The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team with a fluffy bunny rabbit logo.  To the casual spectator, the logo might seem "incongruent" for a rugby club.  Given the rugby players I know, a keg of beer or a dental implant would be more appropriate.  But with a little digging, it appears that "the real moniker of the club is "Rabbitohs" — the men who peddled rabbits from barrows around the streets of South Sydney. Souths were originally referred to as the Rabbitohs by opposition fans as a mark of disrespect along the lines of Western Suburbs being tagged "the Fibros". The people of South Sydney took it on board and the rest is history."

When "outsider" Paul Everest, founder and creative director of street wear brand Unit, said the fluffy white bunny logo was defective and needed to be replaced, fans went nuts.  I think Rupert Price summed it up best: "Anyone who knows marketing knows the value of an enduring brand with authenticity and genuine credentials wins out over a brand contrived in some marketing department every time."

When you think about your products and your brand, remember the role that history and authenticity play in the consumer's mind.  Just ask Chief Illiniwek about New Coke.