Rebrands aren’t just rebrands anymore. No, silly—they’re a moment for public discourse about where brands stand politically and an opportunity for onlookers to declare what design overhauls say about those stances.

Consider the case of Cracker Barrel. Last month, the chain eatery known for its kitschy Southern aesthetic introduced a new brandmark that removed its titular barrel as well as the character known as Uncle Herschel or Old Timer as part of a $700 million rebrand and restaurant experience refresh. After the move was announced, Cracker Barrel’s stock took a 12% dip amid public criticism, which quickly turned political as right-wing commentators accused the brand of “going woke” instead of simply opting for a re-blanding.

The company released a statement that it “could’ve done a better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be,” before President Donald Trump weighed in and urged the company to return to its previous logo. Later that day, Cracker Barrel reversed course, releasing another statement announcing that “‘Old Timer’ will remain.”

Cracker Barrel isn’t alone in managing backlash to a rebrand. MSNBC’s rebrand to MS NOW caught ire and scorn in equal measure last month, and HBO Max’s short-lived there-and-back-again rebrand to Max was the internet’s favorite punchline earlier this year. But increasingly, rebrands are getting dragged into the culture wars. Late last year, Jaguar faced a round of backlash for its new logo that opted for a sleek new design over its beloved heritage mark to signal its move into the electric vehicle market; one ad from the new look was recently derided by the president as being “woke.”

Rolling out a rebrand is no longer a simple act of changing typefaces, logos, or taglines, and brands are faced with evaluating rebrands from all angles and determining how best to communicate them. While there have been many controversial rebrands over the years (remember Tropicana, Gap, or Pepsi?), the current cultural climate makes it all the more likely that a rebrand could draw the wrong kind of attention, and there are few ways for brands to prepare for the possibility, according to branding experts.

“Brands need [to] start getting comfortable with the [fact that the] culture wars may pull you in,” Douglas Brundage, founder and CEO of brand studio Kingsland, told Marketing Brew.

Continue reading here.—KM

Cookies and demogorgons and augmented reality, oh my!

Chips Ahoy recently partnered with Netflix’s Stranger Things for a limited-edition cookie collab that will be seen far beyond the grocery store shelf. The special chocolate- and strawberry-flavored cookie, inspired by the show’s red-and-black Upside Down underworld aesthetic, became available for purchase in stores nationwide on August 11, and on the same day, Chips Ahoy promoted the collaboration via another one—an AR-based game powered by and promoted on Snapchat.

The whole move, according to Michele Nevitt, Snap’s head of CPG, sales and client partnerships, was tailor-made to target Gen Z, and it marked just the latest example of brands branching into games to cut through the noise and give audiences a way to immerse themselves in brand storytelling.

“It was all about building a gamified experience, something that’s new and unique, that can excite consumers,” Nevitt said, later adding that “This experience specifically is optimized for sharing, peer-to-peer engagement, tapping into the way Gen Z connects, competes, and discovers through storytelling.”

Read more here.—JN

For tween millennial girls, Claire’s was a mall hot spot, its purple sign a beacon for endless trinket shopping at its floor-to-ceiling displays of hair clips, charm bracelets, and soda-scented lip balms.

But times, and young shoppers, have changed.

In its bankruptcy filing earlier this month, Claire’s referenced declining foot traffic, inflation, tariffs, competition from lower-priced retailers, and “disparity between inventory and customer demand” among its challenges. Forever 21, another youth-focused retailer that peaked in the early 2000s, referenced many similar roadblocks when filing for bankruptcy earlier this year.

While it isn’t what it was at its peak, mall shopping isn’t necessarily dead—indoor malls saw 1.3% YoY foot traffic growth in July. Gen Z shoppers in particular are continuing to hit the mall, and Gen Alpha is opting for in-store shopping, as the digital native consumers find in-person retail experiences a novel concept.

“The experience of going in store and trying stuff on is actually more unique than it was to previous generations,” Lauren Beitelspacher, professor in the marketing division at Babson College, told Retail Brew. “But what they want from that experience is different than what previous generations wanted.”

Retail brands targeting young consumers face the conundrum of either growing up with their consumer base or reinventing themselves for every generation. In both circumstances, they must change to meet shifting needs—and those that don’t will be left in the dust that even deep-seeded nostalgia can’t clear.

Continue reading on Retail Brew.—EC

As AI-generated content floods the internet, Reddit’s human-first platform is gaining popularity—offering brands a unique but challenging space to engage authentically, build trust, and tap into vibrant communities through smart, culturally aware strategies. Read about how brands use Reddit for social listening, AMAs, and unique collaborations for growth.