The Most Famous Brand Reinventions!
It’s not often that you might associate a skincare brand with being bold and brave. But not shy of being different (or of proudly and loudly blowing our own trumpet) here at Sönd, we’re feeling really rather brave at the moment.
In this article
The Sönd Brand Change Up
Rebranding For the Win
Marathon to Snickers
Victoria Beckham - From Pop Star to Fashion Designer
Brut - From Dated to Dateable?
Apple - the Juggernaut of Reinvention
Rhianna - Super Sweet to Super Sexy
Coca Cola - From Cocaine, to Umm, Legal…
Burberry - Fashion Faux Pas Becomes Fashionista Again
Alex James - Switching Bass for Cheese
Wanna Be Part of the Action?
Hopefully it hasn’t escaped you, but if it has, we’ve recently had quite a significant change around here - we’ve completely changed our packaging from plastic not fantastic, to eco friendly recyclable packaging made from recycled plastics and bioplastics.
The Sönd Brand Change Up
As a conscious brand that truly cares about the health of your skin, we knew all along that we simply had to demonstrate that we care about the health and wellness of the planet too. We always had it in our hearts, but wow, setting up a new skincare brand made us super busy!
We concentrated on what was on the inside first, and knew that you’d all love it, we just also had to launch as soon as possible. Over our few years of production, we’ve seen the plastic argument get bigger and bigger. But we knew that plastic has some advantages, mainly in cost and weight, and that we wanted the best for you, our gorgeous customers.
Eco Friendly Packaging
So when we saw the advent of bioplastics made from plant materials, and the benefits of using post consumer waste recycled plastics, we knew that was the answer. Glass was always too heavy and expensive, metal had the risk of leaching into our products and paper, well, it's just not robust enough for liquids.
After biding our time (and releasing new products), and looking to see how these new planet friendly plastics would fare, we took the leap and we’re now proud to say we’re planet friendly!
A Whole New Colour Mix
And that’s not all. We’ve changed our branding too - we’ve moved away from the plain white, to a set of colourful new bottles and tubes - and we hope you agree, they’re simply gorgeous !
A New Family Name
Some of our skincare products have had a name upgrade too…
- Our Clean Slate Cream Cleanser is now going by the name of Rebalance and Reset Cream Cleanser and true to her name, still deeply but gently cleanses
- The Sönd Sidekick Day Cream has changed her name (possibly even by deed poll, she’s a fierce diva after all) to Calming Hydration Day Cream
- Strength Training Serum is now officially known as Deep Hydration Serum (and boy does she hydrate)
- And finally, our Midnight Feast Night Cream still feeds your skin throughout the night, but has been given the new name of Overnight Replenishment Night Cream to reflect her deeply replenishing nature
All are exactly the same formulas and work in exactly the same way. But they’ve been given a fresh new look and have been renamed to boot.
Rebranding For the Win
All this rebranding made us think. Who did it best? (Aside from us, obviously.) Who rebranded and became an even bigger household name? Whilst we haven’t quite channeled our inner Prince and become a symbol, we’ve certainly gone a bit Puff Daddy and had an upgrade. (Or is that P. Diddy? Or Diddy? No wait, it’s Sean “Diddy” Combs, right? Who knows…)
So in celebration of brands reinventing themselves, here’s a bit of fun - who’s our favourite famous reinvention?
Marathon to Snickers
If you still call your chewy, nutty, nougat-based chocolate bar a Marathon, you’re not alone. After a brief fling back to its origins in 2019 (fans of the TV drama Unforgotten will know this ), the name was changed to Snickers in 1990 to bring UK chocolate lovers in line with the rest of the world.
As for Opal Fruits, in case you were wondering, they became Starbursts in 1998. And we’ve never dealt with it.
Victoria Beckham - From Pop Star to Fashion Designer
With her ranges of clothes and accessories now selling for thousands, we could all be forgiven for thinking VB has always been at the top of her game.
But think back to Girl Power in the 1990s and 2000s and you’ll recall that she wasn’t always known as the best singer. Or dancer. By her own admission … We always loved you though, Vic!
Brut - From Dated to Dateable?
If you’re of a certain age, your dad or grandad would’ve almost certainly worn the classic aftershave of the 80s - Brut. But it became lauded as old fashioned and associated with over the top estate agents in the decades that followed.
Now, thanks to a glossy advertising campaign featuring everyone’s favourite football hardman, Vinnie Jones, it’s having something of a revival. Retro revival at it’s best.
Apple - the Juggernaut of Reinvention
Not a reinvention itself, but masters of reinventing the things we already love, Apple products are ubiquitous.
Apple didn’t invent the home computer. But homes up and down the country have an Apple Mac. They didn’t invent the laptop either, yet here I am, writing this article on an Apple MacBook Air. And they certainly didn’t invent the mobile phone, but name me a person that hasn’t ever used an iPhone…
Rhianna - Super Sweet to Super Sexy
When Rianna burst onto the scene with Pon de Replay (tune! And it’s stuck in my head now, too) she was known as sweet and innocent Little Miss Sunshine.
Now, she’s true to herself with her sexy image, sass, punky hairstyles and x rated lyrics. And we couldn’t love her more.
Coca Cola - From Cocaine, to Umm, Legal…
Coca Cola gets its name from the fact that it used to contain cocaine . Enough said, really, only that now you won’t get arrested for possession of a can.
Burberry - Fashion Faux Pas Becomes Fashionista Again
Ah the Burberry check. Perhaps no other brand has gone through such a rollercoaster. In the 1990s, Burberry was worn by anyone who had money and fame. Even our fave, VB, wore it in the form of a bikini top and matching headband to sign autographs once.
But the onslaught of fakes in the early 2000s meant that it became synonymous with everyone from football hooligans (to the point where the print got banned from pubs) to Daniella Westbrook (sorry Daniella, we hate to remind you of the matchy matchy baby pram debacle).
Now, the company is seeing another resurgence, as the public (and landlords) seemingly have short memories of this brand's “chequered” past. (We know, comedy genius.)
Alex James - Switching Bass for Cheese
If, like me, you were (and still are) a fan of 90s Brit Pop, then you’ll remember the bass player from Blur - Alex James. Cool, effortlessly stylish/grunge-y and part of the biggest band on the planet (perhaps except Oasis, but the feud still rumbles all these years later), Alex appeared on the posters adorning many a young persons’ wall.
But now, he’s more famous for his artisan cheese that he produces on his 200 acre farm in trendy (and oh so posh) Chipping Norton. I’ve never actually tasted an Alex James cheese , but I guess if they’re anything like his guitar skills, they’ll be excellent.
Wanna Be Part of the Action?
Whether you’re one of our die hard fans, or you’re new to Sönd alkalising skincare for stressed out skin and you stumbled across us because you Googled “when did Marathons become Snickers”, we know you’ll love our skincare.
So stock up, or check us out . Not afraid to be non-conformist, our upgraded packaging and products are waiting for you!
References
https://www.glamour.com/story/victoria-beckham-says-she-was-never-the-best-spice-girl
https://www.livescience.com/41975-does-coca-cola-contain-cocaine.html