

A Change of Brand
Blake Howard
A Change of Brand, produced by Matchstic, is a podcast about the world’s most loved consumer companies and their rebrand glory, drama, or disaster. In this series we will go deeper than color palettes and typography, talking with brand leaders and agency creatives to retell the story behind the change. Getting into the nitty-gritty, we learn about their leading-edge work, creative process, and approach to change management. Regardless of fame or fail, our mission is to tell these stories to educate and inspire others facing a change of brand.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 16, 2021 • 29min
Tripadvisor with Matt Van Leeuwen
Just like traveling, the creative process can be an adventure where not every journey is the same. Tripadvisor's 2020 refresh is no exception, and Matt van Leeuwen of Mother Design serves as our tour guide for this Change of Brand that veered off the beaten path. Matt led the work, which had plenty of twists and turns but ultimately resulted in a delightful update to TripAdvisor's dated, 20-year-old brand.To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited by Matt Owen , fact-checked by Jill Jefferies, co-written by Pamela Henman, and artwork by Maliq Faulks and Rachel Jackson.

Nov 9, 2021 • 42min
Kia with Michael Keller
How can a brand go from bargain to beauty? In this episode, Michael Keller of Blackspace, gives us a look under the hood of the recent KIA rebrand and how his work redefined what it means to be an automobile manufacturer of the future.To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited by Matt Owen , fact-checked by Jill Jefferies, co-written by Pamela Henman, and artwork by Maliq Faulks.

Oct 26, 2021 • 33min
Spindrift with Colony
Today Spindrift is one of the largest independent sparkling water brands, but in 2016 that wasn’t so. How did they break away and grow beyond niche specialty stores? Adam Renfree and Adam Nathanson, founders of brand design firm Colony, led the work and share how their packaging redesign helped crack open new opportunities for the beverage brand. To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited by Matt Owen , fact-checked by Jill Jefferies, co-written by Pamela Henman, and artwork by Maliq Faulks.

Oct 19, 2021 • 45min
Pearl Milling Opinion
In 2021, after more than a decade, Pepsi Co and Quaker Oats announced their leading pancake brand, Aunt Jemima, would become Pearl Milling. In this episode we hear from sociologist and professor, Dr. James Bowie, and naming expert, Mark Speece, to get their opinion on the rebrand and the larger forces at play for renaming a brand based on a racist stereotype. Dr. Bowie's research and writing: www.emblemetric.comTo see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, fact-checked by Jill Jefferies, co-written by Pamela Henman, art work by Rachel Jackson, and edited by Matt Owen

Oct 12, 2021 • 52min
Starbucks with Connie Birdsall
Dropping a name from your logo is a tall order. In 2011, Starbucks did just that. Some found it too strong while others felt it was just right. Connie Birdsdall, senior partner and Global Creative Director at Lippincott, led the work and gives us an unfiltered account of the strategy, process, and how it all unfolded. To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, fact-checked by Jill Jefferies, co-written by Pamela Henman and edited by Matt Owen

Oct 5, 2021 • 55min
Fiverr with James Greenfield
When Fiverr, one of the world's largest freelance marketplaces, spent more than a fiver on their own rebrand, it raised many eyebrows. James Greenfield of Koto gives us the behind-the-scenes take on the ethics behind the decision to accept the project, the creative process, and how they handled the backlash.To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, fact-checked by Jill Jefferies, co-written by Pamela Henman and edited by Matt Owen

Sep 28, 2021 • 50min
Mastercard with Michael Bierut
In 2014, Mastercard took a swipe at evolving its iconic red and yellow circles to eventually dropping its name altogether. We dig into the behind-the-scenes creative process, with Michael Bierut of Pentagram, who led the charge to see the work eventually get approved.To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, fact-checked by Jill Jefferies, co-written by Pamela Henman and edited by Matt Owen .

Sep 21, 2021 • 42min
Southwest with Rodney Abbot
Southwest is a much beloved brand, but in 2014 a heart-felt rebrand process caused some turbulence inside the largest domestic air carrier. Rodney Abbot, Senior Partner at Lippincott, lead the process and gives us a first hand account.To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, fact-checked by Jill Jefferies, co-written by Pamela Henman and edited by Matt Owen

Sep 14, 2021 • 7min
Season 2 Sneak Peak
Get ready for a new season of A Change of Brand, starting Sept. 21st. –––––We continue to go deeper than color palettes and typography, to unpack first-hand accounts of change stories of much-loved consumer brands. This season we have episodes on classic rebrands, like Starbucks (2011), Southwest (2014), and Mastercard (2016). We've also thrown in the mix a few recent stories, like Fiverr (2020), Pearl Milling (2020), and more! Regardless of fame or fail, our mission is to retell these stories to educate and inspire those facing a change of brand.

Mar 16, 2021 • 1h
Burger King with Lisa Smith
Burger King woke everyone out of a food coma when it revealed a delightfully retro rebrand in January 2021. But did the fast food giant make a whopping branding mistake that may not be so obvious? For more on this change of brand, we got the secret sauce from Lisa Smith, Executive Creative Director at Jones Knowles Richie, the creative firm behind BK's rebrand that was two years in the making.To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Sarah Gail Hughes, and edited by Matt Owen