A deep dive into the difference between evolutionary and revolutionary rebranding, and what the best option is for you.

Before you decide on a rebrand – ask yourself: why?

Because, to rebrand requires a strong ‘why’. Working out your why/s will ensure you are clear on what you’re setting out to achieve. Which will, in turn, help you find the best route to get there, and the results you seek.

Whether it is down to outdated brand identity, a shift in business strategy, or a need to differentiate from competitors, rebranding can help your company refresh its image, align with evolving goals, and better connect with target audiences in a competitive market.

What does it mean to ‘rebrand’?

Generally, a rebranding falls under one of two categories: evolution, or revolution.

• Evolutionary rebranding is a gradual and considered update to a brand’s existing identity that maintains core components. For instance, subtle updates to the logo and offering, whilst maintaining the original messaging and voice.
• In contrast, a revolutionary rebranding involves a complete overhaul of brand identity, which could include: changes to a brand’s name, logo, and messaging.

To provide examples, Apple has conducted evolutionary rebranding by subtly – and expertly – updating its logo over a long period of time. Have you noticed how the logo, which used to be a glossy 3D style apple is now a flat, minimalist design? Perhaps not, which could be Apple’s intention. Regardless, the Apple brand is priceless, and nothing is left to chance. Because Apple – a company worth trillions of dollars – knows the value of branding.

In contrast, Facebook becoming Meta is a good example of revolutionary rebranding. The process involved a change in name, logo, and focus; the company is no longer solely about social media, but centred around the ‘Metaverse’, which includes AI, AR, and virtual spaces. This sizeable rebrand clearly articulated the number of changes taking place, both internally and externally, repositioning Meta in the technical innovation space, rather than just a social media platform.

A tale of two (re)brands

We will be looking at two very different rebrands that have recently launched: high-end car company, Jaguar, and London-based accountancy firm, HaysMac.

What have they done?

Jaguar has rebranded with ‘Exuberant Modernism’ in mind, creating a ‘new era’ with a ‘completely reformed Jaguar brand’. Whilst previously, the branding had been monochromatic and safe, the reimagined branding sees an explosion of colour, a new font, and a jaguar that is jumping forwards, rather than backwards. In short, Jaguar has undertaken a complete revolutionary rebrand.

Accountancy firm HaysMac is our evolutionary example. They have reformed their name from Haysmacintyre to HaysMac, and updated the visual elements of their branding. Alongside a reformed name, logo, and colour scheme, the rebranding emphasises three core values: ‘For Business, For People, and For Good’.

• Jaguar has been radical in its design, and as a result has triggered significant discussion with extensive news and social media coverage.
• HaysMac, on the other hand, has had a more muted response in line with its narrower market and more conservative approach.
• Whilst these rebrands are very different from one another, they do have at least one thing in common: they both had a strong ‘why’.
• Jaguar has a dynamic new strategy: introducing an all-electric fleet whilst moving upmarket. They aim to adapt to an evolving automotive landscape, ensuring their reputation as a ‘luxury brand’ remains.
• HaysMac’s rebrand has allowed for a shift. This enables them to reposition in a rapidly changing market, whilst emphasising a primary focus on their core values and their customer-centric approach.

Deeper dive: Jaguar

Change always comes with opinions; the more radical the change, the more opinions and noise. And the Jaguar rebrand hasn’t been short of noise. It is hard to think of many occasions when a brand has caused such a furore – the London 2012 Olympics comes to mind.

That said, it is worth separating the branding from the strategy; whilst the branding is the outward display that the company perpetuates, the strategy is the underlying business plan that drives the changes. This defines how the rebranding will work, setting goals and trajectory. Now, we do not have access to their strategy, but implementing new branding is likely to be only a small factor in Jaguar’s long-term plan.

The brand design, on the other hand, is more straightforward. Jaguar make a good play on being different, with a clever focus on not copying. Though not to everyone’s liking, the font type certainly supports this message, and having the Jaguar leaping forward (left to right) rather than the more aggressive front-facing or backward (right to left) makes sense.

Jaguar’s rebrand has gone down an epic and radical route that forms a new company essence that seems fundamental to their new brand.

Deeper dive: HaysMac

The HaysMac approach is an evolution from their previous branding. This seems well-executed, and at MSP Reach, we like that the values and customers are considered and given prominence. Aside from their ‘three pillars’, the values are integrity, collaboration, empowerment and dynamism. Of these, “integrity” is the only value that we would refer to as “permission to play” – a value that should be expected of a business in the industry it sits in. We recommend clients choose active values, rather than “permission to play” ones, and collaboration, empowerment, and dynamism all fit this brief.

Importantly, HaysMac appears to have fully embraced a forward-looking strategy, using their revolutionary new branding to support this. It is, however, important to spell out the reason for the notable language change – particularly, although not exclusively, the name change. We have noticed that there is something sizeable missing from the narrative here: HaysMac has been referred to as such, rather than HaysMacintyre, since well before the rebrand. Therefore, an easy lens may have been ‘it’s what clients call us anyway’, which would have tied in the client-centric approach even further.

Despite this, the rebranding successfully repositions HaysMac. It highlights their human-centric approach, with core values focussed on people (quite literally; ‘for people’ is one of their values), as well as reinforcing their reputation as ‘one of the UK’s best places to work’, as stated by the Sunday Times. The updated logos are modern, with a sleek and contemporary feel, and the soft colour palette is modern.

Key takeaways

The main thing to remember when undertaking a rebrand, as both these examples have shown, is to have a clear and obvious reason for doing so. Anything less will have negative implications.

Overall, we have to say that both rebrands have been done incredibly well.

• Jaguar is in a unique position; with global backing and recognition, a complete product re-launch is the perfect opportunity to launch a revolutionary rebrand, and truly set the scene for the changes that are to come.
• Whilst done on a much smaller scale than Jaguar, we like how HaysMac have placed great importance on the client, placing them central to new core pillars and building on the positive feedback already perpetuated by other brands. And, from what we have seen, it has landed incredibly well.
• Jaguar are using their rebrand to share the sizeable upcoming changes – both to the automative world and their own brand. In contrast, HaysMac are using a more subtle approach to acknowledge their own development; a nod to their own self-improvement and development, whilst promising the same well-known service will remain.

What do MSP Reach recommend?

We don’t usually recommend a revolutionary rebrand. This is because most clients are not in Jaguar’s position, and in fact want to tweak their offering or identity. This is much more suited to the subtleties of evolutionary rebranding, which allows space for development without scaring away an existing client base.

At MSP Reach, we start by articulating the essence of a business, then develop active and dynamic values and only then start to look at design and implementation. This is to ensure design and ideology are closely and logically linked.

If you have any further questions, comments, or queries, or would like to discuss your own rebrand, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.