Arts

A Change of Brand

A Change of Brand, produced by Matchstic, is a podcast about the world’s most loved consumer companies and their rebrand glory, drama, or disaster. In this series we will go deeper than color palettes and typography, talking with brand leaders and agency creatives to retell the story behind the change. Getting into the nitty-gritty, we learn about their leading-edge work, creative process, and approach to change management. Regardless of fame or fail, our mission is to tell these stories to educate and inspire others facing a change of brand.

Latest Episodes:

Spindrift with Colony Oct 26, 2021

Show notes

Today Spindrift is one of the largest independent sparkling water brands, but in 2016 that wasn’t so. How did they break away and grow beyond niche specialty stores? Adam Renfree and Adam Nathanson, founders of brand design firm Colony, led the work and share how their packaging redesign helped crack open new opportunities for the beverage brand.
To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.
Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited by Matt Owen , fact-checked by Jill Jefferies, co-written by Pamela Henman, and artwork by Maliq Faulks.

Pearl Milling Opinion Oct 19, 2021

Show notes

In 2021, after more than a decade, Pepsi Co and Quaker Oats announced their leading pancake brand, Aunt Jemima, would become Pearl Milling. In this episode we hear from sociologist and professor, Dr. James Bowie, and naming expert, Mark Speece, to get their opinion on the rebrand and the larger forces at play for renaming a brand based on a racist stereotype.
Dr. Bowie's research and writing: www.emblemetric.com
To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.
Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, fact-checked by Jill Jefferies, co-written by Pamela Henman, art work by Rachel Jackson, and edited by Matt Owen

Starbucks with Connie Birdsall Oct 12, 2021

Show notes

Dropping a name from your logo is a tall order. In 2011, Starbucks did just that. Some found it too strong while others felt it was just right. Connie Birdsdall, senior partner and Global Creative Director at Lippincott, led the work and gives us an unfiltered account of the strategy, process, and how it all unfolded.
To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.
Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, fact-checked by Jill Jefferies, co-written by Pamela Henman and edited by Matt Owen

Fiverr with James Greenfield Oct 05, 2021

Show notes

When Fiverr, one of the world's largest freelance marketplaces, spent more than a fiver on their own rebrand, it raised many eyebrows. James Greenfield of Koto gives us the behind-the-scenes take on the ethics behind the decision to accept the project, the creative process, and how they handled the backlash.
To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.
Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, fact-checked by Jill Jefferies, co-written by Pamela Henman and edited by Matt Owen

Mastercard with Michael Bierut Sep 28, 2021

Show notes

In 2014, Mastercard took a swipe at evolving its iconic red and yellow circles to eventually dropping its name altogether. We dig into the behind-the-scenes creative process, with Michael Bierut of Pentagram, who led the charge to see the work eventually get approved.
To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.
Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, co-written by Pamela Henman and edited by Matt Owen .

Southwest with Rodney Abbot Sep 21, 2021

Show notes

Southwest is a much beloved brand, but in 2014 a heart-felt rebrand process caused some turbulence inside the largest domestic air carrier. Rodney Abbot, Senior Partner at Lippincott, lead the process and gives us a first hand account.
To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.
Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, co-written by Pamela Henman and edited by Matt Owen

Season 2 Sneak Peak Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

Get ready for a new season of A Change of Brand, starting Sept. 21st.
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We continue to go deeper than color palettes and typography, to unpack first-hand accounts of change stories of much-loved consumer brands. This season we have episodes on classic rebrands, like Starbucks (2011), Southwest (2014), and Mastercard (2016). We've also thrown in the mix a few recent stories, like Fiverr (2020), Pearl Milling (2020), and more! Regardless of fame or fail, our mission is to retell these stories to educate and inspire those facing a change of brand.

Burger King with Lisa Smith Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

Burger King woke everyone out of a food coma when it revealed a delightfully retro rebrand in January 2021. But did the fast food giant make a whopping branding mistake that may not be so obvious? For more on this change of brand, we got the secret sauce from Lisa Smith, Executive Creative Director at Jones Knowles Richie, the creative firm behind BK's rebrand that was two years in the making.
To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.
Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Sarah Gail Hughes, and edited by Matt Owen

Google with Jonathan Lee Mar 09, 2021

Show notes

As one of the largest technology companies in the world, Google’s influence has no limits. Their 2015 rebrand launch was a massive, carefully detailed effort to orchestrate a rollout of over 10,000 branded assets with the flip of a switch. In this week’s episode, we catch a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes muscle for this mighty change as we talk to Jonathan Lee, one of the in-house designers leading the effort.
To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.

Produced by Matchstic, matchstic.com / @matchstic (Instagram)
Hosted by Blake Howard, @blakehoward (Instagram)
Co-hosted by Sarah Gail Hughes
Edited by Matt Owen

Loom with Stewart Scott-Curran Mar 02, 2021

Show notes

Loom is a video messaging service that makes collaboration happen when in-person interactions are hard to come by. The company's 2020 rebrand is notable for being one of the most transparent processes ever, with an updated identity for all the world to see, literally. For more on this change of brand, we got the inside story from Stewart Scott-Curran, senior director of brand at Loom.
To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.