Corporate Rebranding and Its Meaning - Theory Perspective

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to introduce the theoretical conditions related to corporate rebranding issues – in the perspective of marketing theory, management theory and organizational theory, through literature analysis (both Polish and foreign sources – well-known Polish journals and prestigious international journals) from these three areas. Design/methodology/approach: The article is based on a literature review within the field of management and marketing theory, with account being taken of the meaning of the rebranding process in the context of the organizational theory. The article presents models of corporate rebranding and well-structured definitions. Findings: Organizations and their corporate brands that currently operate in a hyper competitive and highly turbulent environment are constantly looking for sources of competitive advantage. Brand creators are trying to give it a unique character and stand out from the others. The brand is therefore assumed to be an entity that directly reaches the hearts and minds of consumers. However, how to maintain this emotion associated with a given brand, how to permanently reach the hearts of consumers who change their tastes and penchants so quickly? This change in the environment and consumer trends often forces evolutions in the entire marketing strategy of the organization as well as in the strategy regarding the brand and/or its architecture. These changes can be both slow and rapid, involving many or just one or more selected elements related to branding (evolutionary and revolutionary rebranding). Research limitations/implications: There are still few publications in the literature describing and explaining the effects of rebranding strategies carried out in various ways, both in the marketing context as well as in the psychological (consumer reactions) and sociological context (consumer trends impact). Neither does this article does explore this research area, which implies further research for authors. Originality/value: The presented research is a new approach to the subject and thus can make an original contribution to the science of brand management.