A superficial change of appearance based on the notion that a simple change of name,
colour, etc will somehow remove problems
faced/caused by the previous organisation. This effort usually attracts criticism as the
money spent on the marketing and reshaping could have been spent solving existing problems.
When Connex leaves Melbourne, Australia after failing to maintain its contract to run the train system, it is estimated that it will cost $
15 million to change station signs, uniforms, posters and logos for the new company. However, long-term problems such as punctuality, rolling stock maintenance and customer safety will still persist, as these are issues that only the state
government can address. This
money alone could buy a badly needed new train. The term Brandwash has been created to cater for this common distraction, similar to Greenwash - where a company boasts of it's
green credentials which are often dubious.