CEOs: Is this the most screwed-up rebrand in business history?

4 min readFeb 25, 2024

CEOs: Is this the most screwed-up rebrand in business history?

There have been some dismal rebrand screw-ups in business history:

Tropicana’s rebrand disaster in 2010 resulted in a 20% sales drop in just two months, equating to an estimated loss of $30 million
GAP’s failed rebrand in 2009 after just 6 days returned to the original classic design at the cost of $100 million
When Weight Watchers rebranded to “WW,” it flopped with a drop of 600,000 subscribers in six months and a 34% drop in stock valuation.

Some companies ignored the writing on the wall and ignored rebranding entirely, companies such as SEARS, Toys R Us, and Blockbuster Video.

Why Did I Create the Worst Rebrand in History?

At the beginning of 2024, I unveiled a secret project I was working on:

A fictitious company called IneptiCorp.
With a CEO named Archibald Noblerthan.
And a “branding oracle” called Reginald Worthington III.

I did it to prove a point:

It’s been noted 80% of rebranding challenges stem from incorrect reasons motivating a rebrand to questionable criteria on why to rebrand at all.

To drill down further, here are 5 common misfires when deciding to do a rebrand:

Questionable Reasons for Rebranding: CEOs may initiate a rebrand based on arbitrary criteria like personal hunches, past experiences, or trends, rather than strategic reasons.
Being Pigeonholed or Misunderstood: CEOs may struggle with being categorized in a certain way or facing misconceptions about their company’s offerings and simply reacting.
Dealing with Outdated Impressions: Overcoming old, outdated perceptions despite rebranding efforts can be a major challenge for CEOs.
Lack of Clarity in Messaging: CEOs face difficulties in determining what message to convey (and to whom) during the rebranding process.
Resistance to Change: CEOs stick to traditional approaches without considering necessary changes or cultural (and consumer) changes, thus hindering the rebrand's success.

IneptiCorp: The Rebrand That Keeps on Giving

Not only did I create the brand and the rebrand, but I also created:

Newscast coverage and videos,
An “Apple Vision Pro killer”
An outdoor campaign that goes zero to 60 in 2.4 seconds, and
A PDF inspired by Jerry Seinfeld titled “104 Ways CEOs Can Survive a Rebrand, Avoid the Pitfalls, and Come Out on Top.”

Here is the initial televised “news coverage”

Here is another new clip on a “Taylor Swift Rumor”:

And the latest news flash concerning an upcoming Shark Tank episode:

IneptiCorp’s “Beard Tattoo” — Is This the Apple Vision Pro Killer?

Using holographic technology, IneptiCorp’s beard tattoo sheds light where the sun doesn’t shine:

IneptiCorp’s Outdoor Campaign

Here is the outdoor campaign.

Jerry Seinfeld inspired this: “104 Ways CEOs Can Survive a Rebrand, Avoid the Pitfalls, and Come Out on Top”

Navigating a rebrand is like trying to silently open a snack during the quiet interlude at a classical music recital — one wrong wrinkle, and you’re the center of all attention. And not in a good way.

And this inspired this free PDF: