Rebrand
Notes and perspectives from the Value Proposition Studio.
Notes from the studio.
01 / Rebrand
Core values · Oct 5, 2026
Abercrombie & Fitch: from a premise that insulted to a premise that welcomes
In the 2000s Abercrombie & Fitch made exclusion its selling point, and by 2014 it was in decline. Under Fran Horowitz it changed its audience, its product and its tone, and reached record sales in the 2020s. A case on premise, repelling and the difference between filtering and insulting.
Read articleCore values · Sep 27, 2026
Coca-Cola Zero goes red: a textbook case of Value Swapping
In July 2026 Coca-Cola dressed Zero in the flagship red, finishing a move that began in 2016. How a brand keeps its core value and changes the product that carries it.
Core values · Aug 10, 2026
Gucci: three creative directors in three years, and the cost of resetting a house
Under Alessandro Michele, Gucci's sales nearly tripled. Then came a quiet reset, a second change of designer and two years of steep decline. A case on how a fashion house can evolve its values without losing its audience.
Rebrand · Jul 20, 2026
Meta named itself after a future, and a pair of glasses filled the name
In October 2021 Facebook, Inc. became Meta and promised to be metaverse-first. Five years later the name is carried by glasses and AI. A case on what a company name holds, and on which way value flows between a parent brand and its products.
Abercrombie & Fitch: from a premise that insulted to a premise that welcomes
In the 2000s Abercrombie & Fitch made exclusion its selling point, and by 2014 it was in decline. Under Fran Horowitz it changed its audience, its product and its tone, and reached record sales in the 2020s. A case on premise, repelling and the difference between filtering and insulting.
Core values · Positioning · Rebrand · In the news
Read articleCoca-Cola Zero goes red: a textbook case of Value Swapping
In July 2026 Coca-Cola dressed Zero in the flagship red, finishing a move that began in 2016. How a brand keeps its core value and changes the product that carries it.
Core values · Rebrand · In the news
Read articleGucci: three creative directors in three years, and the cost of resetting a house
Under Alessandro Michele, Gucci's sales nearly tripled. Then came a quiet reset, a second change of designer and two years of steep decline. A case on how a fashion house can evolve its values without losing its audience.
Core values · Rebrand · In the news
Read articleMeta named itself after a future, and a pair of glasses filled the name
In October 2021 Facebook, Inc. became Meta and promised to be metaverse-first. Five years later the name is carried by glasses and AI. A case on what a company name holds, and on which way value flows between a parent brand and its products.
Rebrand · Portfolio and rhyming · Core values · In the news
Read articleOld Spice talked to the woman holding the basket, and an old brand found a new voice
In February 2010 Old Spice launched an ad that addressed women about a men's body wash, and turned seventy years of age into a claim of experience. A case on choosing the recipient of a promise when the buyer and the user are different people.
Rebrand · Premise, promise, proof · Positioning · Brand history
Read articleCracker Barrel: the Old Timer was an asset, and the redesign spent it
In August 2025 Cracker Barrel took the man leaning on the barrel out of its logo and reversed the decision about a week later. A case on the core values an old identity carries, and what a rebrand removes along with the drawing.
Rebrand · Core values · Autopsy · In the news
Read articlePolaroid: the phone won the instant picture, and the slow print came back
Polaroid went bankrupt twice and stopped making film in 2008. A group of enthusiasts bought the last factory and relaunched a slower, less predictable product. A case on how a value wears out and how a new one can live in the same object.
Core values · Rebrand · Brand history
Read articleAirbnb's Belong Anywhere: a value promise, and the fees at the last screen
In 2014 Airbnb rebuilt its brand around belonging. Over the following decade cleaning fees and checkout chores tested that promise, until the company changed how it shows prices. A case on core values and proof.
Core values · Premise, promise, proof · Rebrand · Brand history
Read articleTwitter became X, and the verb went out with the bird
In July 2023 Twitter replaced its bird with an X and renamed tweets as posts. A case on the brand assets a rebrand can throw away, and on what a name carries that a logo does not.
Rebrand · Category design · In the news
Read articleVictoria's Secret: retiring the Angels, then bringing them back on new terms
In 2021 Victoria's Secret retired its Angels and replaced them with a collective of accomplished women. In 2024 the runway show returned, Angels included, with a different cast and framing. A case on Value Swapping: when to change a value and when to change only what carries it.
Core values · Rebrand · In the news
Read articleFiat 500, 2007: a relaunch that rhymed with 1957
Fiat presented the new 500 in Turin on 4 July 2007, fifty years to the day after the original. A case on portfolio rhyming, a name that carries a family, and how far a rhyme can stretch.
Portfolio and rhyming · Rebrand · Brand history
Read articleTropicana redesigned its carton and shoppers could no longer find it
In 2009 Tropicana removed the orange with a straw from its Pure Premium carton. Sales fell about 20% in under two months and the old pack came back. A case on the assets customers use to find you on a shelf.
Rebrand · Autopsy · Brand history
Read articleJaguar Type 00 and the rungs a brand cannot skip
Jaguar replaced its whole value set in one stroke and claimed an identity it had no proof for. Read through the Promise Ladder, the rebrand is a jump over every rung in between.
Premise, promise, proof · Rebrand · Autopsy · In the news
Read articleGap's new logo lasted a week, because the blue box belonged to its customers
In October 2010 Gap replaced its blue box logo with a new wordmark and brought the old one back about a week later, after an online backlash. A case on the assets customers feel they own, and on asking them to fix what you changed.
Rebrand · Core values · Brand history
Read article- 01Abercrombie & Fitch: from a premise that insulted to a premise that welcomesCore values
- 02Coca-Cola Zero goes red: a textbook case of Value SwappingCore values
- 03Gucci: three creative directors in three years, and the cost of resetting a houseCore values
- 04Meta named itself after a future, and a pair of glasses filled the nameRebrand
- 05Old Spice talked to the woman holding the basket, and an old brand found a new voiceRebrand
- 06Cracker Barrel: the Old Timer was an asset, and the redesign spent itRebrand
- 07Polaroid: the phone won the instant picture, and the slow print came backCore values
- 08Airbnb's Belong Anywhere: a value promise, and the fees at the last screenCore values
- 09Twitter became X, and the verb went out with the birdRebrand
- 10Victoria's Secret: retiring the Angels, then bringing them back on new termsCore values
- 11Fiat 500, 2007: a relaunch that rhymed with 1957Portfolio and rhyming
- 12Tropicana redesigned its carton and shoppers could no longer find itRebrand
- 13Jaguar Type 00 and the rungs a brand cannot skipPremise, promise, proof
- 14Gap's new logo lasted a week, because the blue box belonged to its customersRebrand