There are a million ways to approach a rebranding campaign. Some brands require a subtle refresh that people only notice months after the fact. But others need to go louder, and I don’t think I’ve seen any make as much noise as Old Jamaica.
The British ginger beer brand didn’t announce its rebrand with a drumroll and fanfare; it ran an eight-month send off for its previous identity. That included a farewell tour, bucket-list stunts and a countdown clock claiming to show the number of cans left.
Fans were dismayed and cans appeared on ebay at inflated prices, until it was revealed that only the ‘old’ Old Jamaica branding was being retired. Then began the teasing of the new look.
It’s the first time I’m aware of that a brand has staged its own death to remind people how much they like it. The nearest comparison I can think of is when M&M’s briefly announced the retirement of their ‘spokescandies’ following the absurd green M&M scandal. Wasn’t it a risky move? What if nobody cared? I caught up with campaign mastermind Hernán Cerdeiro, CCO Americas at SAMY Alliance to ask him how he held his nerve.
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We’ve seen a lot of subtle rebrands recently, why did Old Jamaica need the opposite direction?
Because subtle doesn’t slap, and Old Jamaica couldn’t be less subtle – it’s punchy, fizzy and fiery. It’s a drink bursting with personality, which was hiding in a can that looked completely outdated.
We dragged the brand into 2025 with colour, chaos and attitude. It needs to turn heads. Have a bit of swagger. This is Carnival in a can; the old one was more “cardigan”. And if you are going to do a rebrand, why wouldn’t you go all in?
We weren’t just chasing a rebrand; we were chasing ‘a mic drop moment’. A way to honour the past of the brand, not just pretend it never existed.
The idea to “retire” Old Jamaica came from a simple challenge: We needed to do something that, to our knowledge, no one had ever done before. And we wanted to do it with style – if you are going to kill off a brand, you shouldn’t be doing it with a whimper.
We went big – murals, memes, foul-mouthed videos and a Carnival takeover. We really wanted people to miss Old Jamaica, tapping into the emotion of the fans. The fact that Old Jamaica really brought into the vision we had at SAMY meant we could really go for it. Having the backing of the people who made the big decisions about the strategic direction of the brand was a game-changer.
Did you have a moment of worry about what the response would be like?
Not for a second. The chaos was all part of the plan. If people aren’t freaking out or arguing about it on Reddit, what are we even doing?
That tension and fury are just signs that people care, and some people were even hoarding the old cans and flipping them on eBay. Plus, at the end of the day, Old Jamaica is a beloved brand in UK, which also made it easier to relax about the potential outcome. We were betting big, but we weren’t retiring a brand no one knows or wouldn’t miss.
Attempts to trigger viral social campaigns can sometime fall painfully flat. How do you prevent a flop?
Stop faking it. People can smell inauthenticity a mile away. Some brands think they can slap angel wings on a can and expect cultural relevance. No chance. People see right through that.
With Old Jamaica, we didn’t fake a death; we built a story of death, mourning, and resurrection. We took over Notting Hill Carnival, threw a celebration that matched the brand’s legacy, and created a farewell bucket list with the consumer at its core.
As I keep saying, you can’t do stuff around the edges. You need to be going in 100%. Really commit. And stick to it – don’t backtrack, don’t bottle it and don’t bow to pressure. People have got to believe it is real, and that’s how the word gets out there.
Talk me through the thinking behind the new visual design?
The Caribbean is one of the most visually rich cultures on the planet, so why would you keep things muted in a land of rich technicolour?
The old look was beige. We turned the volume all the way up and took the brand legacy right to the top. The explosive, vibrant colour combinations combined with the new palm tree and logo were designed to transport consumers to a world that is strikingly colourful, vibrant and full of spice, just like the drink itself.
The campaign got masses of attention. Can brand maintain this momentum?
When you make people miss you, they don’t forget overnight.
It’s not about doing another stunt from here, it’s about consistency – showing up with that same energy again and again. That’s the image Old Jamaica has created for itself. Loud. Alive. Unmissable. And long may it continue.
Was this a one-off opportunity since people will suspect the ruse the next time a brand tries something similar?
People will only stick with it if it’s got soul and guts. We didn’t just pull a trick. We pulled off a story of demise and rebirth. Other brands can’t just copy-paste a brand’s story and pass it off as their own.
But if a brand wants to copy it, (which has already been attempted), good luck to them. But, Old Jamaica is the OG. So accept no imitations.
Is there not a risk that every brand has to go bigger to cut through the noise?
I don’t think the campaign being big is what made the impact. It’s not about shouting the loudest, it’s about being brave, Loud without a purpose just adds to the noise.
What mattered was doing something unexpected, unapologetic, and with real emotional weight. We didn’t go big for the sake of it. We wanted to make people miss Old Jamaica and encourage debate, and that required doing something different.
That takes guts, not budget. So no, it’s not about outshouting the competition, it’s about having the balls to say something worth hearing in the first place.
Do you think having started your career in Argentina influenced the way you work today?
Argentina taught me to stretch every idea and every peso. The economy, while picking up, is still one that’s deeply challenged; as a result, many clients have small budgets, but still come with high demands.
Many of my early campaigns didn’t go as planned – a feature of life as an ad creative in LatAm, but that resourcefulness, that resilience is baked into everything I do now. Just figure it out, make it exciting, and go full throttle.
What can other brands can learn from the Old Jamaica rebrand?
That when you trust the creatives to do what they do best, magic happens. Being brave is one thing, but belief across the team was what made it all click into place. Being given the room from Old Jamaica, particularly our amazing client Alfonso Haces & team, to stretch our creative muscles, be bold, and show off. All the credit goes to them.
Success isn’t all down to the brilliant ideas in isolation – embrace the risk and discomfort full throttle, and have faith in your creative teams!
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