They hated it, you bought it: 00s rebrands

The 2000s. 

Enter: End-of-the-world conspiracy theories, the widespread adoption of high-speed internet and the iconic Y2K aesthetic. And with the end of the nineties also came the rise of some of the world’s biggest brands including Apple, Dove and Old Spice. 

The era brought new creative and technological freedom — allowing brands to experiment in new ways. 

"Advancing tech seeped into graphic design, with software that fundamentally changed the remit of creativity – so much so, it earned its own name: the Y2K aesthetic. Graphic design became supercharged. The novelty was palpable, every effect, every enhancement was applied – as though the term ‘overdoing it’ hadn’t yet been invented. Hand drawn typography, bold colours, metallic tones, glitter, futuristic fonts, chunky typeface, 3D shapes, gradient hues, bizarre image manipulation – you name it, it happened. Plastered on t-shirts and projected on billboards.” - Dalia Jaffar, Glorious Creative

In this post, I’ll walk you through 20 of the biggest rebrands — mainly focusing on the early 2000s, but also taking you through some of the most notable or controversial rebrands of the last three decades. Let’s take a look at some of the best rebrands of the 2020s, 2010s and 2000s.

What’s my criteria for determining which brands make the list? Here are the determining factors: 

1. Impact on the wider culture — Did the rebrand become embedded in and help shape wider culture — far beyond the brand’s industry? 

2. Consumer response — What was consumer reception like? We’ll also reverse engineer this by taking a look at how the most successful rebrands have been built around consumer research. 

3. Controversy — Sometimes the saying, “All press is good press,” holds true. As we’ll find out, some of the most unpopular or controversial rebrands still led to mass brand recognition and company growth. 

4. Impact on brand performance — Think revenue growth, increase in market share, campaign virality.  

5. Memorability — Are consumers still talking about the rebrand today? 

Let’s run through our top 20 rebrands. 

1. Jaguar 

• Brand: Jaguar 

• Rebrand: November 2024 

• Focus: Diversity, “high fashion” and disruption  

• Consumer response: Current consumer base is critical, but Jaguar are looking to expand to new consumer markets. 

• Impact: Yet to be determined but Google Trends data showed a 67% increase in online searches for Jaguar in the week following the rebrand.

On Tuesday, November 19, 2024, Jaguar rolled out its new brand identity. The rebrand delivered a new monogram badge of a circle with a ‘J’ and an ‘r’ alongside a new wordmark: JaGUar.

The accompanying ad included several high fashion models, vivid colors and zero cars. The apparent complete 180 from their previous brand was all part of their “upgrade” — they said: “We're here to delete ordinary. To go bold. To copy nothing.”

The backlash was widespread with several online users criticizing the rebrand for its “woke positioning.” 

In response, Jaguar Land Rover's creative director Gerry McGovern said, "Jaguar has no desire to be loved by everybody," quipping, "We're delighted to have your attention." He added, “Controversy had always surrounded British creativity when it was at its best.”

2. Old Spice 

• Brand: Old Spice 

• Rebrand: February 2010 

• Focus: Appealing to a younger generation, humor and YouTube. 

• Consumer response: Immediately solidified the brand as a cultural icon among millennials.

• Impact: Doubled their market share. 

In their consumer research with young consumers, Old Spice was dubbed “old, bargain, and low quality.”

Cue the iconic: “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.” Released in 2010, the ironically-witty ad campaign featured footballer Isaiah Mustafa. The ad went viral across the internet — hitting over six million views on YouTube on their first day. Following the rebrand, Old Spice saw double-digit annual sales growth over the next several years, increasing their market share from 3% to 6%.  

Brandon Rollins at Weird Marketing Tales says: 

"The ad campaign was the first ad campaign that I can remember that ‘felt like the internet.’ The ad was cut like a YouTube video, not a late 2000s TV ad. It had non-sequiturs in dialogue, was shot in a single take, and didn’t take itself seriously. The agency that created the ad, Wieden+Kennedy, clearly studied the structure and style of popular YouTube videos and mimicked them with grace." 

3. Burger King 

• Brand: Burger King

• Rebrand: February 2021 

• Focus: Simplicity and vintage vibes 

• Consumer response: Generally positive — especially in regards to the packaging. 

• Impact: Jump in total revenue for 2021 to $5.739 billion, up from $4.968 billion in 2020.

In 2021, the popular burger franchise unveiled a new logo, packaging and uniforms — designed by the agency Jones Knowles Ritchie. 

But rather than getting more creative, more quirky or more inventive, like many of our brand shakeups, Burger King simplified. Capturing the iconic nostalgia of the brand with the simplicity of their new design and branding. 

