Why the Cracker Barrel Rebrand FAILED Miserably (It’s not what you think)

story fail rebrand
Braden East

Cracker Barrel’s catastrophic rebrand would have been hard to miss because of the public outrage and backlash it got (of course I picked the exactly WRONG time to take a break from writing this newsletter).

But the reason their new logo caught so much viral hate has a direct application to church branding, so humor me while we explore it for a moment.

Here’s my hot take: The new logo perfectly captured Cracker Barrel’s identity.

Before you cancel me in the comments, let me convince you why this is the case.

Think back to 6 months ago. If you had asked a thousand people what they thought about the Cracker Barrel logo, what response would you have gotten?

Probably something along the lines of, “I mean… it’s fine I guess. Never really thought about it.” Most people would have been apathetic or ambivalent at best. Maybe a few design-conscious souls would have said “eh, there’s probably some room for improvement.”

So, why did this particular rebrand trigger so much nationwide, seething outrage?

Some news outlets blamed “conservatives who don’t like change” and others said it was about the people rebelling against modern minimalism and oversimplification.

But consider an alternate timeline:

In this scenario, I’d be surprised if anyone bats an eye. Maybe they notice that the billboards are easier to read, or that the menu design feels a bit more vibrant and fresh than it used to.

No headlines! No mockery! Nothing!

But here’s the thing: it wasn’t a new logo that upset people.

Cracker Barrel’s customers felt betrayed by what the new logo represented.

The new branding signaled a fundamental change in the identity of Cracker Barrel, from a quirky, homey spot for comfort food and checkers to a corporate sellout chain with politically correct messaging and token vegan options.

In my opinion, the new (now cancelled) logo did TOO GOOD of a job representing what Cracker Barrel had become — a woke corporation like everyone else. This visual accuracy ended up being the downfall of the rebrand, to the detriment of the company’s stock prices and consumer confidence.

Here’s the takeaway:

Your church logo isn’t your brand.

Your brand is the story, meaning, and gut feelings that people associate with you.

Build your brand on the three pillars of a church brand: Christ, Congregation, and Community.


Related to “story”
Interview with Alex Montaño – Hard-Won Lessons from a Church Rebrand
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I recently had a blast interviewing pastor Alex Montaño about his church's rebrand in 2024. Here are some of the highlights from our conversation: Why trying to use Fiverr for the logo was a huge blunder (it wasn’t a skill issue) How to overcome initial resistance from elders What to do with a limited budget for “rolling out” the rebrand Watch the video to steal from his church’s rebrand approach... and crush it instead! 💪P.S. Share this with a pastor who might be interested in our conversation.
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A couple of years ago, I tried to talk a church out of hiring me for a rebrand. The church had an outdated logo and the leadership had a new vision/mission statement they were beginning to push. Here’s why I hesitated: the church was running 400+ members/regular attenders and I couldn’t believe they didn’t have someone from their own congregation with design expertise. Here’s how the conversation went with the pastor (we’ll call him Jake). Braden: “So why rebrand with my help? Isn’t there anyone in your church already who is a graphic designer?” Jake: “We’ve got a couple of people with a creative background, but nobody who’s up to the task of a complete rebrand.” Braden: “Surely they could work as a team to design it?” Jake: “Here’s the thing: we don’t want to put people in a position where they’re stepping on each other’s toes. We want this to be a unifying thing for our church - not a divisive thing.” Braden: “Hmm… if you’re sure…” Jake: “Bringing in an outside expert helps us avoid those situations. Plus we know we’ll get a better result in the end that we won’t have to second-guess in a few years.” Now, a few years later, Jake is still using that brand identity to reinforce his vision and communicate effectively in their thriving church. It turns out, he wasn’t the only one who feels that way. For many church leaders, bringing in a believer with expertise and an outside perspective is the clear best choice.
This Church Almost Got Sued Over Their Logo
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Last year I had a jaw-dropping call with a church that was in some serious trouble - let’s call them Ridgeview Fellowship. The church had a good online presence, a functional logo, and a brand they had worked hard to build up over the years. They didn’t want to rebrand, but when they came to me, they felt like they had no choice. A local accounting firm that had opened nearby had a similar (almost identical) logo. The firm was threatening legal action if the church didn’t change their look. But wait, the church had been there longer? Yes. Hadn’t the church been using their logo out in the community already? Yes. Where did the church get their logo in the first place? Good question. Nobody was 100% certain, but they thought they remembered it had been designed with a small budget by someone on Fiverr. If I had to guess, I’d wager that the accounting firm went with a Fiverr designer too, and ended up with a not-so-unique mark… Here are the reverse-image search results that suggest the same thing (church logo not pictured). {{ comp.video({ src: "/img/lawsuit-reverse-image-search.mp4" }) }} Now, the firm was threatening to sue for trademark infringement. Instead of spend untold sums of money and time imbuing themselves in a lawsuit (to defend a logo they didn’t even love), the church felt like they had no choice but to rebrand. This is a sad situation, and it happens more often than you might think. Here’s the takeaway: build your visual identity around the things that make your church unique, and you won’t have to worry about someone else stealing it. Also, you might think about trademarking your church logo.
Related to “rebrand”
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Breathing New Life into a Church Brand: The Story of First Baptist Aurora
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