{"id":19191,"date":"2025-04-12T18:25:58","date_gmt":"2025-04-12T16:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ottobix.com\/the-burberry-case-how-a-luxury-brand-almost-died-and-survived\/"},"modified":"2025-04-16T08:53:05","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T06:53:05","slug":"the-burberry-case-how-a-luxury-brand-almost-died-and-survived","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ottobix.com\/en\/the-burberry-case-how-a-luxury-brand-almost-died-and-survived\/","title":{"rendered":"The Burberry Case: How a Luxury Brand Almost Died (And Survived)"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 data-start=\"386\" data-end=\"506\"><strong data-start=\"388\" data-end=\"504\">The Burberry Case: How a Luxury Brand Almost Died (and Saved Itself with a Brilliant Rebranding)<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p data-start=\"508\" data-end=\"700\">Burberry is now one of the most prestigious luxury brands in the world, a symbol of British elegance and status. But few people know that in the 2000s the brand was <strong data-start=\"664\" data-end=\"697\">on the brink of total disaster<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"701\" data-end=\"888\">\n<li data-start=\"701\" data-end=\"763\">Gangsters and thugs had adopted it as their uniform.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"764\" data-end=\"810\">Parallel markets were flooded with fakes.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"811\" data-end=\"888\">The brand was considered <strong data-start=\"838\" data-end=\"847\">cheap<\/strong> and had lost its luxury appeal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"890\" data-end=\"1072\">Then, in a stroke of genius, <strong data-start=\"918\" data-end=\"991\">Burberry has made one of the most spectacular rebrands in history<\/strong>, returning to being an exclusive and desired icon. <strong data-start=\"1045\" data-end=\"1070\">Here&#8217;s how it happened.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<h2 data-start=\"1086\" data-end=\"1141\"><strong data-start=\"1089\" data-end=\"1139\">1. From Luxury Icon to Gangster Brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"1142\" data-end=\"1350\">Founded in 1856, Burberry was synonymous with luxury, quality and British class. Celebrities, politicians and even the royal family wore his famous trench coats and scarves in <strong data-start=\"1317\" data-end=\"1347\">beige, red and black tartan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1352\" data-end=\"1399\">But in the early 2000s, something went wrong.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"1401\" data-end=\"1442\"><strong data-start=\"1405\" data-end=\"1440\">The Problem: The \u201cChav Takeover\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"1443\" data-end=\"1584\">Burberry made <strong data-start=\"1460\" data-end=\"1480\">a fatal mistake<\/strong>: <strong data-start=\"1482\" data-end=\"1581\">to increase sales, lowered prices and licensed the brand to too many manufacturers.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1586\" data-end=\"1642\">Result? The famous Burberry check pattern ended up on:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"1643\" data-end=\"1914\">\n<li data-start=\"1643\" data-end=\"1713\"><strong data-start=\"1645\" data-end=\"1687\">Baseball caps and tracksuits<\/strong> sold cheaply.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1714\" data-end=\"1816\"><strong data-start=\"1716\" data-end=\"1776\">Streetwear bought by British \u201cchavs\u201d<\/strong> (the equivalent of Italian tamarri).<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1817\" data-end=\"1914\"><strong data-start=\"1819\" data-end=\"1877\">Every market stall and second-rate shop<\/strong> had fake Burberrys for a few euros.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"1916\" data-end=\"2107\">From a luxury brand, Burberry became the uniform of hooligans, gangsters and football hooligans. <strong data-start=\"2007\" data-end=\"2105\">Even pubs in England banned anyone wearing Burberry, for fear of brawls.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2109\" data-end=\"2209\"><strong data-start=\"2109\" data-end=\"2207\">By 2005, 99% of Burberry tartan products sold worldwide were counterfeit.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"2211\" data-end=\"2248\"><strong data-start=\"2215\" data-end=\"2246\">Disastrous damage to image<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"2249\" data-end=\"2414\">The brand was now <strong data-start=\"2270\" data-end=\"2314\">associated with the culture of crime<\/strong>. Even the English rapper Dappy (N-Dubz) declared that <strong data-start=\"2368\" data-end=\"2411\">\u201cif you wear Burberry, you are a criminal\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2416\" data-end=\"2601\">Result? <strong data-start=\"2427\" data-end=\"2453\">Sales plummeted.<\/strong> The wealthy target <strong data-start=\"2474\" data-end=\"2520\">did not want to be associated with the brand any longer<\/strong>, and even shareholders feared that Burberry had become beyond redemption.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"2608\" data-end=\"2676\"><\/h2>\n<h2 data-start=\"2608\" data-end=\"2676\"><strong data-start=\"2611\" data-end=\"2674\">2. The Stroke of Genius: How Burberry Saved Its Brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"2677\" data-end=\"2885\">In 2006, Burberry brought in <strong data-start=\"2703\" data-end=\"2722\">Angela Ahrendts<\/strong> as CEO and <strong data-start=\"2734\" data-end=\"2756\">Christopher Bailey<\/strong> as creative director. <strong data-start=\"2782\" data-end=\"2819\">They had an impossible mission:<\/strong> transform a declining brand into an exclusive luxury icon.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2887\" data-end=\"2965\">Here are the <strong data-start=\"2895\" data-end=\"2928\">most brilliant strategic moves<\/strong> that turned the situation around.