Recently the company I work for had to go through a rebranding exercise. Apparently a major chemical manufacturer took exception at our company logo and its colour, which bore a faint similarity to their own (if you were colour blind, imho). The icon was not similar in any way, mind you. Nor do we compete in the same space. But apparently their lawyers needed something to do that day.
We took it as an opportunity to revisit our branding, and I think we landed on a much more pleasant and modern palette. Through adversity, we’ve come out better. For a while, though, we actually contemplated entirely changing the name of the company. What kept us from doing it was the obvious confusion that would arise with current and prospective clients. How do you tell everyone that you’ve changed names?
Apparently that isn’t a problem for Fries King (formerly Burger King®). Of course, having franchises in nearly every strip mall in the United States helps. And basically keeping the same logo design and palette helps to keep the casual glancer from even noticing. But its still a gutsy move! Is it real? A joke? A marketing gimmick for their new ‘healthier’ fries?
The answer is obviously the latter. But will it cause confusion among customers?