In the 1980s, companies changed how they handled visual identity. Globalization, deregulation, and privatization pushed them to expand across borders and compete harder. They also needed to present a consistent identity and image in every country where they operated. Corporate identity consultants became important players in this work. By the late 1980s, the industry was making over $100 million a year. These consultants helped firms deal with mergers, acquisitions, and the pressures of operating internationally. Academic studies of corporate identity programs at prominent Hong Kong banks show that design served as a tool for global branding during this period. It projected corporate power and helped firms enter new markets. These identity makeovers were not just about looks. They were strategic responses to a business world where deregulation and cross-border mergers reshaped competition.
National airlines held a sensitive place in this branding landscape. They were commercial businesses and also symbols of state identity. In postcolonial settings, airlines operated at the intersection of corporate strategy, cultural policy, and building national identity. They used branding to balance local traditions with global modernity. Research on post-apartheid South Africa shows how nation branding mixed foreign policy with domestic legitimacy. It built stories of Afro-modernity and exceptionalism to reposition the country internationally. Airlines were especially projecting this kind of soft power. Their visual identities and service cultures became real expressions of political sovereignty and cultural goals. John M. Diefenbach was one of the consultants who helped shape corporate and national identities during this era.
John M. Diefenbach, an American brand strategist, business executive, and branding consultant, attended Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania. He completed his undergraduate education there before beginning his career in branding and corporate identity. He currently serves as a senior partner at TrueBrand Partners, a brand advisory firm that advises organizations on corporate identity, brand strategy, and visual identity programs. Diefenbach is known for corporate and national branding projects for airlines, financial institutions, consumer brands, and public-sector organizations. Much of this work took place from the 1980s onward, during a period of globalization and market deregulation. Diefenbach began his career at Landor Associates. Walter Landor founded the firm, which was an international branding and design consultancy. He worked on branding and corporate identity programs for multinational corporations and eventually became Chief Executive Officer and a principal shareholder. Young & Rubicam acquired Landor in 1989. During Diefenbach’s time at Landor, many corporations were updating their visual identities in response to globalization, deregulation, and increased international competition. Projects during this period included branding initiatives for companies in the aviation, banking, consumer goods, automotive, petroleum, and hospitality sectors.
Throughout his career, Diefenbach specialized in corporate identity and brand strategy for infrastructure industries, including airlines, financial institutions, telecommunications companies, and energy businesses. His work centered on helping organizations create visual identities that communicated their corporate values and set them apart in competitive markets. He cited advertising executive William Bernbach and branding pioneer Walter Landor as early professional influences, combining principles of consumer communication with corporate branding. A significant portion of Diefenbach’s career involved branding projects for international airlines. During the early 1980s, Diefenbach developed the corporate identity for Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). This work took place while Jan Carlzon led the airline. This project emphasized the airline’s joint ownership by Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
He also contributed to British Airways’ branding efforts as the airline underwent a modernization program in the mid-1980s under Chief Executive Colin Marshall. This work included elements of the airline’s visual identity and its aircraft livery. In the late 1980s, Diefenbach worked with Hussein of Jordan on rebranding Jordan’s national airline. The rebranding was a renaming: Alia became Royal Jordanian Airlines. The project accompanied the airline’s development as Jordan’s national flag carrier. After South Africa’s democratic transition and during Nelson Mandela’s presidency, Diefenbach worked on branding for South African Airways. This included a new corporate identity that reflected the country’s post-apartheid era. Additional airline work included projects involving Saudi Arabian Airlines, Northwest Airlines, American Airlines, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Japan Airlines, and Air Canada. In 1991, Diefenbach co-founded Diefenbach Elkins, a branding consultancy that later became FutureBrand. He was Chief Executive Officer and principal shareholder until 1997. The same year, the company became part of the Interpublic Group. During this period, the firm worked with Banco Santander, Bank of Montreal, Kodak, Nestlé, and several international airlines.
After leaving FutureBrand, Diefenbach became a partner at Wolff Olins, where he worked on international branding projects. In 2001, he co-founded TrueBrand, where he advised organizations on brand strategy, naming, and corporate identity. The firm undertook projects for Northwest Airlines, Telecom Italia, SEB, and the Dubai Department of Tourism. From 2012 to 2022, Diefenbach served as chairman and shareholder of MBLM, working on branding and advisory assignments for American Airlines, First Republic Bank, PJT Partners, Crane Company, and the United States Navy. He later became senior partner at TrueBrand Partners, advising corporate executives and boards on branding strategy, organizational identity, and brand governance. Diefenbach has given lectures on branding and corporate identity at several business schools. These include the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley; the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia; the Wharton School; and IESE Business School in Spain. He has appeared in media interviews discussing branding and marketing. He has served on the boards of several organizations, including the Chalone Wine Group, where he was appointed as a director in 2003.
