Page 28 - PWM2025_SEPTEMBER EBOOK

TECHNOLOGY REPORT

Flexible is as flexible does

C thought that the debacle cost the club around £1m.

reating an image for a new business is hard
enough but just consider the complexities for
All in all, these examples make the point that rebrand-
businesses and organisations that have been
ing isn’t for the faint of heart and that caution needs to
Branding can say a lot around for some time – it’s a trap waiting for be exercised when making moves in this sphere.
about an organisa- the unwary who dare tinker with an estab- But have the lessons of other’s failures been learnt by
tion, so it’s important lished brand as some well known examples the print sector?
to spend some time illustrate. GF Smith
working out exactly In 2001, Royal Mail, a centuries-old institution,
Many wondered why GF Smith rebranded after hav-
what you want to rebranded at a cost of £1.5m to Consignia because it ing already done so not that long ago, relatively speak-
wanted to be known for more than just sending and
communicate to the receiving post. However, the public derided the change ing. However, as Ben Watkinson, global brand director,
outside world. and 15 months later the firm changed back paying notes, time had moved on for the company and that “a
another £1m for the privilege. lot has happened in 11 years”.
Words by In the US, clothing brand Gap is reckoned to have lost Setting the scene
Adam Bernstein $100m after, in 2010, changing logo from the blue box
containing the word ‘Gap’ to the word in Helvetica with He explains the firm’s thinking. “In 2014, the GF
a small blue box at top right. The firm didn’t tell the pub- Smith branding celebrated our UK heritage and tradi-
lic why it was changed and made the matter worse by tion of papermaking at a time when the security offered
not rebranding its stores or products at the same time. by history was a key differentiator in what was then a
And in 2018, Leeds United unveiled a new crest to post-recession market.” He says that the rebrand then
celebrate its centenary and despite seeking the views of “was a true and powerful reflection” of what GF Smith
10,000 people, more than 77,000 signed a boycott peti- was at that time
tion because the club’s old crest had meaning. It’s However, Watkinson, along with countless others,

26 PrintWeek MENA September 2025 www.printweekmena.com