The Threats of Brand Rejuvenation: The Land Rover Defender Case

Abstract: Introduction: Brand rejuvenation stands for bringing brand up-to-date. Any brand might face at some point an aging issue. One way to handle this issue is to perform brand rejuvenation. However, the process of brand rejuvenation is not a simple process for the company. There are various aspects that might affect the process which can turn into negative results. In this paper, we investigated the Land Rover Defender brand rejuvenation process, and why it received loud negative publicity. Purpose: The purpose of this master paper is to analyze the Defender brand rejuvenation process through the application of brand identity and brand core models, in order to understand which parts of the brand platform were modified. Thus, we can identify the troublesome aspects of the process that caused the enthusiasts’ dissatisfaction. Research questions: We have four research questions. First; What are the brand identity and brand core and peripheral values of the old Defender? Second; What are the brand identity and brand core and peripheral values of the new Defender? Third; What are the core and peripheral differences between old and new Defender? Fourth; What differences can be assumed as potential causes of dissatisfaction? Theoretical framework: In this master paper we utilized the following theories: brand rejuvenation and similar theories, brand kernel model and brand identity model. Method: The research consists of a qualitative case study using secondary data. As for the methodology, we combined two theoretical models that we discussed, which are the brand identity prism and brand kernel model, in order to develop a comprehensive framework to understand the rejuvenation process. Conclusion: The main finding from this study was that the rejuvenation process caused dissatisfaction among enthusiasts since it modified the brand’s core values, which are the non-negotiable part of the brand identity.