OCT 2, 2025
The Most Expensive Rebrands in History
Rebrands are never just about logos. They involve design, strategy, rollout, and sometimes even renaming. Some brands spend millions just to tweak a font. Others burn billions only to go back to where they started. Here’s a look at the most expensive rebrands in history — from the cheapest on this list to the record-breaking case.
10. Mastercard
In the mid-2000s, Mastercard faced a problem. Credit cards were going digital, but their brand looked stuck in the 90s. The overlapping red and yellow circles were recognizable, yet cluttered.
Mastercard hired Pentagram, one of the most respected design firms, to simplify its look. The change was subtle: the wordmark was cleaned up, and the circles became sharper. The design fee was about $1.5 million. That’s small compared to other cases here, but for a global financial company, even a small visual change meant years of planning, testing, and global rollout.
The rebrand worked. Mastercard kept its heritage while adapting for mobile screens, apps, and digital wallets.
💡So, in design, you don’t always need radical change. Sometimes small, well-done steps make the biggest difference.
9. Tropicana
This is one of the most famous branding failures. In January 2009, Tropicana launched a new packaging design. The classic image of an orange with a straw was replaced with a flat, minimal look.
PepsiCo spent about $35 million on this rebrand, including design, advertising, and shelf rollout. The idea was to modernize the brand and appeal to younger audiences who liked “clean” design.
But consumers didn’t recognize it anymore. In just two months, sales dropped 20%, costing the company about $50 million in lost revenue. People complained that the new packaging made Tropicana look like a generic supermarket brand. By March 2009, PepsiCo rolled back to the old design.
💡Brand recognition can be more powerful than “fresh” design. Change too much, and you risk losing trust.
8. British Airways
In the late 1990s, British Airways wanted to be seen as a global airline, not just a national one. They replaced the Union Jack tailfin with 50+ “world art” tailfin designs painted by artists from different countries.
The rebrand cost about $60 million, but the controversy cost much more. Many British customers felt betrayed. Even Margaret Thatcher famously covered a model plane’s tail with her handkerchief during a press event.
The idea behind the rebrand was solid: to reflect diversity and global reach. But execution backfired. Passengers missed the national symbol. Within a few years, BA returned to the Union Jack design.
This shows how national identity and emotions can matter more than abstract design strategies.
7. Verizon
By 2015, Verizon needed a simpler logo that worked across digital platforms. The old logo had a heavy “z” and a huge red checkmark. On mobile screens, it looked clunky.
Verizon hired Pentagram to redesign it. The new mark was stripped down: just “verizon” in bold sans serif with a smaller checkmark at the end.
The design fee was modest, but the global rollout cost about $80 million. This included updating thousands of stores, trucks, uniforms, websites, and digital ads.
The reason for this cost wasn’t the design itself but the scale of Verizon’s presence. For giant corporations, every small tweak means massive expenses in production and logistics.
6. Accenture
When Andersen Consulting split from Arthur Andersen in 2001, it needed a new name. They chose Accenture, meaning “Accent on the future.”
The project cost around $100 million. Why so much? Because it wasn’t just a logo swap. They had to rename offices in 47 countries, change legal entities, rebuild their website, and run global marketing campaigns explaining the new identity.
Unlike other rebrands on this list, Accenture’s was a success. The company grew massively in the following years and today is one of the largest consulting firms in the world. Sometimes, a big spend is worth it when you’re cutting ties with a failing legacy brand.
5. Gap
Gap’s rebrand is a case study in how social media can kill a design overnight. In October 2010, Gap revealed a new logo: plain Helvetica letters with a small blue square.
The redesign cost about $100 million, including marketing campaigns. But customers reacted instantly. Within a week, thousands of comments and jokes flooded social media. People said the new logo looked cheap and generic, like a default Microsoft Word font (emotional damage for Microsoft).
Embarrassed, Gap scrapped the design and went back to the old logo. The company lost millions, but even worse, they looked out of touch with their audience. At least they got a lot of media attention. Call it “failure cashback.”
4. BP
In 2000, BP launched one of the biggest rebrands in the oil industry. They replaced their shield logo with the “Helios” sunflower design — bright green and yellow, symbolizing energy and nature.
The rebrand cost $211 million. The goal was to present BP as “Beyond Petroleum,” a cleaner and greener energy company.
But after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the branding collapsed. The sunflower logo became a symbol of hypocrisy. Environmental groups used it in parodies.
A good example that design can’t fix reputation if actions don’t match words.
3. London 2012 Olympics
The London 2012 Olympics logo, designed by Wolff Olins, was bold and divisive. The design fee itself was about $625,000, but the full branding program — from stadiums to uniforms, signage, and TV graphics — cost $625 million.
Many people disliked the jagged “2012” logo. Some said it looked messy or even childish. But the branding proved effective in application: it stood out on TV screens, merchandise, and posters.
Olympic branding always costs massive sums because it has to cover an entire city and billions of viewers worldwide. This was one of the largest identity systems ever created.
2. Pepsi (nope, not number one)
Most of you already know this story, but it has to be here.
In 2008, Pepsi hired Arnell Group to redesign its logo. The tilted smile design cost about $1 million in fees.
But the full global rebrand cost about $1.2 billion over several years. Why? Because Pepsi had to update cans, bottles, vending machines, delivery trucks, billboards, and advertisements worldwide.
The redesign was controversial. Leaked documents showed Arnell comparing the logo to the Mona Lisa, the Parthenon, and even planetary orbits. Many found this ridiculous. Still, Pepsi rolled out the brand everywhere.
💡So again, we learned: for global companies, the main cost isn’t the logo design — it’s the logistics of implementation.
1. The Royal Mail
You probably thought Pepsi had the most expensive rebrand, but no. Not even close.
The most expensive rebrand in history is also one of the biggest failures. In 2001, Royal Mail rebranded itself as Consignia.
The new name was meant to show the company’s global ambitions. But people hated it immediately. It sounded cold, corporate, and meaningless. Employees and customers resisted the change.
The cost was enormous: about $2.3 billion, including new signage, stationery, vehicles, marketing campaigns, and legal work. “2.3 BILLION, KARL!!” And you know what? Within 16 months, the company admitted defeat and went back to Royal Mail.
This rebrand is still taught in business schools as an example of how not to do branding. Spending billions can’t save a bad idea. At least it created a huge media buzz.
So, what did we learn?
- Always test with real people before rolling out.
- Rebrand only when there’s a clear reason.
- The rollout costs more than the design.
- Culture and actions matter more than visuals.
At byDelign, we help companies avoid costly mistakes by building identities that are tested, practical, and human. Learn more at bydelign.com.
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