At the same time, 70% of UK respondents said they don’t trust what they see on social media, including brand posts. This is, without a doubt, a difficult situation for marketers. They must establish credibility with their audiences, who are becoming increasingly skeptical of what brands say. Even companies with this much-desired authenticity are in jeopardy. When generations of hard-won trust can be shattered in the blink of an eye, brands must be more cautious than ever.

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of your favorite products? We are familiar with their brand names. Despite this, products are still identified by their brand images or logos. Debranding is a strategy that many businesses are pursuing. Products and services will be sold without their brand names or logos, rather than with them. Removing a well-known brand from a product or a company appears to be an effective marketing strategy because it makes the brand appear less corporate and more consumer-oriented. This strategy has become prevalent for the businesses that want to expand their operations while also distinguishing themselves from competitors by removing their brand name or logo.

Debranding is the process of promoting a product without the use of a logo or a brand name. Debranding, in a broader sense, is a de-corporatizing process in which a company removes its brand name or logo from its advertising materials. Debranding’s main strategy is to completely conceal commercial logos and even brands. The attention of customers will undoubtedly be drawn to debranding. People are naturally curious, so they would want to know the whole story about how the debranding strategy was implemented. Brand experience is, as you are all aware, the main course for all marketers. Originally, brand names were used to promote their products. However, the situation has changed, and every marketer now employs the debranding strategy to promote their products. Nike, Coca-Cola, Stella Artois, and Starbucks are all examples of debranding.

Debranding is generally divided into three categories:

• Simply Removing the Logo: This type of debranding involves completely clearing the company’s logo for a specific marketing campaign. Coca-Cola is the best example of this type of debranding. Rather than use the brand name for advertising purposes, they used 150 common names.
• Keeping the Bug but removing the name from Logo: This is the case where the company name is removed and only other symbols remain in order to recognize the brands. Starbucks adopted this strategy by removing its name from its coffee cup in the United Kingdom, leaving only the siren symbol. With the passage of time, the Starbucks staff adopted a new strategy, in which they used to ask customers for their names so that they could be written on the takeaway cups with the line “We are Starbucks.” “It’s nice to meet you.” This was done to make the company’s services more personal rather than corporate.
• Taking the Generic Route: The best example is the removal of Walmart stickers from apples in order to resell them after their expiration date at a local market. The use of generic labels on cans boosts competition and expands market share. The wordless logo was another indication of modern debranding in this strategy. This type of debranding entails the removal of a brand’s name from its logo and the ownership of local independent businesses without their brands. Multinational corporations have generally begun to remove their names from their logos, leaving only the symbols. Consumers form stronger relationships with brands they might otherwise be critical of because it is easier to connect to a visual than it is to a name.

That resulted positively- A Raging firestorm: “I hate Thailand”
A popular example of “Brand Suicide” is Thailand Tourism. The controversial theme “I Hate Thailand” was developed by the tour and tourism industry and it made headlines across all social media platforms. This could have led to a negative effect on the strategy. If, by any chance, something turns out badly, Thailand Tourism will be solely responsible. As a result, customers wanted to know what had happened. As an outcome, people came and had their first taste of travel, with a positive outcome. Due to the media, debrand spread like wildfire in this area. The media generates a large number of articles that can have a positive, negative, or confrontational impact. Debrandingeriffic!!!!!

1. Mature Products should go for it: Your brand should be able to communicate to customers the significance and benefits of your products and services. Your brand will not be able to capture a significant market share until you are well-established and have an identity and when a debranding strategy is applied, your brand will not have high-level of awareness and it should focus on increasing awareness in the long-term. For example, Nike was a well-established and mature brand. When they implemented the debranding strategy, it was a fruitful experience. So, if you plan to apply a debranding strategy, make sure that your brand is well-established in the marketplace.
2. Connect emotions and feelings with your brand: Some brands evoke strong emotional responses in people. Customers were fascinated as to what serious event occurred that the tourism industry had to take this step, as Thailand tourism brought to light their slogan as “I hate Thailand.” Customers were intrigued, and as a result of their inquisitiveness, they planned to travel through this tourism. As a result, they discovered that tourism had increased, and Thaialndians began to travel through tourism.
3. Maintain a clear and honest tone: One of the most important considerations is to keep your strategy simple and brief, because if you choose a long length, it will be hard to execute. Keep your brand simple so that any changes that are needed can be made. Nike is the clearest illustration of how to keep a symbol simple.
4. Brand should be flexible to cope with future changes: This is one of the most important considerations in Debranding. Create your logo in such a way that it can be modified in the future, if needed. The most important aspect of a brand is its flexibility. If your brand is rigid, it may have a deceptive effect. This may have an impact on your brand’s position and status, as well as profitability, and you may lose trust in your credibility.
5. Transparency should be prioritized: In order to adapt a debranding strategy, you must maintain your company or brand transparent so that debranding can be applied to a promotional strategy. It should not have any negative consequences for customers. Brand transparency is an important part of the Debranding process. Everything revolves around the concept of transparency. If your transparency brand incorporates debranding, it will soar to new heights.

• Debranding saves money on marketing/advertising for brands. This saved money helps in reinvesting to make genuine products and make a better customer experience.
• The consumer is in a better position to decide whether or not he requires the product and to purchase only high-quality items.
• Once the products have been rebranded, they will respond with the true value of the product, not the value that includes the brands’ absurdly high marketing and advertising costs.

How presence of Digital Marketing helps in your branding go through the blog “Did Somebody Say Improve Digital Presence With Marketing Strategies?”

The most recent campaign to pique people’s interest in this strategic approach is Debranding. Debrand in a way that your customers quickly recognise your brand. Incorporate the debranding strategy in such a way that it has no negative impact on your current position or the company’s status. Your debranding strategy must be sincere and have a significant impact on customer satisfaction.
Debranding is a vast term. So, one should understand the phrase, “The Right Debranding at the Right Time!

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