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"2967\" data-end=\"3030\"><strong data-start=\"2971\" data-end=\"3028\">1. Rid the brand of criminals (literally)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"3031\" data-end=\"3087\">Burberry made a <strong data-start=\"3060\" data-end=\"3084\">drastic and risky decision<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"3088\" data-end=\"3341\">\n<li data-start=\"3088\" data-end=\"3140\"><strong data-start=\"3090\" data-end=\"3137\">He removed the tartan logo from the most visible items<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"3141\" data-end=\"3197\"><strong data-start=\"3143\" data-end=\"3194\">He stopped licensing with low-cost manufacturers<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"3198\" data-end=\"3341\"><strong data-start=\"3200\" data-end=\"3265\">He removed tartan entirely from the most commercial accessories<\/strong> (such as baseball caps, which had become the symbol of chavs).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"3343\" data-end=\"3485\">Within a year, <strong data-start=\"3364\" data-end=\"3410\">Burberry cleaned up its brand image<\/strong>, making products with the iconic motif rare and desirable again.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"3487\" data-end=\"3538\"><strong data-start=\"3491\" data-end=\"3536\">2. Creating an Aura of Absolute Exclusivity<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"3539\" data-end=\"3600\">Burberry returned to <strong data-start=\"3556\" data-end=\"3597\">targeting the high end of the market<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"3601\" data-end=\"3738\">\n<li data-start=\"3601\" data-end=\"3622\">He raised prices.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"3623\" data-end=\"3654\">He launched limited collections.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"3655\" data-end=\"3738\">He chose luxury ambassadors such as <strong data-start=\"3691\" data-end=\"3735\">Emma Watson, Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"3740\" data-end=\"3825\">The strategy worked: the message was clear. <strong data-start=\"3788\" data-end=\"3823\">Burberry was no longer for everyone.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"3827\" data-end=\"3882\"><strong data-start=\"3831\" data-end=\"3880\">3. Technology + Luxury: Digital Innovation<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"3883\" data-end=\"3973\">Burberry was <strong data-start=\"3895\" data-end=\"3951\">one of the first luxury brands to aggressively embrace digital<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"3974\" data-end=\"4304\">\n<li data-start=\"3974\" data-end=\"4056\">It was the <strong data-start=\"3982\" data-end=\"4053\">first fashion brand to live stream its runway shows<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4057\" data-end=\"4166\">It created a unique platform for <strong data-start=\"4097\" data-end=\"4112\">custom-made<\/strong>, allowing customers to personalize trench coats.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4167\" data-end=\"4304\">It launched highly engaging social campaigns such as <strong data-start=\"4220\" data-end=\"4243\">\u201cArt of the Trench\u201d<\/strong>, which turned shoppers into brand ambassadors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"4306\" data-end=\"4419\">Burberry <strong data-start=\"4315\" data-end=\"4364\">transformed the concept of fashion marketing<\/strong>, becoming a point of reference for the industry.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"4426\" data-end=\"4501\"><strong data-start=\"4429\" data-end=\"4499\">3. The Return to Success: From Dying Brand to Emperor of Luxury<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"4502\" data-end=\"4602\">Within 5 years, Burberry&#8217;s rebranding was <strong data-start=\"4558\" data-end=\"4599\">one of the most spectacular in history<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"4604\" data-end=\"4749\">\n<li data-start=\"4604\" data-end=\"4646\"><strong data-start=\"4606\" data-end=\"4644\">Sales rose 27% a year.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4647\" data-end=\"4693\"><strong data-start=\"4649\" data-end=\"4691\">Burberry shares quadrupled.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4694\" data-end=\"4749\"><strong data-start=\"4696\" data-end=\"4747\">Rich customers flocked back to the brand.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"4751\" data-end=\"4872\">Burberry had succeeded in <strong data-start=\"4775\" data-end=\"4816\">get rid of unwanted audiences<\/strong> and become synonymous with luxury and refinement again.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"4879\" data-end=\"4938\"><\/h2>\n<h2 data-start=\"4879\" data-end=\"4938\"><strong data-start=\"4882\" data-end=\"4936\">4. The Marketing Lesson Behind the Burberry Case<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"4939\" data-end=\"5113\">Burberry teaches us that <strong data-start=\"4963\" data-end=\"5111\">a brand can quickly destroy itself if it loses control of its image, but it can also rise again if it adopts an intelligent strategy.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"5115\" data-end=\"5165\"><strong data-start=\"5119\" data-end=\"5163\">Here are 3 key lessons from the Burberry case:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ol data-start=\"5166\" data-end=\"5596\">\n<li data-start=\"5166\" data-end=\"5301\"><strong data-start=\"5169\" data-end=\"5196\">Exclusivity = Desire<\/strong> \u2192 If a luxury brand becomes too accessible, it loses value. Rarity is the secret of desire.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5302\" data-end=\"5453\"><strong data-start=\"5305\" data-end=\"5367\">The right audience is more important than the largest audience<\/strong> \u2192 Burberry understood that <strong data-start=\"5393\" data-end=\"5450\">it didn&#8217;t have to sell to everyone, but only to the right customers<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5454\" data-end=\"5596\"><strong data-start=\"5457\" data-end=\"5497\">Digital can reinvent a brand<\/strong> \u2192 The combination of luxury and digital experience has made Burberry a pioneer of fashion tech.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p data-start=\"5598\" data-end=\"5718\"><strong data-start=\"5598\" data-end=\"5644\">Today Burberry is once again a global icon.