Do You Need A Rebrand?

Bazaar India speaks with three leading, female bosses about how they rose to the challenge to navigate fresh trials and tribulations in the workplace....

- Humra Afroz Khan

It may be the only constant, but change can be extremely daunting. Especially if you’re returning to the workplace or reconsidering your path after a considerable while. Reinventing the wheel—whether it’s to catch up on work responsibilities after a pregnancy or sabbatical, navigating a new career path unrelated to your original field, or simply acquainting yourself with office life in a new space—is never easy. In fact, adjusting to the new may require you to unlearn years of conditioning, realign goals, and even reassess your work personality. Yes, it is challenging, but sometimes this ‘rebranding’ is just the boost your professional life needs. For instance, the British brand Burberry, not too long ago, was almost written off as ‘gangwear’, and was banned at many places in the UK. The Evening Standard reported in 2004 that two pubs in Leicester teamed up with the police to identify Burberry as one of the labels to be popular amongst hooligans who regularly caused “trouble” and “alcohol-fuelled violence”. After an immediate overhaul and new campaigns, the journey of an elite brand began. Today, Burberry is a global ‘luxury’ fashion house, and is said to have generated a worldwide revenue of about £2.83 billion in 2022 alone. The brand enjoys high ranks with celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, and Deepika Padukone. Tech brand Apple had a similar trajectory— where it was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1997, before Microsoft pitched in a $150 million investment, appointing Steve Jobs as the CEO to revamp the company. Apple, presently, is valued at more than a trillion dollars.