Rebranding is not just about change of name and logo

It was Shakespeare who once wondered, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet”. This challenges the wisdom of rebranding a company or a brand. My opinion is that as times change a company needs to change to reflect the current realities. For example, a French emperor was once quoted saying how difficult it is to govern a people who have more than a hundred types of cheese to choose from.

Looking at Kenya during the single party era the citizens would tolerate some level of mistreatment by brands given that in many cases there was only one or few options. Enter the multi-party era, and liberalisation was here to give them variety or choice.

Their mindset changed dramatically and they started voting with their feet for the brands they chose to support. Now we have a new Constitution and Vision 2030. For brands to maintain and increase their relevance they have to reflect these realities in both look and feel.

Sir Michael Perry, once chairman of Unilever Plc, wrote that “a steady supply of news is the lifeblood of every brand. There is no such thing as an established brand. Every own thing has to be constantly new again. To be successful this newness has to be constantly and relevantly communicated”.

When Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) launched their new corporate identity last week, the management sent a message to the market. The message was delivered by the company’s managing director Joseph Njoroge. In his presentation to the stakeholders, he said that the firm is changing to reflect a dynamic market and a commitment to delight the customers. He outlined projects that the company is undertaking to alleviate the power problems in the country. In my opinion, the rebranding is well timed to reflect the demands of the new Constitution and the Vision 2030. Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi expressed gratitude to the power sector players for making him enjoy his job as the last elected Energy minister. Mr Murungi said he is impressed by the re-branding and culture change initiative by Kenya Power. The minister also gave some ideas on how to deliver a good speech. He said that according to a certain pastor, in a good speech you tell people what you are going to tell them, then you tell them and then remind them what you have told them.

In other words he was about to conclude his remarks (tell the audience what they have been told). He then unveiled the new look and feel — Kenya Power — and flagged off the rebranded fleet. I felt there are some good lessons to learn from the Kenya Power case. One is the need to tie rebranding programmes to the big picture. In this case the company has instituted a culture change programme that started over one year ago to go along with the rebranding. Since the company has been reborn there is also need to renew the spirit of the employees so that they deliver on the new feel and this is the main culture change objective. Tying the process to the country’s blue print is also a good practice. The firm already has structures to serve the county governments once they are operationalised.

The change has also been informed by largely research driven meaning that it is fuelled by the needs of all stakeholders both internal and external. The firm also leveraged on their long history since 1881 when the Sultan of Zanzibar installed a generator to light up his palace to date. As Market Talk has informed you in the past the brand’s heritage is a key angle in enhancing the brands’ strength.

Lastly, it is important to look at the African system of naming a newborn. For instance, in some societies a newborn would be given the name Simba (lion) to keep away the devils who may want to harm it. In other communities you will find children named after prominent events (current affairs) and persons such as El Niño, iPhone, promulgation and Obama. It follows that a name should have a deep meaning and also be guided by corporate intentions to jell with the times.

Mr Ngahu is the marketing director of SBO Research