Rebranding is a powerful marketing tool, whether you’re trying to connect with your audience in fresh ways, looking to shake loose from an outdated perception or expanding to a new demographic. But if done incorrectly, it can do much more harm than good.
From Elon Musk’s controversial renaming of Twitter to “X”, to Weight Watchers (now WW) repositioning themselves as a wellness company, to something as simple as Gap’s logo change, there’s no shortage of cautionary tales.
Most recently, online dating app Bumble’s rebrand has set off a wildfire of criticism, even going as far as eliciting an apology from the brand.
Why is this rebrand dubbed the “Bumble Fumble” and what went wrong?
The past year has been significantly concerning for the media industry. As reported by Fast Company, more than 21,400 media jobs were lost in 2023. Just three months into 2024, the Los Angeles Times has laid off more than 20 percent of its newsroom, The Wall Street Journal has cut 20 staff members in its Washington, D.C., office (during an election year, at that), and TIME Magazine has laid off 15 percent of its staff. Even the relatively “new” media outlet BuzzFeed, which was once scoffed at as a valid news source due to its prolific spelling errors and use of memes, shut down its BuzzFeed News division in April 2023.
While these recent numbers are staggering, the collapse of traditional journalism is certainly not a new issue. In fact, newsroom employment in the United States alone dropped 26 percent between 2008 and 2021 according to Pew Research Center.
While we tend to blame the collapse of traditional journalism on the rise of social media, it is important to note that democratizing the dissemination of information isn’t an inherently bad thing. It has given a voice to many who may have not otherwise had the opportunity to have a platform.
However, there are a few key concepts we face in this new world:
Continuing its investment in growth and talent, Hart names Scott Hauman VP of Strategy and Innovation and Dan Marvin a new Creative Director
Hart, an independent marketing and advertising agency delivering unified brand experiences that engage and empower consumers, is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Hauman as its new Vice President of Strategy and Innovation, and Dan Marvin as its new Creative Director. These two key hires fuel the firm’s continued growth and innovation and advance its creative and strategy offerings.
Today, we are honored to share that Hart has been again named a 2023 Top Workplaces Winner by the Toledo Blade.
Crisis communications, specifically its recent evolution and growing need, continues to increase as a topic of interest for the marketing industry and the brands we serve. Hart’s Vice President of Corporate Communications & Content, Jeff Lutz, recently spoke at two industry events, Agorapulse’s 2022 Agency Summit and PRSA’s Central Ohio Chapter’s Modern Communicators Conference, to share his perspective on why the classic crisis plan is “dead on arrival” in today’s transparency-driven world.
Joint effort results in an independent, mid-sized agency spanning three offices from Ohio to Washington, D.C.
Today, Hart, an independent marketing and advertising agency delivering unified brand experiences that engage and empower consumers, is pleased to announce its acquisition of MDB Communications, a full-service media-neutral agency based in Washington, D.C. The notable move expands Hart’s marketing approach and service-minded delivery on a national scale while preserving Hart’s status as an independent agency.
#CancelCulture is as active as ever. We’re continuing to see cancellation crises due to everything from updating logos and mascot redesigns to name changes. However, now we’re increasingly seeing how the actions of individuals, such as the company’s CEO, an employee or even a board member, can result in negative implications for a brand just as much as a decision made by the brand itself.
The public relations world has been debating the best way to measure our efforts for decades. While the power of PR is undeniable, it’s extremely difficult to correlate exactly when, where and at which point these activities impact the targets’ final purchasing decision.