Jollibee's brand overhaul: Can unified identity deliver scale without sacrificing distinction?

Jollibee has launched a new group identity, “JoyMark,” aimed at unifying its fast-expanding portfolio under one visual and strategic system. Introduced in July 2025, the refreshed identity marks a significant shift for the Philippine-based company - from being known primarily for its flagship fried chicken chain to presenting itself as a global multi-brand group.

While its legal name remains Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), the company will now operate under the “Jollibee Group” moniker. The update applies across all 19 brands in its portfolio, spanning fast food, coffee, and other F&B concepts. The goal: to reflect its core purpose of “spreading joy through superior taste” and to establish a clearer, more cohesive presence in international markets.

Jollibee Group global president and CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong emphasised that the change goes beyond surface-level branding. “Our purpose is more than an internal compass - it’s our strategic advantage,” he said, positioning the identity update as central to the company’s push for global expansion and long-term brand equity.

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Experts agree this kind of overhaul is less about aesthetics and more about internal alignment and future-readiness. “Identity unification isn’t a design update - it’s a signal of maturity, ambition, and integration,” said Reginne Cabanban, managing partner at Tribal Worldwide. “For groups aiming to scale meaningfully across markets, it’s a smart move - as long as it adds clarity, not complexity.”

The business logic is straightforward: a unified identity can make it easier to communicate with investors, secure partnerships, and evaluate potential acquisitions. But the broader opportunity, Cabanban added, lies in addressing customer needs across the full experience funnel - especially in an era where loyalty is shaped more by experiences than logos. “There is vast opportunity for them to create this for their customers,” she said.

The halo effect of a mega brand

The move is less about corporate tidiness and more about emotional leverage, according to Carlos Mori Rodriguez, chief innovation officer at EON Group. “A robust parent brand has the strength to shelter and protect smaller, more vulnerable sub-brands. It does so through a ‘halo effect’ rooted deeply in consumer trust, love, and emotional resonance.”

Jollibee’s use of joy as its emotional anchor makes it uniquely suited for this kind of transition. “Joy is also an aspirational human emotion, making it a powerful and undeniable insight that crosses cultural boundaries, enabling Jollibee to emotionally unify diverse markets,” he added.

Still, this strategy isn’t without risks. Rodriguez believes that if executed well, unified branding doesn’t flatten sub-brands - it elevates them. But he warns of a clear threshold: “The essential strategy isn’t avoiding unification, but ensuring sub-brands retain their uniqueness.”

For Edg Samson, chief client officer at Jayme Headquarters, the rebrand offers clarity and consistency across the board. “It becomes a bible everyone can refer and adhere to,” he said. “Any new brand introductions in the portfolio will immediately benefit from the corporate legacy, and consequently, consumer trust.”

However, he also warns of risks: if corporate branding dominates too strongly - especially when tied to a singular brand such as Jollibee - there’s potential to erode the unique equity of sub-brands. The key, Samson said, is to “deliver on the corporate purpose consistently, but still have the individual equities front and centre in their campaigns and stores.”

“The non-Jollibee brands within the group will have to balance and execute well against this purpose,” Samson added. “They all should consistently deliver on the ‘food excellence that brings joy to the table’ promise, but be careful not to lose out on the different equities they stand for individually.”

Even marketing execution needs scrutiny. As Samson pointed out, “Especially with most digital content being short and sweet, corporate branding shouldn’t be an added element that clutters or muddles the messaging of the individual brands.”

A compass for teams, a signal to markets

For internal teams, a single corporate identity can provide powerful clarity. “It becomes everybody’s compass on strategising, hiring, and generally doing their business,” said Samson. “What you believe dictates how you behave.”

That belief structure, once codified, offers a consistent standard across internal and external audiences. For investors and institutional partners, it also clarifies the company’s trajectory.

“The logo and corporate identity indicate to the public where they intend to go and what they stand for,” said Miko David, president of the Digital Marketing Association of the Philippines. “And I believe this shift is equally important to communicate.”

While Jollibee remains the group’s most recognisable brand, several others in the portfolio already hold strong positions within their respective categories, David emphasised. The broader house-of-brands identity aims to reflect the diversity and strengths of these individual brands. It also offers a glimpse into how the “JoyMark” may guide future acquisitions or partnerships - serving as a benchmark for alignment with the group’s existing standards and values.

However, David also echoed the same concern: “There is a risk when a current or new brand does not meet the same quality standards or brand promise that the ‘house of brands’ identity is bannering for.” He remains hopeful: “Fortunately, Jollibee has significant experience in delivering joy to the markets it serves, and we’ve seen that in their market performance.”

In the long run, the consumer arguably stands to gain the most - if the strategy is backed by operational consistency.

“Unified brand families... establish an intangible yet potent emotional space within consumers - a sanctuary of belief, confidence, patience, clarity, and attention,” Rodriguez explained. “This space becomes the emotional bank where brand trust is continuously invested and cultivated.”

Samson took a pragmatic stance: “It gives consumers something to hold against the group/corporate brand the moment it strays from its promise in any way, shape or form. It likewise makes it easier for consumers to make purchase choices at times. When in doubt, go with the trusted manufacturer.”

A model for others?

So should other F&B or retail groups follow suit?

Only if the timing, maturity, and values align. “If there is enough commonality of promise and/or purpose that is worth putting a ‘thread’ to,” Samson advised.

David was even more direct: “A unified corporate rebrand makes no sense if everything you do internally will just be the same. Else, the corporate branding shift will only be cosmetic.”

In contrast, Jollibee’s move comes at a point where the company has earned the right to scale its values. It has the operational heft, emotional equity, and category experience to thread the needle.

Cabanban noted that for many local clients, the aspiration is to expand regionally - and eventually, like Jollibee, go global. “Filipinos are global. We are everywhere so it is natural for our brands to also go global. The challenge then is to create relevance across cultures/markets,” she said. In Jollibee’s case, she added, the universal appeal of good food provides a strong foundation to build on.

Unifying under a single corporate identity isn’t just a visual overhaul. It’s a bold declaration of purpose - a move that can either sharpen a group’s positioning or blur its brands beyond recognition. The key lies not in what companies change on the outside, but what they commit to changing internally.

In the words of CEO Tanmantiong: “We’re not only expanding our reach - we’re shaping a company known not just for business success, but for the joy and quality we bring to people’s lives.”

“Superior taste is not just what we serve - it’s the reason our brands resonate across cultures and markets,” he added. Ultimately, the truth is in every customer’s bite.

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