<\/strong> But without this stroke of genius, it would probably have failed in 2010.<\/p>\n<h1 data-start=\"5725\" data-end=\"5795\"><\/h1>\n<h1 data-start=\"5725\" data-end=\"5795\"><strong data-start=\"5727\" data-end=\"5793\">Conclusion: Marketing Can Save (or Destroy) a Brand<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p data-start=\"5796\" data-end=\"6057\">Burberry is proof that <strong data-start=\"5823\" data-end=\"5888\">marketing is not just advertising, but strategic positioning<\/strong>. If a brand is perceived in the wrong way, it can die. If it manages to <strong data-start=\"5969\" data-end=\"6054\">regain control of its image, it can be reborn stronger than before<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6059\" data-end=\"6155\">The Burberry case is <strong data-start=\"6078\" data-end=\"6153\">one of the most extreme and spectacular examples of rebranding in history.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6157\" data-end=\"6257\">The question is: <strong data-start=\"6171\" data-end=\"6255\">how many other brands today are making the same mistake and risking collapse?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1074\" data-end=\"1084\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Burberry Case: How a Luxury Brand Almost Died (and Saved Itself with a Brilliant Rebranding) Burberry is now one of the most prestigious luxury&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19040,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"obx_sintesi":"Burberry almost died in the early 2000s because it lowered prices and licensed the brand to too many manufacturers, until the tartan became the uniform of chavs and, by 2005, 99% of tartan products were counterfeit. From 2006 CEO Angela Ahrendts and creative director Christopher Bailey removed the tartan from visible items, ended low-cost licensing, raised prices and embraced digital, and within five years sales rose 27% a year.","obx_punti":"[\"Pubs in England banned anyone wearing Burberry for fear of brawls, and rapper Dappy of N-Dubz said wearing Burberry marked you as a criminal\", \"Burberry rebuilt exclusivity by raising prices, launching limited collections and choosing ambassadors such as Emma Watson, Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne\", \"It was the first fashion brand to live stream runway shows, built a trench coat customization platform and ran the Art of the Trench campaign\"]","obx_faq":"[{\"q\": \"Why did Burberry become associated with chavs?\", \"a\": \"Burberry became associated with chavs because in the early 2000s, to increase sales, it lowered prices and licensed the brand to too many manufacturers. The famous check pattern ended up on cheap baseball caps and tracksuits, market stalls sold fakes for a few euros, and the tartan turned into the uniform of hooligans and gangsters. By 2005, 99% of Burberry tartan products sold worldwide were counterfeit.\"}, {\"q\": \"How did Burberry fix its brand image?\", \"a\": \"Burberry fixed its image after 2006, when Angela Ahrendts became CEO and Christopher Bailey creative director. They removed the tartan logo from the most visible items and from commercial accessories like baseball caps, stopped licensing with low-cost manufacturers, raised prices, launched limited collections and chose luxury ambassadors such as Emma Watson, Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne. Within a year the iconic motif was rare and desirable again.\"}, {\"q\": \"Who turned Burberry around?\", \"a\": \"Burberry was turned around by Angela Ahrendts, appointed CEO in 2006, and Christopher Bailey, appointed creative director at the same time. Their mission was to transform a declining brand into an exclusive luxury icon: they cleaned up the tartan's overexposure, ended low-cost licensing, repositioned the brand at the high end of the market and made Burberry one of the first luxury brands to embrace digital aggressively.\"}, {\"q\": \"How did Burberry use digital marketing in its rebranding?\", \"a\": \"Burberry was one of the first luxury brands to embrace digital aggressively. It was the first fashion brand to live stream its runway shows, created a custom-made platform that let customers personalize their trench coats, and launched engaging social campaigns such as Art of the Trench, which turned shoppers into brand ambassadors. This combination of luxury and digital experience made Burberry a pioneer of fashion tech.\"}, {\"q\": \"What were the results of the Burberry rebranding?\", \"a\": \"Within five years of the 2006 relaunch Burberry's sales rose 27% a year, its shares quadrupled and wealthy customers returned to the brand. The brand became synonymous with luxury again. The case shows that exclusivity creates desire, that the right audience matters more than the largest audience, and that digital can reinvent a brand; without this strategy Burberry would probably have failed in 2010.\"}]","obx_fonti":"[]","obx_revisione":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3727],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-19191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-marketing-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottobix.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottobix.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottobix.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottobix.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottobix.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19191"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottobix.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19193,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottobix.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19191\/revisions\/19193"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottobix.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottobix.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottobix.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottobix.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19191"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottobix.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=19191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}