How iconic brands reclaim their secret sauce.

In today's unpredictable business landscape, iconic brands and founder-led businesses often find themselves at a crossroads, where the legacy that once defined them no longer resonates with contemporary audiences. 

For B2B organisations, this challenge is particularly pronounced, as evolving market demands and technological advancements necessitate a delicate balance between honouring heritage and embracing innovation. Reclaiming the "secret sauce" that made these brands special requires not just a strategic re-evaluation of core values, a revitalisation of brand identity, and a commitment to authentic engagement - but critically, it needs to rediscover the ‘why’ and the ‘what’:

Why did the business come into being in the first place? And what made it so special?

Rediscovering core values

At the heart of any iconic brand lies a set of core values that encapsulate its mission, vision, and promise to stakeholders. Over time, these values can become obscured by market shifts or internal changes. Quite often, as a business evolves, it’s simply because the new gatekeepers forget (or have never been told) what that original mission was. All they know, is what they see when they first arrive.

Reclaiming a brand's essence begins with a deep introspection into those foundational principles. A great example is IBM. Established in 1911, IBM has undergone multiple transformations, evolving from a hardware-centric company to a leader in cloud computing and artificial intelligence. In the late 2000s, IBM introduced its "Smarter Planet" initiative, realigning its core values towards creating intelligent systems that improve business and societal outcomes. 

This strategic pivot not only revitalised IBM's brand identity but also reinforced its commitment to innovation and problem-solving. With this in place - and retaining their original logo, they built out a forward-thinking, modular and coherent brand guidelines system around a refreshed visual identity - creating consistency across every channel, market and business division. All totally accessible to everyone through their IBM Design Language website.

Revitalising a brand identity

Some don’t have an iconic logo like IBM to fall back on however. 

A brand's visual and verbal identity serves as the tangible expression of its values and promises. Refreshing this identity can signal a renewed commitment to stakeholders and a readiness to meet contemporary challenges.

Facing a traditional, stuffy and low-profile industry image, Maersk - the world's largest container shipping company - embarked on a comprehensive rebranding effort that included the launch of a robust social media presence. 

By sharing authentic stories and engaging content, Maersk humanised its brand - significantly enhancing its public perception, and fostering a deeper connection with its audience in the process. This approach has attracted over 3million followers on Facebook, 2million on LinkedIn, 440k on Instagram, and their videos on YouTube have had over 30million views. 

Authentic engagement and storytelling

In the B2B sector, building trust and credibility is paramount. Authentic engagement through storytelling allows brands to convey their heritage, values, and vision in a relatable manner.

The LEGO Group, while primarily known in the B2C space, provides valuable insights that are totally relevant to B2B organisations. Facing declining sales and relevance, the business faced significant financial challenges in the early 2000s, reporting a loss of £174 million in 2004. So they set about redefining their core mission of inspiring and developing children through creative play. 

The downturn was attributed to over-expansion into ventures like amusement parks and media projects, which diverted focus from their core product: the iconic brick. To address this, LEGO implemented a multifaceted transformation strategy:

1. Return to Basics.They refocused on core products, streamlined their product offerings by discontinuing underperforming lines and emphasised the classic brick sets that had originally defined the brand. This resonated with both new and long-time fans.

   
   

   

   
   

2. Innovative Product Development & Collaborations. Whilst continuing to build on the success of their first licensed range (with Lucasfilm and the Lego Star Wars theme in 1999) Lego began collaborating with other major external brands - like Disney, Warner Bros, Universal and Nintendo - to create exclusive product lines. Alongside these collaborations, the introduction of the Bionicle line in 2001 marked a significant innovation because it featured a unique storyline and buildable action figures. Together, these ranges cleverly attract entirely new generations of customers, but also expanded LEGO's market presence.
   

3. Operational Efficiency. Under the leadership of CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, appointed in 2004, LEGO restructured its operations. This included selling off non-core assets, such as the Legoland theme parks, and consolidating manufacturing processes to reduce costs and improve efficiency.

   
   

   

4. Engaging with the Community. LEGO recognised the value of its dedicated fan base and began involving them in product development. Initiatives like the LEGO Ideas platform allowed enthusiasts to submit designs, some of which were turned into official sets, fostering a sense of community and loyalty.

   
   

By engaging both internal and external stakeholders in this mission, LEGO revitalised its brand and achieved remarkable growth. This approach underscores the power of aligning brand storytelling with foundational values to reignite stakeholder interest and loyalty. 

Embracing innovation whilst honouring heritage

Balancing tradition with innovation is a nuanced challenge. Brands that successfully navigate this often do so by leveraging their heritage as a springboard for modern initiatives.

Siemens, a global powerhouse in industrial manufacturing, exemplifies this approach. With a history spanning over 170 years, they have continually reinvented themselves by integrating cutting-edge technologies into its offerings. The company's commitment to innovation is evident in its extensive portfolio of digital solutions, which complement its traditional engineering expertise. This seamless integration of heritage and innovation has solidified Siemens' position as a leader in the B2B landscape.

Localised strategies with a global vision

For brands operating across diverse markets, tailoring strategies to local contexts while maintaining a cohesive global identity is crucial.

Unilever's "Dirt is Good" campaign for its detergent brands is a good example. While primarily a B2C initiative, the underlying strategy offers lessons for B2B brands. By adapting the campaign's messaging to resonate with local cultures and values, Unilever maintained global brand consistency while fostering local relevance. This approach highlights the importance of cultural sensitivity and adaptability in reclaiming a brand's unique value proposition.

Reclaiming the "secret sauce" that renders a brand iconic is an ongoing journey of reflection, innovation, and authentic engagement. As new people join, it’s important they immediately understand, and are explained, the reasons why the business exists - and why it has endured. Each generation have a shared responsibility to pass the baton onto the next - and they can only do this if their predecessors can articulate the ‘why’.

For B2B organisations, this process involves a strategic reassessment of core values, a brand identity that maintains its relevance to evolving market conditions, and a commitment to storytelling that fuses heritage with contemporary innovations. By embracing these principles, brands can navigate the complexities of modern markets, honour their legacy, and inspire stakeholders towards a shared vision of the future.

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Sources: Wikipedia / Research Gate / Marketing Week / University of California, Berkeley