseitutu, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, written in part and produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Rachel Jackson.

Bolt, an online check-out platform, debuted its first brand refresh in 2023 and ended up sparking a larger conversation around originality. Are the logos being designed today really that new, or just an echo of something that has come before them? Arthur Foliard, Creative Director at Koto, shares with us how his team approached the risk of pursuing such a strong and simple idea, as well as the criticism after the fact.

To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.

Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited and scored by Landon Oseitutu, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, written in part and produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Rachel Jackson.

Link to Everything is a Remix (documentary mentioned in episode)

Despite being associated with cherished childhood memories, Baskin-Robbins began to feel frozen in time. Domestically the brand felt dated, but in international markets the line was out the door. Baskin-Robbins needed to create a signature that was strong enough to be global while domestically rebuilding the brand at a core level. But there was confusion around the timing - didn’t they just debut a brand refresh a few months prior? We get the inside scoop on the 2022 rebrand from Ryan Brazelton, Chief Creative Officer at ChangeUp.

To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.

Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited and scored by Landon Oseitutu, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, written in part and produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Rachel Jackson.

A name change is one of the most extreme versions of change for a brand. So when travel company Scott’s Cheap Flights decided to depart from the founder’s namesake, people questioned why such a successful brand would bother with a name change at all. The 2022 rebrand was led by DesignStudio, and we’re lucky enough to have Eric Ng, Executive Creative Director, and Andie Wexler, Senior Brand Strategist and Writer, as our tour guides for this deep dive into the project.

To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.

Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited and scored by Landon Oseitutu, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, written in part and produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Rachel Jackson.

(Not so) lovingly referred to as the Florence Fiasco, the city of Florence, Alabama’s 2022 rebrand often tops the list for the worst logo launch in recent history. But it’s not just the logo that caused an uproar - the entire rebrand process became a local scandal full of lies, cover-ups and finger-pointing from city officials. Florence-native B.T. Harman, content strategist and creative guru, provides insight into the rebrand disaster and why it went so far south.

To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.

Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited and scored by Landon Oseitutu, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, written in part and produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Rachel Jackson.

Around 2020, Visa wanted to reposition their brand for the digital economy and become more purpose driven. However, this story is more about honesty and how direct an agency can be with a client. Rob Duncan, Partner and Creative Director at Mucho, shares that there is a right balance between being a straight shooter and choosing your battles for the sake of creating the best work possible.

To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.

Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited and scored by Landon Oseitutu, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, written in part and produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Rachel Jackson.