Brand Reconciliation? A Case Study of ITV's 2013 Rebrand

Abstract

This article extends existing work in Television Studies on branding through a study of rebranding practices. To this end, the discussion takes the mainstream UK commercial broadcaster ITV's 2013 rebranding as a case study and examines both the institutional contexts motivating change and the construction of its altered brand image through publicity materials. Engaging with the latter allows for strategies of what I have called brand reconciliation as, despite focusing on the channel's contemporary output, publicity stills demonstrating the channel's new logo attempt to activate popular audience memories of the broadcaster and unite its 'past' and 'present' incarnations.Keywords: ITV, rebranding, television industry, UK, popular memory, public service.On the 14 January 2013, ITV plc-the organisation that runs the UK's commercially funded television network founded in 1955-implemented a major re-brand. Using this overhaul of both the wider company and the main ITV channel as a case study, this article extends discussions of television and branding in two ways. Firstly, the article focuses on institutional rebranding and considers why a television company and channel radically altered its public image. Preceding academic work on tele-rebranding has offered a slightly one-dimensional account of these processes by equating such decisions with either 'networks struggling in the ratings' or being 'adopted at times of crisis ' (Johnson 2012, 139). Developing these positions, this article argues that other institutional factors must be considered on a case-by-case basis to achieve a more nuanced understanding of why television institutions (and their individually-branded channels) undergo rebranding exercises.

A case study of a non-profit organization in an emerging economy: O fonds in Latvia

“…Andersen et al (2018) raised validity issues from the use of a single case study. In contrast, single interview has been used to advance the understanding of phenomenon such as service quality (Stauss and Weinlich, 1997), as well as corporate rebranding (Garner, 2015). Therefore, this acknowledged potential limitation, with respect to this research, was deemed to be lessened based on the use of multiple interviews and sourcing of secondary company material and organizational insights, from the CEO of O fonds (Stavros and Westberg, 2009).…”

“…In conclusion, one area where this research does focus on theory lies in providing skepticism of utilizing single case, and single informant studies (Garner, 2015). If this type of case research is muted, within the context of identified research limitations from this study, silenced voices and industry practice will continue to result in a gap in the NPO literature.…”

‘Live’ anniversary event TV as public service ephemera

“…It is certainly not my intention here to suggest that EastEnders should somehow be viewed as a lower cultural form given that one actor made a minor mistake during its live performance or that sections of the audience celebrated such an error. Rather, EastEnders ’ celebratory and performed liveness (much like that of Coronation Street as a flagship ITV brand; see Garner, 2015: 13–14) emphasises technical/actorly skill, converting so-called ordinary TV (Bonner, 2003) into extraordinary television drama and sharply challenging the dismissal and denigration of soap which has dogged much of its history (Weissmann, 2016: 367).…”