As part of the rebrand, Burger King traded in its 1999 logo for a flat design that mirrored the logo used throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

Jones Knowles Ritchie says: "We were inspired by the brand's original logo and how it has grown to have an iconic place in culture. The new logo pays homage to the brand's heritage with a refined design that's confident, simple and fun."

A survey by Ad Age-Harris found that 54% of respondents preferred Burger King's new packaging over McDonald's (46%). 56% said Burger King's new packaging made the food look more enticing with consumers noting the nostalgic feel and the trendiness of the new look. 

4. Gap

• Brand: Gap

• Rebrand: October, 2010 

• Focus: Simplicity and vintage vibes 

• Consumer response: Poor 

• Impact: N/A

Dubbed one of the biggest rebranding fails of the 2000s, Gap’s rebrand in 2010 didn’t even last a week. The popular apparel company replaced its classic logo featuring the Gap name in white caps on a navy backdrop with Gap written in bold, Helvetica font and placed a small navy square in the top right corner. 

On the 6th of October, 2010, Gap released their new logo, with Gap’s vice president of corporate communications, Bill Chandler claiming, “We believe this is a more contemporary, modern expression. The only nod to the past is that there’s still a blue box, but it looks forward.” While a Gap's spokesperson said the move signified Gap’s transition from, “classic, American design,” to “modern, sexy, and cool.” 

But the new logo didn’t hit as modern, sexy or cool with consumers. On the 12th of October, they’d have reinstated their original design. 

Marketing expert Craig Smith said on the change, "Where marketers often go wrong is they think they have identified an opportunity for the brand to evolve and become something else, become more modern, and they think they can shortcut this by changing the visual identity, and carry the customers with them. It's a fundamental error because customers may not be ready to go with you. The product positioning has to change first, then the logo should be the last thing."

5. Tropicana 

• Brand: Tropicana 

• Rebrand: January, 2008 

• Focus: Modern, focusing on the juice squeeze

• Consumer response: Poor 

• Impact: Lost $20 million in sales in their first month 

Another brand subject to a brutal rebrand: Tropicana spent $35 million on a new design for their packaging with ad agency Arnell in 2008. Only to lose $20 million in sales in the first month.

Compare the classic box: 

With the redesign:

One angry consumer emailed the brand: “Do any of these package-design people actually shop for orange juice? Because I do, and the new cartons stink.” 

Peter Arnell, the designer behind Tropicana’s rebrand, justified the redesign by arguing that the juice should have been featured on the cartoon rather than just the orange. He claimed the new packaging's orange twist cap represented the squeeze needed to make juice. He said: 

“'Squeeze’ maintains a certain level of, I guess, power when it comes to this notion emotionally about what squeeze means. Like, ‘my squeeze’ or ‘give me a squeeze,’ or the notion of a hug, or the ideas behind the power of love and the idea of transferring that love or converting that attitude between mom and the kids, right?”

6. Starbucks 

• Brand: Starbucks 

• Rebrand: January 2011 

• Focus: New product line, new logo 

• Consumer response: Poor at first, but strong over the long run

• Impact: Stock prices tripled

In 2011, Starbuck's memorable logo became what it is today. 

The brand dropped the “Starbucks Coffee” text featured in their earlier logo — leaving their immediately-recognizable green twin-tailed siren. Reportedly Starbucks’ strategy mirrored their move expansion from classic coffee to a range of coffee-based drinks including: “Grande, decaf, soy, no-foam, caramel lattes.”

At first, many consumers didn’t like the new logo — but its positive impact soon showed up in the numbers with their stock prices tripling, marking one of the brand’s biggest growth periods. The brand’s simple red holiday cup design in the mid 2010s initially stirred up some controversy as well, with some critics arguing that the design was an attempt to remove traditional Christian imagery and symbols of Christmas, viewing it as a "War on Christmas." However, the brand stated the design was intended to be inclusive and welcoming to all, embracing a more minimalist and universal aesthetic.  

7. Mastercard 

• Brand: Mastercard

• Rebrand: January 2019 

• Focus: Nameless logo 

• Consumer response: Positive

• Impact: Mastercard's stock price jumped 58% during that year.

In January 2019, Mastercard revealed their new nameless logo, designed by Pentagram partner Michael Bierut.

On the rebrand, Mastercard said: “As the consumer and commerce landscape continues to evolve, the Mastercard Symbol represents Mastercard better than one word ever could, and the flexible modern design will allow it to work seamlessly across the digital landscape.”

Bierut said that removing the brand names moves Mastercard into “an elite cadre of brands that are represented not by name, but by symbol," placing Mastercard in the top echelon of branding, alongside “an apple, a target, a swoosh.”

