The 13 Most Impressive Brand Comebacks of all Time

Every once in a while, a popular brand falls off the map. In the chance the brand chooses to make a comeback, a huge rebranding effort comes into play. Members OnlyThis popular clothing brand in the 80s had the advertising tagline: When you put it on, something happens. But the brand slowly became dismissed in the fashion world because of its dated look.

Every once in a while, a popular brand falls off the map. During that time they have two choices: accept defeat or make a comeback plan. In the chance the brand chooses to make a comeback, a huge rebranding effort comes into play.

Gathered from surveys by Ranker.com these are brands defied the odds.

13. Members Only

This popular clothing brand in the ’80s had the advertising tagline: “When you put it on, something happens.” But the brand slowly became dismissed in the fashion world because of its dated look. Lucky for them, retro is in. The brand relaunched in 2004 with a men’s and women’s line and has been seen being worn by celebrities such as Anne Hathaway, David Hasselhoff, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, and Miley Cyrus.

12. Myspace

From 2005 until 2008, Myspace was the largest social networking site in the world. Then in 2008, Facebook emerged and Myspace was forgotten. But now, Myspace is capitalizing on its music platform. Backed by Justin Timberlake, the site underwent a major redesign and is now a popular place for artists and musicians to post their work, while users can browse and search featured content.

11. Birkenstock

These distinctive cork-soled sandals noticed a surge of popularity on the ’90′s, but as trends go, they became increasingly unaccepted in American culture. Thanks, yet again, to retro style taking the runways, the two-strap sandal trend is back and Birkenstock is at the top of the pack.

10. Keds

The company’s simple canvas sneakers reached the height of their iconic popularity during the ’70s and ’80s. Keds sales slumped in the ’90s and the desirability of the brand faltered. Enter the age of digital marketing, and Keds saw a revival in the mid-2000′s by letting users customize their shoes. Keds also collaborated with Taylor Swift, who released her own line of the shoes in October 2012.

9. Dr. Martens

Originally launched as a practical work boot, Dr. Martens maintained popularity from the ’70s, all the way into the ’90s grunge era. Now that ’90s fashion is back, the clunky boot is acceptable and popular yet again. The boots are now available in more colors and styles than before.

8. Cadillac

This luxury car brand fell off the map during the end of the ’90s. Luxury status faded as its town cars proved to be outdated. After relocating headquarters from Detroit to New York and revamping its ditial marketing strategy, the brand is on a better path.

7. Polaroid

Digital cameras took over Polaroid in the early 2000s and traditional film became obsolete. Since you can’t upload a Polaroid photo to social media, the brand felt a slump in sales. Now, Polaroid is a cool tech toy, offering a digital upgrade of its iconic One-Step camera that snaps digital photos, then uses a tiny printer to spit out a physical copy.

6. Old Spice

The popular men’s fragrance of the ’80′s was recognized as a woodsy odor associated with older gentlemen. The brand was sold to Proctor and Gamble in 1990, who rebranded Old Spice by expanding the product line and creating the memorable and laughable commercials featuring Terry Crews.

5. Hostess Brands

In 2012, Hostess announced that because of its declining sales, it would discontinue production and distribution of Twinkies, Zingers, Sno Ball Cupcakes, Suzie Q’s ,and Chocodiles in North America. But thanks to investor money, many of the brands came back to life in 2013.

4. Nintendo

Transitioning from arcade games to a home gaming system to handheld platform, Nintendo’s constant innovation made it a recognizable brand in gaming. But with the release of the Sony Playstation 2 in the ’90s, Nintendo’s visibility slowly declined. In the 2000s, Nintendo’s release of the Wii revived the brand’s name.

3. Apple Inc.

Apple premiered in the ’80s as a home computer system ready to dominate the market. During the first half of the ’90s, Windows established itself as the OS of choice for most PC users. But with the return of Steve Jobs to Apple in 1997, the company shifted its focus from personal computing to mobile devices, with $63.2 million iPhone users.

2. Marvel Entertainment

Marvel was one of the original cornerstones of superhero comic books. As comics sales declined during the ’70s and ’80s, Marvel lost steam and filed for bankruptcy during the 1990s. A string of successful film franchises such as the X-Men, Spiderman, and Avenger Series led to its revival.

1. LEGO

This simple building toy brand experienced a major decline during the early 2000s while failing to stay innovative. With the hiring of a new CEO in 2004, the brand bounced back by partnering creatively with entertainment companies and now has a theme park, video games, board games, and a movie.