Launching a new brand can come with a heavy dose of criticism.
The good news is there’s one ingredient in making any level of criticism insignificant rather than overwhelming. Hint: Purpose is everything.
Let’s use two highly contested rebrands to see the difference — Gap vs. Airbnb. The criticism for both rebrands was level 10. I can't recall a louder reaction in all my years of branding.
The result we all saw play out publicly was ...
❌ Gap hit the abort button six days into the new "brand," crumbling almost instantly to public outcry.
✅ Airbnb weathered the onslaught, which was relentless for weeks, and continues to rise as a brand leader.
Why such different outcomes?
The answer is rooted in strategy and narrative.
The previous Gap brand was tired. We can all agree on that.
A logo change was not going to make that magically better.
The failure: Gap failed to provide any substantial reason for the change — at least not anything worth talking about. The change was surface-level at best. It was a lazy attempt at changing the flavor. Change without purpose and zero supporting narrative is not a winning strategy.
The result: People were left confused and stuck with their own subjective narratives. The fact that they reverted back to the old "brand" signals just how lacking this move was in strategy (“Brand” in quotes because this wasn't a brand move at all). It was a logo shift in an attempt to say they were new and different. They weren't. People knew that.
The previous Airbnb logo looked dated, yes, but this was not the rebrand catalyst.
The rebrand was a strategic move to better capture the essence of what Airbnb had become — a platform that connects people, offering unique and personal experiences, not just places to stay.
A true business strategy.
The formula: Airbnb captured a true reason for the change — and it was worth talking about. The change was rooted in the DNA and business itself. It was an intentional and well thought-out position and narrative that did change the flavor. The care and attention that came from the ground up made it easy for them to weather the noise. Because it was never about a logo (which the internet took to storm about). It was about the mission of the business and how they were going to conquer their market. Define a new market.
The result: People could judge the logo all they wanted. Airbnb was never going to backtrack on its strategy or feel the need to address the internet's silly points about lude references in the logo. Airbnb didn't care. They shouldn't. That noise always moves along, and it did. Fast forward to today, and the Airbnb brand is crushing it.
Takeaways
- Always build from a strategic purpose.
- Create a narrative to support and signal that purpose.
- Never change for change's sake. See bullets one and two. ;)
- Stick to your strategy, even when the internet wants to chime in.
This is the way.
