The name and logo of a business entity are critical factors in brand recognition and awareness. Repeat and new customers are likely to develop strong associations with these attributes of the business. As a result, the business name and log act as a source of competitive advantage. Many businesses invest significant resources and time into building a name and logo that resonates with consumers. Over time, these factors become the unique identifier of the products of business in question. Washington Redskins Organization is no exception, particularly given the nature of business environment it operates in. Therefore, change of a business name and logo can have dramatic effects on brand recognition, disrupting revenue generation in the process.
Rebranding is a normal path taken by business to maintain relevance and ensure sustainability in modern dynamic markets. For Washington Redskins changing the name and logo of an already established brand is a risky undertaking. The organization risks upsetting the brand image perception of existing customers, who may find the new name and logo unappealing. The changes would affect long serving employees who developed a personal attachment to the old brand image. Customers’ loyalty and trust may also be affected. Vendors, creditors, and investors may also develop cold feet in doing business with the organization due to uncertainty about the prospects of the rebranding. Overall, the stakeholders of Washington Redskins would have varied perceptions and attitudes of the company brand image. Negative and positive evaluations of the new brand image (name and logo) are mediated by the level of commitment and overall brand attitude (Walsh et al. , 2010).
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Changing the business name and logo is a big decision for Washington Redskins. The process, basically, entails resetting of all the work put into branding. Backward integration is imperative. For the marketing department, the process requires additional resources to create awareness among all stakeholders. Having an effective branding framework builds positive attitudes among employees, customers, and partners, thus reception of the new brand image. Employees can easily communicate Washington Redskins’ brand and new value proposition to potential customers and partners. Todor (2014) contended that rebranding is a necessity for continuity because it transcends dependence on the quality of products the primary marketing strategy.
The new name and logo would potentially affect Washington Redskins’ business processes including recall, sales, reach, brand recognition, and followers. In most instances, loyal consumers would continue to purchase old merchandise because they understand the company values. On the other hand, new customers would easily identify with the new brand image and purchase products with the new name and logo. It is common to see fans of sport teams wearing products with the old name and logo despite the team rebranding. Akkucuk and Esmaeili (2016) observed that rebranding affects brand equity, an aspect of business associated with the name and logo. It entails a set of brand assets and liabilities that add to or subtract from the value provided by the product. Customer perception of brand equity following rebranding is an important determinant of purchase decisions.
References
Akkucuk, U., & Esmaeili, J. (2016). The impact of brands on consumer buying behavior. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478) , 5 (4), 1-16.
Todor, R. D. (2014). The importance of branding and rebranding for strategic marketing. Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov. Economic Sciences. Series V , 7 (2), 59-64.
Walsh, M. F., Page Winterich, K., & Mittal, V. (2010). Do logo redesigns help or hurt your brand? The role of brand commitment. Journal of Product & Brand Management , 19 (2), 76-84.
