Branding is a mandatory but risky process. Change is seldom welcome, especially when it can cost a lot to implement, and many careful considerations are made to ensure the brand is a success. Whether caused by lack of vision, poor planning or simply bad luck, here are three companies that set the standard for failed branding this past decade.

New Vegemite Product Name Leaves a Bitter Aftertaste

In June 2009, Kraft released a new, cheesy version of their iconic Australian food spread, Vegemite. To coincide with the release of this new recipe, Kraft ran a competition to give it a name. They received over 48,000 submissions, and each was reviewed by a panel of marketing and communication experts. Three months later, during a popular televised sporting event, Kraft announced that the new Vegemite product would be called...drumroll please...iSnack 2.0. Yep, a panel of marketing experts thought a great way to appeal to a younger market would be to capitalize on the popularity of Apple's iPod and iPhone...4 years after the trademark was assigned to Apple, and a full two years after the world was fed up with the tech-fueled iProduct naming phenomenon.

Just four days later, after a flood of criticism through opinion columns and social networking sites, Kraft declared it would drop the name, as it wasn't "resonating with success or favour." After another online poll asking the public to choose from six potential names, the product was finally renamed "Vegemite Cheesybite." Only later was it revealed that the Cheesybite name had narrowly won out over "none of the above."

Tropicana Has Consumers Seeing Red Over the Rebrand of Their Pure Premium Orange Juice

For many years, Tropicana has used the very recognizable image of a straw stuck in an orange to communicate their message of fresh, straight-from-the-orange juice. It was easily identified and did a great job communicating their brand and its values. So why did Tropicana choose to do away with the straw and orange and rebrand their Pure Premium line? That question was on the mind of many consumers when the new packaging was released at the beginning of 2009.

The iconic orange and straw was replaced by a generic glass of orange juice, prompting many bewildered consumers to comment that Tropicana had lost its identity - it now looked more like an uninspiring, generic store brand, rather than the premium brand it truly was. An attempt to modernize and clean up a slightly dated look managed to strip the brand of much of its personality.

Sales plummeted 20% between January 1 and February 22. On February 23, less than two months after the new packaging had been on the market, Tropicana announced it would scrap the new packaging.

Royal Mail Delivers a Royally Disastrous Rebrand

In March 2001, Royal Mail, the UK's Post Office founded in 1635, changed its name to Consignia. Sixteen months later, after a reported £1.1bn loss and the departure of its chief executive, it was announced Consignia would rename itself Royal Mail, thus securing its place in the annals of disastrous rebranding history.

Billed as a "modern, meaningful and entirely appropriate" name suited to its goal of becoming an international postal operator, the new name failed to mask the company's pre-existing financial issues and set the stage for a poorly-planned, misdirected attempt at restructuring. When asked what the new company name meant, Consignia's chief executive said it evoked the word consign, “mean[ing] to trust to the care of. Which is what our customers do each day.” Not long after, his answer changed: “The name doesn’t actually mean anything.” A complete rebrand is difficult enough without such confusion and flippancy among its leaders.

Though the rebrand might have indeed been modern, it failed to consider its 260 years of history and culture, and lost its connection with the people.

So what have we learned? A rebrand needs to clearly reflect who you are and what you offer in a timely, relevant way. Your core values and key messages must be communicated with the same or more vitality and transparency as the original brand you are seeking to replace. Today's consumers want honesty, integrity, and respectability in their brands, and shallow, blatant attempts to pander to consumers through trends will be immediately identified and criticized. Learn how you're seen by your customers and identify the best ways to realign your branding with your company goals without destroying your reputation. Do your market research – talk with partners, suppliers, staff, and customers. After all, these are the groups who will be interacting with this brand for years to come.

One of the things we love to work on is packaging design. I'm not sure why. It could be the thrill of knowing the design is seen directly by the consumer. It could be the strategic thinking needed to figure out how we are going to grab the attention of the target audience. Or it could be the challenge of working with a complicated dieline, inks and materials. Any way we look at it, it's always an office favorite.

As a designer, it's difficult to peruse the grocery store without stopping to analyze new design. Sometimes I'll stop to look even if the design is bad. I mean, bad packaging design? Who is this company? I can't imagine releasing a product to market that wasn't professionally designed. Especially when so many of our buying decisions are made based on the packaging alone. Come on, I can't be the only one who buys crackers I've never tasted before just because they come in a cool package? Or tried new toothpaste because the box said it would make my teeth whiter than the other guys (and the Dental Association thinks so too)? Or picked out a new wine only because the label had a funkier label than the one next to it?

The impact of packaging design on a consumer is huge, and in my perfectly designed world, everyone would produce beautiful packaging for me to spend my money on. And, spending my money on your product is really what you want me to do isn't it?

For some great eye candy, I love to visit www.thedieline.com. Beautiful design everywhere you look, what more could a girl ask for?