Cracker Barrel modernized with scant respect for the original (and beloved) branding

Branding unites people; it gives us iconic visuals and personalities that become a constant, familiar presence in our lives. And we feel the loss of their presence when a company unsuccessfully rebrands.

In the case of Cracker Barrel, its logo hasn’t generated much discussion or debate over the past 50 years. That is, until last week.

The backlash tells us how much of an iconic heritage brand it is, and its logo has played a significant part in the company reaching its icon status. But the polish of the new brand lost all of this heritage. It stripped away the personality of the brand, eroding something it has uniquely retained over the past few decades.

By trading its distinct mom-and-pop shop feel, Cracker Barrel introduced something that was too clean, even and manufactured. The brand oversimplified it, walking away from its heritage.

While many heritage brands reach a point when it’s time to refresh and modernize their image, this needs an approach that respects the original identity and the loyal customers who know it. Individuality can be present in a brand while still being suitable for the present day. But instead, many brands decide to homogenize, and Cracker Barrel’s simplification would have risked it blending into the array of logos we see on highway signs across the country.

The original logo isn’t perfect, and the rapid U-turn on the simplified design hasn’t answered all of its problems, but at least it retains its character. Despite thousands of Cracker Barrels across the country, the identity feels like a cosy family operation: different, eclectic, and more individual than its competitors. It created something rare and valuable that needed to be retained: growing while still feeling small.

The other question is, why did people care so much?

While the identity needed a refresh, stripping this back entirely and simplifying the brand hit people hard because its main character was removed. A character who has been a presence for a large portion of our lives, for many, our entire lives, who represents the nostalgia of visiting Cracker Barrel with our families, the convenient road trip staple, and the comforting meals.

It teaches us a larger lesson about brands: Their most famous assets, whether a logo, mascot or tagline, are just as much owned by the public as they are by the brands. And if the strategy and story behind the change are not meaningful, like the Cracker Barrel logo change, people will not be happy, and brands will hear about it.

From a technical perspective, the new logo did make some sense. The complexity of the initial logo created difficulties when it came to digital applications, as it was first introduced long before brands needed to seamlessly fit in small spaces and online. Cracker Barrel will still need to overcome this hurdle to thrive in a digital world.

But this should be addressed without losing its personality. Cracker Barrel has thrived in refreshing its physical space, where the dining experience has been modernized without feeling stripped back or sterile.

If any brands are balancing how to create a refreshed look with their most valued assets, this offers a salutary tale. Shares of Cracker Barrel fell by 7% post-rebrand and even the president was a big critic of the new brand, which fueled the criticism even further. The business then faced a crossroads moment, stand firm in its decision or backtrack. Unfortunately, either decision would weaken the brand.

Option one, a leap away from its recognizable logo, would impact some of its existing customers, never mind the associated political storm, indicating that the brand was banking on the changes attracting new customers.

Option two, to backtrack, means the brand has very publicly lost faith in its own decisions.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and perhaps Cracker Barrel had to go through this process for people to remember just why they love the brand and all it represents. It has certainly garnered attention.

As it moves forward, the question of modernization remains. Once the storm has passed, Cracker Barrel will need to assess alternative routes to refresh its identity, while respecting its visual assets to avoid any further upset.

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• As Cracker Barrel ditches rebrand, here’s what it got wrong