Branding Disasters: The rebranding of British Airways

As British Airways found when it changed its plane tailfins, while a rebrand can breathe new life into a company it can all go horribly wrong if it isn't embraced by customers.

The old saying: ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ is a precarious one when it comes to brands. On the one hand, big names like Coca-Cola, Heinz, Levi Strauss and Sears pride themselves on the historic legacy of their name but in order to appeal to the changing generations, they have also recognised the need to keep refreshing their look. Other companies, however, have opted for a complete revamp in order to inject new life into their name. While this strategy can be just as successful, there are times - as British Airways found to its detriment - that if consumers just don’t ‘get it’, the embarrassing U-turn can cost them dear.