(Image credit: Jaguar, Tropicana, Hyundai, X, PrettyLittleThing, Joseph Foley)
Bold, vibrant rebrands are the lifeblood of the Brand Impact Awards, which awards the very best branding from around the world (and yes of course, the subtle makeovers or 'quiet rebrands' get a look-in too).
But when rebrands go wrong, it can be extremely costly for a business, draw plenty of ire online and, depending on the brand, can set off a thousand memes. When a brand has built up brand loyalty over decades, rebranding is a risky move.
We've got our own list of the best and worst rebrands of last year, as well as some the most hated redesigns of all time but Liquidation Centre's director Richard Hunt has come up with his own rundown of the most talked about rebrands, and just what went so wrong with them. He also adds what businesses can learn from these sorry tales. Here are his picks:
01. PrettyLittleThing
(Image credit: PrettyLittleThing)
PrettyLittleThing rebranded in March 2025, going from its signature bright pink branding to a black-and-white look that was all about minimalism, with a new script font wordmark. The plan was to shift the brand to make it appeal more mature. Needless to say it backfired.
The playful and fun branding that had brought in younger shoppers was now gone, and many shoppers took to social media to complain about it. It felt to many like their favourite friend had just gone corporate.
What can we learn from this? "Rebrands can really shake things up, but if a brand loses what made people fall in love with it in the first place, it can backfire," says Richard. "Moving too far from what made the brand popular can risk alienating loyal audiences and undo years of goodwill."
The lesson: Don't stray too far from your roots
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The aim was to modernise and appeal to the luxury electric market but the change didn't go down well (as change often doesn't). Getting rid of 'Land Rover' confused many customers and was criticised for dropping the really iconic part of its name.
The new JLR identity was also criticised for lacking character and identity while others felt that JLR was turning its back on its heritage. It should've read our piece on how to reawaken a brand's heritage.
“Legacy brands need to evolve, but not at the cost of what makes them iconic," says Richard. "If customers feel you’re erasing history, the brand can lose more than it gains."
This was all part of Elon Musk's plan to create an 'everything app', apparently. And the reaction was mostly negative. This negativity has continued with plenty of users leaving the platform; those who still refer to it still call it 'Twitter' and refer to its posts as 'tweets', which shows how unsuccessful the rebrand was.
"Changing a well-known brand name should never be rushed," says Richard. "When people still use the old name years later, it’s a sign the new identity hasn’t stuck."
The lesson: Think twice before renaming
04. Hyundai
This one wasn't a full rebrand but a campaign. In 2023, Hyundai launched a campaign in the UK in an attempt to change how people pronounce its name. It had been widely called 'Hyun-die' for years but it wanted consumers to change to 'Hyun-day', like the rest of the world says it.
The adverts were light in tone but the campaign drew mixed reactions. Some felt it was a great opportunity to honour the brand's Korean roots, others felt it was unnecessary and confusing.
"Even something as simple as how people say your name is part of your brand," says Richard. "But if you try to change it after years of people saying it a certain way, it can feel a bit forced. You’ve got to meet customers where they are."
05. Tropicana
(Image credit: Tropicana Brands)
Oh, Tropicana. You're a cautionary tale for the masses. We know how the story goes. Tropicana wanted a new look for its packaging but it went too minimal, taking away the recognisable elements of the old brand and replacing it for something that was bland, and looked like everything else on the shelf.
It was an embarrassing marketing blunder that's for sure. This move led to a sharp drop in sales as customers struggled to spot Tropicana on the shelves amongst a sea of similar packaging.
"This shows how powerful familiarity is. A design might look dated to a brand team, but to customers, it’s part of what they trust. Change it too suddenly and you risk breaking that connection," says Richard.
The lesson: Make sure you still stand out
The lessons here are all pretty similar: don't rebrand too quickly, don't forget your heritage and don't risk confusing your customers.
Rosie Hilder is Creative Bloq's Deputy Editor. After beginning her career in journalism in Argentina – where she worked as Deputy Editor of Time Out Buenos Aires – she moved back to the UK and joined Future Plc in 2016. Since then, she's worked as Operations Editor on magazines including Computer Arts, 3D World and Paint & Draw and Mac|Life. In 2018, she joined Creative Bloq, where she now assists with the daily management of the site, including growing the site's reach, getting involved in events, such as judging the Brand Impact Awards, and helping make sure our content serves the reader as best it can.
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