Labour exchange
When is it time to ditch a brand name? In the case of the Labour Party the answer is to start planning to change it now, in readiness for the period after the general election. There are pros and cons, but the balance has tipped in favour of the benefits of a new name. A rebrand has already happened, of course, with the move to New Labour. The Tories have taken advantage of it in the past, with “Labour’s not working”.
But more significantly, the word “labour” has finally lost its relevance. It was never a pleasant sounding word, but it did make sense at the beginning of the 20th Century. It no longer has even that going for it, and it’s time for a fresh start and a fresh name for the new millennium.
A fresh brand name helps any organisation to draw a line under the past and move on. This is as true for companies suffering in the recession as it is for the Labour Party – have you considered it for your business?
What do you think?
October 2nd, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Hi Nigel,
Another fine prompt to alert us to the issues surrounding our brands.
But is there some value in the name/brand when it has been around a long time? Could they not reinvent the emotions attached to the word labour so that they can leverage off all the good work in the past.
There are dangers in generating a new brand as the Post Office found when it changed to Consignia
October 6th, 2009 at 7:52 am
That is the question. On balance, it’s usually better not to change a name, I agree. But if you reach a point where you want to re-invent yourself, a new name can mark that change. Dumping an old name can help you dump baggage along with it. Compare the dangers of not changing, sometimes change is the less risky option, we sometimes forget that, don’t you think? Thanks for your comments.