Consumer response was positive with 80% of consumers recognizing the Mastercard brand without the brand name. 

Writing for Forbes, Allen Adamson says: 

"Among the best ways for a brand to break through the clutter is visual clarity. By dropping the name and focusing on the iconic design, Mastercard is taking advantage of one of its unique branding strengths. It is one of a handful of brands, Apple, Target and Nike among them, which can communicate who it is and what it stands for with a strong, simple visual." 

8. Wendy’s

• Brand: Wendy’s 

• Rebrand: November 2012 

• Focus: Modern, relaxed  

• Consumer response: Mixed, but generally positive

• Impact: Increase in same-store sales growth — ​​increased by 1.8% for the year.

In 2012, Wendy’s unveiled the fifth rebrand for the popular fast food franchise. They streamlined the logo by removing the tagline: “Old Fashioned Hamburgers.” The Wendy’s font also shifted to a more casual font, while the icon was modernized.

Reddit user FuriousFalcon said of the redesign at the time: "I kinda like it, actually. The old logo felt old fashioned, whereas the new logo is inviting, friendly, fresh, even cute. I'm not sure I'm 100% behind the new type, but it's still better than the old, and I think it fits with the Wendy character." 

9. Kodak 

• Brand: Kodak

• Rebrand: October 2016 

• Focus: Vintage throwback  

• Consumer response: Consumers appreciated the vintage revamp 

• Impact: Fluctuations in revenue over following years 

With the rise of the digital camera, Kodak declared bankruptcy in 2012. In response, the nineties' photography household name extended their product line and embraced a retro rebrand. The brand embraced the nineties revival shared by rivals like Instax and Fujifilm's — redesigning their logo to have a “new, old” feel that reflected their 1970’s logo. 

Wesley Mathew, Head of Marketing at Kodak says: "One of the best decisions Kodak ever made was keeping the retro feeling to their logo refresh in 2016. It had taken them 10 years to rebrand and they put out a logo that arguably looked older than the original. The irony here lies in just how much the “new, old” logo set the tone for their subsequent campaigns."

10. Dominos 

• Brand: Dominos

• Rebrand: December 2009 

• Focus: Transparent, tongue-in-cheek marketing  

• Consumer response: Consumers loved the playful commercials that accompanied the rebrand 

• Impact: Doubled their market share 

Dominos’ rebrand in 2009 was essential to helping the franchise overtake one of its main competitors: Pizza Hut. Before 2009, Dominos was one of the least popular pizza franchises with consumer taste tests showing that people liked a pizza less once they found out it was from Dominos. 

In response, the branding and marketing brains at Dominos released several commercials in which they owned up to their pizza being “awful.” The ads were a hit with consumers — going from having a 9% share of the pizza restaurant market in 2009 to 15% in 2016.

11. Dunkin’

• Brand: Dunkin’ 

• Rebrand: October 2016 

• Focus: Vibrant simplicity   

• Consumer response: Consumers welcomed the change 

• Impact: System-wide sales grew by 7.9%

In 2018, Dunkin’ Donuts rebranded — not only did the popular doughnut brand have a new logo and new colors — they also changed their name to Dunkin’. The move embodied the brand looking to simplify. "The simplicity of our new brand creates energy," Dunkin' Donuts' US CMO Tony Weisman said.

Laurel Sutton, senior strategist and linguist at Catchword, explained why the rebrand was successful: “Rebranding efforts succeed when the new brand is already in use by consumers. People already referred to Kentucky Fried Chicken as KFC when the company made the change.” The same is the case for Dunkin’.

According to research done with consumers at the time, 34% of people spotted Dunkin’s new name straight away while 32% spotted the new logo first. 

12. RadioShack 

• Brand: RadioShack 

• Rebrand: August 2009 

• Focus: New name    

• Consumer response: Critical  

• Impact: N/A

But not all rebrands that include a rename go down well with consumers. In 2009, RadioShack announced it was changing their name to The Shack to highlight its non-radio offerings.

"When a brand becomes a friend, it often gets a nickname -- take FedEx or Coke, for example," Lee Applbaum, chief marketing officer of RadioShack, said: "Our customers, associates and even the investor community have long referred to Radio Shack as 'The Shack,' so we decided to embrace that fact and share it with the world."

This sparked several “The Shack,” jokes with Wired writer Charlie Sorrel noting: “'Our friends call us The Shack.' So claims the newly rebranded RadioShack in an attempt to be down with the kids. It’s almost embarrassing, like seeing your grandfather listening to an iPod and riding a single speed track bike. Wait, that actually would be cool."

13. Pepsi

• Brand: Pepsi

• Rebrand: August 2008 

• Focus: Modernized logo    

• Consumer response: Critical  

• Impact: N/A

In 2008, Pepsi decided to rebrand. 

Design agency the Arnell Group released a 27-page design document stating that the 2008 brand refresh would show the brand's show innovation, drawing from a range of art styles and reflecting the path of the Sun’s light in Earth’s gravitational pull with the new logo reflecting the, “Gravitational Pull of Pepsi.”

The document said: “The Pepsi ethos has evolved over time. The vocabulary of truth and simplicity is a reoccurring phenomena in the brand’s history. It communicates the brand in a timeless manner and with an expression of clarity.”

Still using the same colors and the circular logo, only the white center stripes were positioned at a slightly different angle to the previous logo. 

Social media users across the likes of TikTok and Reddit still talk about the revamp today — highlighting that it’s certainly a rebrand that has continued to build brand awareness as it's still talked about today. 

14. Abercrombie & Fitch

• Brand: Abercrombie & Fitch

• Rebrand: August 2021 

• Focus: Targeting Gen Z consumers    

• Consumer response: New group of consumers  

• Impact: Increase in annual revenue by $4 billion 

Abercrombie's recent rebrand took place in 2021 — helping to further transform the brand from America's "most hated retailer" to a Gen Z favorite. Abercrombie, once the go-to place to shop for the low-rise skinnies of the nineties, lost popularity with Millennials in 2016 following a series of scandals involving reported racism and the hypersexualization of their models.

Since the rebrand, young shoppers have found their way to the new Abercrombie & Fitch — bringing the brand $4 billion in annual revenue.

Key to the successful rebrand was a ton of consumer research with the Gen Z crowd, with Abercrombie spending the last five years studying the lifestyles and psychologies of today’s twenty-somethings. 

Corey Robinson, who became Abercrombie’s head of merchandizing and design in 2018, says: “They’re starting their life. They’re on their way to successful careers, but they’re not defining success in the same way that older generations did. They live for the long weekend, when they’re planning brunch with friends or going to a friend’s destination wedding.”

Find out the unique advantage AI offers in consumer research in our past post. 

15. Dove

• Brand: Dove

• Rebrand: September 2004 

• Focus: Real beauty    

• Consumer response: Celebratory  

• Impact: Made the brand a cultural icon  

Dove's famed rebrand, the "Real Beauty" campaign, launched in 2004. Still referenced today, Dove was ahead of its time by celebrating diversity and everyday beauty — stepping away from the unrealistic beauty standards promoted by the industry at the time. 

Unilever says: 

"Two decades ago, Dove took a pioneering step to change the culture of beauty advertising with the launch of its Campaign for Real Beauty. Discarding stereotypes, the brand broke with convention by featuring real women instead of models in its ads – a move that resonated with audiences all over the world."

Twenty years on, Dove has a brand value of over $6.5 billion. 

16. Volkswagen

• Brand: Volkswagen

• Rebrand: September 2019 

• Focus: Minimalist     

• Consumer response: Consumers appreciated the new modern design and the brand’s move towards more sustainable values 

• Impact: Volkswagen Group's sales revenue increased by 7.1% 

In 2019, Volkswagen decided to rebrand. "The New Volkswagen," featured a sleekly simple, two-dimensional logo and a focus on electric vehicles — looking to further promote the brand's sustainable brand values. 

The company’s chief marketing officer, Jochen Sengpiehl said: “We want to become more human and move lively, to adopt the customer’s perspective to a greater extent and to tell authentic stories.”

Volkswagen Group's sales revenue increased by 7.1% — rising to approximately $282.4 billion USD in 2019, up from approximately $263.6 billion USD in 2018. 

17. American Airlines 

• Brand: American Airlines 

• Rebrand: September 2013 

• Focus: Pared back 

• Consumer response: Consumers were unsure at first, missing the nostalgia of the original logo 

• Impact: The airline achieved record net profits post rebrand, going from $26.743 billion in 2013 to $42.650 billion in 2014

In 2013, American Airlines rebranded for the first time in 45 years. The rebrand was led by a new logo redesign by Futurebrand, which featured a modernized "flight symbol" replacing their eagle.The new brand was accompanied by a global campaign called Change is in the Air — which included people from around the world looking up at the sky, before it was revealed they were looking at the new planes. 

Viras Vahidi, chief commercial officer at American Airlines, said: "Our new logo and livery are designed to reflect the passion for progress and the soaring spirit, which is uniquely American. Our core colours have been updated to reflect a more vibrant and welcoming spirit. The new tail, with stripes flying proudly, is a bold reflection of [the airline’s] origin and name. And our new flight symbol, an updated eagle, incorporates the many icons that people have come to associate with American, including the 'A' and the star."

