Re-branding and consumer confidence : a case study of corporate re-branding in the car rental industry

Abstract

In this study the researcher looked at corporate rebranding within the travel and tourism segment of South Africa. The organisation in question, Imperial Car Rental, a home-grown South African company with a 30-year pedigree at the time undertook a rebranding project to a global car hire organisation, Europcar. The purpose of the rebranding project was focused on the elevation of the existing brand and how the change would allow Imperial/Europcar to connect with their existing customer portfolio on a deeper level as well as grow and reach a new customer base just in time for the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa. The study was qualitative and utilised interviews (from interview schedules) with an identified respondent pool within the organisation to gather and analyse data specific to the rebranding project. A benefit to this work was that the researcher had access to all internal stakeholders that headed up the project in 2008-2009. The results of the study highlighted the specific requirements of communication, planning and negotiation to ensure the project was a success, it was noted that the most important consideration for the project was the inclusion of all stakeholders, internal and external throughout the process which was conclusive in nature allowing for several recommendations and appropriate conclusion by the researcher.