The brand you have today, is the brand you had yesterday and it will be the brand you have tomorrow unless you change the promise you made to your customers. What the re-branders should be saying is they are updating their brand presentation. You would change your brand presentation to update your look to reflect current culture and changing direction your company is currently experiencing.
Great examples of companies who have changed their brand's presentation are:
Apple changed their name from Apple Computer to simply Apple to reflect the different areas they now dominate like smart phone, digital music etc. The logo was simplified to reflect this change.
Kentucky Fried Chicken updated it's name to an acronym (KFC) reflecting a young attitude. It's graphics are also bolder, more dynamic.
Pepsi altered their center white ribbon to one that "pulls" to the right representing future movement.
All of these three examples changed their image to reflect a current position. They did not change the essence of their brands. Re-branding would mean starting from scratch and throwing away what-ever reputation you have earned to date. You'd be wiser to shut the doors and come back as an entirely new company.