18. Apple 

• Brand: Apple

• Rebrand: September 1997 (right on the cusp of the 2000s, so while I’m cheating — this rebrand is one of the most iconic of all time)  

• Focus: Move from product focused to aspirational 

• Consumer response: The campaign was essential to renendearing the Apple brand to consumers

• Impact: Made Apple the ultimate in branding 

Apple moved from product-led to aspirational with their memorable ‘Think Different’ campaign. Think: stripped-back copy, cultural icons and an air of innovation. The campaign celebrated the misfits and rebels — appealing to creative consumers. The campaign was integral to helping build Apple into the brand powerhouse it is today. 

19. Pantone 

• Brand: Pantone 

• Rebrand: 2016 (month not available) 

• Focus: Innovative window logo     

• Consumer response: N/A (creative’s perspective)

• Impact: N/A

Since the early 2000s, Pantone has been an expert in branding — releasing their first Color of the Year in 2000.

​​Ian Paget, graphic designer and founder of design firm and blog Logo Geek, notes that the 2006 rebrand was one of their best: "At the start of the 2000s, the Pantone logo featured a wordmark along with a symbol of swatches that fanned open. Then in 2006, the company transitioned to a new logo, still in use today, which utilised the idea of a window, with the wordmark positioned at the lower section of this,” he says. The new design, created by G2 — Grey Global Group's branding arm, included the tagline ‘The colour of ideas.” 

He adds: 

“Although at the time the change felt fairly generic, utilising an idea seen before, upon reflection, making colour the primary focus was a good decision that has aged well. I often see Pantone-branded products with a different Pantone filling the window, and as a designer, it's hard not to be drawn to them.”

20. Juicy Couture 

• Brand: Juicy Couture  

• Rebrand: throughout 2024  

• Focus: Revamped for a Gen Z audience: cool and sophisticated.      

• Consumer response: Positive 

• Impact: Annual revenue for 2024 hit $324 million, indicating a significant comeback for the brand. 

Juicy Couture, the go-to early 2000s brand, famous for its tracksuits and worn by the likes of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, has welcomed a new rebrand focused on a sophisticated aesthetic. The rebrand also comes alongside the brand's new Dirty London menswear line, which features a reworked version of the brand's best-selling tracksuit for a male audience. The brand has also partnered with other brand favorites — releasing a limited-edition apparel and footwear line with Reebok and a velour tracksuit collection with Red Robin. 

Writer Aimee Mclaughlin notes how the Juicy Couture revamp fit into the wider return of iconic Y2K brands: “The return of low-rise jeans, frosted eyeshadows and the Sugababes can only mean one thing – the noughties are well and truly back. While the laws of nostalgia suggest that the Y2K revival was destined to follow on from the 90s sportswear boom seen over recent years, the trend began to rear its head in a big way during the onset of the pandemic, as OTT fits and trashy reality TV became the form of escapism we all needed."

She adds: "Unsurprisingly, brands have also been trying to get in on all the nostalgia action. This is particularly true in the case of the fashion and beauty worlds, where a spate of iconic noughties brands have been relaunched with today’s consumers in mind. These include Juicy Couture’s diamante-encrusted velour tracksuits, which at one time were the unofficial uniform of reality TV starlets; the return of high street favourite Tammy Girl; and a rebooted Blumarine, which recently used noughties supermodel Sasha Pivovarova as the face of its AW22 campaign. Shot by Petra Collins, the campaign sees the model lounging atop a barbie pink car submerged in a pool, natch."

With shortened brand names and simpler, sleeker logos — simplicity seems to be a winning part of many of the era’s most successful rebrands. As do bold moves, a willingness to be disruptive and move away from what worked before. 

The increase in brand recognition, brand recall, revenue growth and market shares show how powerful marketing can be when it comes to shaping public perception and even changing the cultural discourse. Effective marketing can turn a brand from passed-over to iconic or elevate a popular brand even further — with Dominos, Apple and Dove making their way to the top of their industries following their brand refreshes during the early 21st century. 

74% of S&P 100 companies typically rebrand in the first seven years of operation. If you’re looking to rebrand then you’re in good company — there’s a lot you can learn from our iconic list. 

The best rebrands in history often make bold decisions, form their new identities on extensive consumer research, learn from their pasts and simplify. To help make your rebrand more likely to succeed, set the groundwork by doing consumer research and taking a look at some of your most successful brand moves throughout your history. Once you have these strategic foundations in place, take a look at what risks you can take using our disruptive rebrands as your guide.