What can a 16th-century Shakespeare comedy teach us about brand renovation? Quite a lot, it turns out! The Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) 2025 reinvention of Much Ado About Nothing offers some great inspiration for teams tackling a classic dilemma: how to modernise a long established brand without losing what made it famous? Here’s how the RSC tackled this challenge, with three principles every brand renovator can borrow with pride.
1. Remember and refresh what made you famous
The RSC have stuck to the same core brand story of Much Ado, which is as relevant today as it was several hundred years ago. We still have an on-off-on romance between the two lead characters, Beatrice and Benedick. Their witty verbal warfare, stubborn pride and eventual surrender to love would not be out of place in a modern day romcom. Alongside runs a darker second plot about Hero, a young woman who has her reputation destroyed by a false accusation of infidelity. Again, this storyline, unfortunately, has contemporary relevance in an age of social media fuelled fake news.
The RSC have also retained many of the play’s “distinctive brand assets”. The setting remains Messina, a port city in northeastern Sicily, Italy. But now it is the home of Messina FC instead of a place of leisure for returning soldiers. The key characters from the original play are all present, albeit with a 21st century reboot. Benedick and Claudio aren’t noblemen, they’re star strikers. Beatrice is reimagined as the sharp-tongued head of PR and media for Messina FC. Instead of being a governor, Leanato is the club’s multimillionaire owner.
Image: https://www.rsc.org.uk/much-ado-about-nothing/production-photos
2. Tap into today’s culture
The magic of the RSC production is how it reboots Much Ado by tapping into contemporary culture. In the new version, castles, medieval costumes and traditional courtships are gone. Instead, we find ourselves pitch-side in the ego-fuelled, media-driven world of modern day professional football. The characters live in a universe of sponsorships, selfies and social media storms—where image is everything and truth is negotiable.
Before the production starts, the club are playing in a final, with a live commentary, roaring stadium chant and digital scoreboard. The team clinch victory thanks to a last-minute goal, with the players charging on stage, belting out “Oh, Messina FC!” like they’ve just won the Champions League!
In the original play, Hero is publicly shamed at the altar after being wrongly accused of infidelity. In the 2025 version, her reputation is destroyed by a deepfake video. AI-generated “evidence” of betrayal is released into the social media-driven world of celebrity football. It’s a chillingly modern twist that taps into today’s fear of being digitally defamed. And her wedding to Claudio looks like it has come straight out of a celebrity exclusive in Hello! magazine!
Image: https://www.rsc.org.uk/much-ado-about-nothing/production-photos
3. Drive distinctiveness
The RSC drove distinctiveness to cut through the clutter and raise awareness of theire new version of Much Ado. This was important given that another modern version of the same play was on stage in London’s West End at the same time, featuring Hollywood stars Haley Atwell and Tom Hiddlestone.
The brand world is now a mash-up of sportswear, training grounds, Instagram live streams and pre-match press conferences. Think Love Island meets Ted Lasso! This refreshed presentation isn’t just a decorative “image wrapper”. Rather, the updated visual codes amplify the brand positioning themes of ego, image and tribal loyalty. They gives the play a new swagger and style that grabs attention and drives buzz.
In conclusion, The RSC’s 2025 Much Ado is a brilliant example of how to remember what made you famous, whilst updating your brand by tapping into contemporary culture. The branding lessons from Shakespeare also show that inspiration can come from unusual sources!
