It can take some time to adjust to a corporate rebrand, like when you’re favorite snack suddenly goes by a new name or your go-to brand of paper towels has completely new packaging. Some rebrands give brands new life, while others leave consumers frustrated and confused. Below are 24 of the worst company rebrands of all time.
1. Twitter Becoming X
I think you all knew this one was coming first. Why did Elon do this? Instead of the adorable and innocent little blue birdie, we now have this aggressive and cringe-worthy X logo that looks like it was designed by a 12-year-old boy who drinks too much Monster Energy. I miss the little birdie, and I miss posts being called “tweets,” Can we go back in time, please?
2. HBO Becoming Max
Actually, HBO made HBO-Go and then changed it to HBO Max, and then changed it again to just Max. It’s very unclear why HBO feels the need to rebrand their streaming app so much. While the actual rebrand isn’t terrible, it forces me to re-sign into HBO on every device and makes me angry.
3. The New Pringles Guy
The old Pringles Guy has a bowtie, hair, and a detailed mustache. I understand they wanted to simplify the logo to make it more modern, but the new Pringles Guy feels less friendly and inviting. This rebrand may not have been awful, but it was unnecessary.
4. Angie’s List Becoming Angi
In every single Angi commercial, they have to clarify at the end that they used to be Angie’s List but are now Angi. They rebranded years ago and still have to do this, so clearly, the rebrand was a failure. What was wrong with Angie’s List?
5. ABC Family Becoming Freeform
Thank goodness they did this rebrand right, as I was growing out of watching ABC Family. Nevertheless, it still upsets me. People loved ABC Family, and no one cared that it was clearly part of ABC, so rebranding to Freeform just seemed confusing, as nothing on the channel really changed.
6. Comcast Becoming Xfinity
Technically, Comcast still exists, but they rebranded their internet and TV services to Xfinity. Why? No one knows. I’m guessing it’s because people were growing tired of Comcast and looking for alternatives, so they became Xfinity to sell themselves as something different. Xfinity even used to bash Comcast in commercials, so they were bashing themselves.
7. The Sci-Fi Channel Becoming SyFy
Again, what executive pitched this idea, and why did they think it was smart? Some viewers of this channel think they did it to seem more approachable to people who weren’t necessarily passionate about science fiction shows and movies. I don’t mind SyFy, but I doubt it lured a bunch of new viewers.
8. Gap Becoming The Gap
This awful rebrand is honestly hilarious. Gap spent millions of dollars to add “The” to their brand name and switch to a sans-serif font. I don’t think anyone even noticed the rebrand because it was so slight, and they eventually abandoned the idea and reverted back to what they had, which was essentially the same anyway.
9. Pizza Hut Becoming The Hut
Frankly, I’ve always thought that Pizza Hut was a dumb name. Why would anyone want to order food from a hut? It sounds unhygienic. So, their failed attempt at rebranding themselves to The Hut was laughable and definitely did not resonate with customers.
10. Sierra Mist Becoming Starry
Sierra Mist has always struggled in the shadow of Sprite, so they tried to rebrand as Starry. The idea was people would be enticed to try this new beverage, but that didn’t happen. If anything, Starry is less known and less popular compared to Sierra Mist.
11. Facebook Becoming Meta
Like Twitter, Facebook rebranded with a stupid name that no one likes. Even when you read news about Meta, they still refer to it as “formerly Facebook” because no one is comfortable calling it Meta. The name Facebook was iconic, and changing it was a mistake.
12. Netflix’s Attempt at Qwikster
This rebrand was a complete failure and lasted about three weeks. Back in the old days, when Netflix sent out DVDs, they tried to rebrand the DVD service as separate from the streaming service, calling it Qwikster. Customers were fervently against it, so they abandoned the idea less than a month after launching it.
13. Land Rover Becoming JLR
For some unknown reason, Land Rover ditched their name and decided to only refer to themselves as JLR, short for Jaguar/Land Rover. I’m guessing they just wanted to include Jaguar in their brand name, but it’s confused many consumers and hasn’t made a positive impact.
14. Dunkin’ Donuts Becoming Dunkin’
This rebrand doesn’t seem significant, but loyal customers of the New England coffee brand found it jarring. Dunkin’ Donuts changed their name to Dunkin’ a few years ago, probably because they were colloquially known as “Dunkin’” or “Dunkin’s” already. They also got rid of their classic coffee cup logo!
15. Weight Watchers to WW
The Weight Watchers rebrand has been pretty unsuccessful, as people still call the company Weight Watchers. They likely changed the name to avoid offending anyone or creating a stigma around the company, but the rebrand to WW has been mostly ignored.
16. Kellogg’s Becoming Kellanova
Kellogg’s is a company with a rich American history, and Dr. Kellogg basically invented cereal, creating a booming industry. They’re rebranding parts of their company to Kellanova, as they want to separate certain sectors of the business so they can operate differently.
17. Tropicana Losing the Red Striped Straw
If you don’t drink orange juice, you probably don’t even know this happened. Tropicana’s logo used to be an orange with a striped red and white straw stuck in it. They ditched this image to create a more minimalist and modern package design, which, funny enough, enraged some of their customers.
18. McDonald’s Becoming a Gray Wasteland
McDonald’s didn’t change their name like most of the rebrands on this list, but it went from being a colorful, playful place where kids felt at home to a sad, gray restaurant chain with no soul. They probably wanted to seem more modern and mature, but they ruined the pleasant nostalgia for many people.
19. PWC Consulting Becoming Monday
Monday is a cloud-based work platform where people can communicate and plan. While PWC Consulting wasn’t exactly catchy, people hate the name Monday because it can make certain conversations confusing and inefficient. Are you referring to the system or the day of the week?
20. Kia’s New NIN Logo
Kia recently redid their logo, squishing the three letters closer together and opting for a more minimalist design. However, they may have made it too minimalist. Not only is it hard to recognize the brand now, but many Nine Inch Nails fans have pointed out that it is extremely close to the NIN logo the band uses.
21. Take 5’s New Packaging
Take 5 used to be a delicious candy bar that was outside the mainstream, with a bold black wrapper and green lettering. Now, they look like all the other Reese’s products and are hard to distinguish. Those who always chose Take 5’s in the candy aisle have been disappointed by the new look.
22. Datsun to Nissan
Up until the ‘80s, Nissan was known as Datsun. The company made this change to make Nissan a stronger brand and leave behind the older models. This rebrand isn’t the worst, but some consumers were perplexed, as Datsun was a reputable and trusted name in the car industry.
23. IHOP to IHOb
This rebrand was only temporary, but it was still weird and unforgettable. IHOP changed its name to IHOb to let people know they now sold burgers in addition to their famous pancakes. People thought the change was silly, and some folks freaked out that the pancakes were leaving the menu.
24. Mr. Pibb Becoming Pibb Xtra
People disliked this rebrand for a few reasons. First, Mr. Pibb was a well-known and charming name, while Pibb Xtra feels a little obnoxious. However, the new flavor profile was a big disappointment to many consumers, as they adored the original flavor and didn’t appreciate the extra spice.
Source: (Reddit).
