SCOTLAND is blessed with a rich collection of heritage brands, and none more so than in food and drink.

Think of food and drink made in Scotland and names such as Tunnock’s, Baxters, Irn-Bru, Tennent’s Lager, Walker’s, and Johnnie Walker immediately spring to mind, brands that in some cases have prospered more than a century and have transcended their home markets to enjoy success around the world.

Their success has not been overnight. The reputation enjoyed today by brands such as these is the product of centuries of dedication, an enduring commitment to quality – frequently driven by their founding families – and ensuring they remain as relevant now as the day they were launched.

They also have the benefit of a consistent brand identity. But what happens when forces dictate that an established product must find a new name?

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That was the situation recently faced by Taylors, the Perthshire-based family business. Taylors enjoyed enormous success in partnership with the Aberdeenshire-based Mackie family, with which it launched the Mackie’s of Scotland crisps brand in 2009. The Mackie’s at Taypack joint venture combined the potatoes grown on the Taylors’ family farm with the brand and retail expertise of Mackie’s, and over the years built up the product into Scotland’s biggest crisp brand.

But things changed when the Taylor family bought out the Mackie family’s shares in the venture last year. There was no acrimony behind the buyout, but it did dictate that Taylors had to find a new name for the product. Mackie’s continues to use its family name as the brand for the ice-cream and chocolate it makes on its Aberdeenshire farm, which have always been separate to the Taylors joint venture.

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Last week, the Taylor family broke the news that it would put its own name on the front of the former Mackie’s of Scotland crisps, as well as on the popcorn and lentil waves snacks previously marketed as Mackie’s. The actual products have not changed, but they will be presented to the consumer via a completely new name and packaging design.

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Asked to comment on the thought process behind the rebranding, James Taylor, managing director of Taylors Snacks, pointed to his family’s long and direct day-to-day involvement with the crisps as he said the name would provide consumers with “a degree of comfort and familiarity in amongst all the change”.

Mr Taylor told The Herald: “To the outside world we have always been very open and transparent about the fact the crisps and snacks business was born out of a joint venture between the Taylor and Mackie families, so those that have closely followed our journey will be familiar with Taylors’ involvement in the business and may feel reassured that despite the change to the name there will be consistency in the taste and quality of the snacks we produce under Taylors’ continued management.

“We are proud to be an independent, family-owned business which we feel is also important to our loyal customer base. We pride ourselves on producing unique, great-tasting snacks using only the best available ingredients so are excited to put the Taylors name to our products.”

Taylors will be communicating the new name through a six-figure media campaign, including the first Scottish television and radio advertising for the product, to highlight the change as the crisps move on to supermarket shelves next month. But will consumers adapt easily to the change?

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Michael Hart, creative director at The Union, which over the last 27 years has worked for brands such as Scottish Widows, Stoats, Balblair, and Baxters, cited the switch from Marathon to Snickers by Mars around 30 years ago as a successful marketing operation of this nature.

He said the transition was made easy for consumers because the “product, branding and packaging all remained the same, bar those letters on the outside”. But he said the change Taylors has undertaken is “far more dramatic”, noting that “the product remains the same, but no aspect of the original brand remains”.

Mr Hart stated: “Communicating that the brand has been reborn, but with the same great range of flavours is a complicated ask, but essential to ensure brand equity doesn’t disappear with a crunch.”

What may work in the company’s favour, Mr Hart said, is the decision by Taylors to put its own name on the product. While he points to the challenge involved in starting an entirely new brand and identifying a gap in the market, he said “family-owned has a lot of cache and reinforcing these credentials directly informs the name of the brand”.

Lynsey Pritchard, client services director at Glasgow-based creative agency Thirst, also said there can be benefits to using a family name on a brand. She noted that it can “showcase provenance and reputation, allowing a brand to capitalise on strong credentials”.

“This, of course, assumes that consumers are aware of the family name and respect it,” she added.

More broadly, Ms Pritchard said that while there is a risk of losing consumer awareness when an established product is given a new name, it provides an opportunity to “shed preconceptions and have the opportunity to create a new brand that builds affinity with new audiences and demonstrates behaviours that you might not have been able to before”.

Ultimately, no matter how many brand experts are consulted, or how much market research is conducted, launching a new brand will always carry a risk. For a recent example, look at the rebranding of investment giant Standard Life Aberdeen, which left people somewhat bemused when it changed its name to abrdn in 2021.

Then there was the outcry met in some quarters by Virgin Money’s decision to ditch the centuries-old Clydesdale Bank name, after the merger of Virgin with CYBG announced in 2018.

The Taylor family will know better than most the risks involved. But, having prospered for four generations now, it will feel that throwing its weight behind the family name that has served it so will for decades will give it a fighting chance of success.