More than a PR job: A case study in corporate rebranding

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review a case study of a recent corporate rebranding initiative to examine how staff respond to changed values.

Design/methodology/approach

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments.

Findings

A couple of years ago, a telecommunications firm, TELCI, underwent a corporate rebranding initiative (pseudonyms will be used for company names to preserve anonymity). The firm had started out as a regional TELCOM, established by an energy company ENER. In its fourth year, the company acquired a leading internet provider, INT. After rapid development TELCOM floated a year later, with ENER retaining a majority share. Just before this happened, TELCOM had gone through the rebranding exercise that saw it become TELCI. After this series of changes, senior management believed they had come to rest on a brand that reflected its aim to be a leading player in the telecommunications, call centre and internet services sectors. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this belief did not quite match the reality.

Practical implications

Managers should target organization‐wide buy‐in towards new brand values, and consider how they all address the organization's subcultures and resistance to change.

Originality/value

The paper offers managers a rare empirical study of the process of cultural alignment in corporate re‐branding.

Citation

(2008), "More than a PR job: A case study in corporate rebranding", Strategic Direction, Vol. 24 No. 8, pp. 19-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/02580540810884610