BC United Leader Kevin Falcon couldn害羞草研究所檛 resist sarcasm when asked on Tuesday how his party害羞草研究所檚 rebranding from its long-standing identity as the British Columbia Liberals was going.

害羞草研究所淪pectacularly,害羞草研究所� he said with a wry laugh, before adding 害羞草研究所渙bviously, I think it could have gone way better.害羞草研究所�

In hindsight, even this was an understatement.

About 24 hours later, Falcon was standing behind a B.C. Conservative Party podium to announce his decision to end BC United害羞草研究所檚 election campaign, withdraw its candidates害羞草研究所� nominations, and urge voters to instead support the Conservatives in the Oct. 19 provincial ballot.

As BC United candidates and staff pondered their futures, strategists and communications experts pointed to last year害羞草研究所檚 ill-fated rebranding exercise, championed by Falcon, as a harbinger of the party害羞草研究所檚 implosion. Falcon also failed to capture a rightwards shift in political sentiment, they said, and instead it was John Rustad害羞草研究所檚 Conservatives who did so.

To make matters worse, the rebranding coincided with the soaring popularity of the B.C. Conservatives, who are not affiliated with the Conservative Party of Canada.

Campaign strategist Allie Blades, who worked on the BC United rebrand for the Mash Strategy digital political consulting agency, blamed Falcon for the exercise害羞草研究所檚 failure.

Earlier this month, BC United said internal polling suggested up to 30 per cent of people in B.C. were unaware the party changed names in April 2023.

害羞草研究所淗e just didn害羞草研究所檛 listen,害羞草研究所� said Blades about Falcon害羞草研究所檚 approach to the rebrand effort. 害羞草研究所淗e had a committee of people responsible for the name change. Didn害羞草研究所檛 listen to them. I害羞草研究所檓 sure that those staff and caucus people we害羞草研究所檝e seen move over to the Conservatives made that decision partly because they weren害羞草研究所檛 listened to either.害羞草研究所�

She said the rebrand failed because the party did not connect its new name and look to a message about what BC United stood for.

害羞草研究所淵ou can design a great logo,害羞草研究所� said Blades. 害羞草研究所淵ou can put out some ads, but it didn害羞草研究所檛 answer the problem which the party had, which was, what do they stand for and where are they on the political spectrum.害羞草研究所�

Under former premiers Christy Clark and Gordon Campbell, B.C. residents knew the brand of the B.C. Liberals, as the party of free enterprise and prosperity.

害羞草研究所淏ut this was a missed opportunity for BC United to brand themselves in what they stood for and what their values are,害羞草研究所� said Blades.

Falcon made the party害羞草研究所檚 rebranding and name change a key promise during his campaign for the B.C. Liberal leadership, and the party said 80 per cent of members supported the name change to BC United.

Blades said many older party members, including conservative former caucus members, believed the B.C. Liberal name confused and turned off voters who did not support the federal Liberals.

The former B.C. Liberals were not affiliated with any federal party, but the pressure to change names persisted, she said.

After Falcon became leader in February 2022, the party started to lose momentum in part because he did not reach out to his younger leadership opponents, including Val Litwin and Gavin Dew, who is now a Conservative candidate, Blades said.

害羞草研究所淲e were politically soulless for a while,害羞草研究所� she said.

Prof. David Black, a political communications expert at Greater Victoria害羞草研究所檚 Royal Roads University, said the failure of the BC United rebrand was 害羞草研究所減uzzling害羞草研究所� because other name changes in Saskatchewan and Alberta have worked.

The former Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties in Alberta merged in 2017 to become the United Conservative Party, while the Progressive Conservatives in Saskatchewan emerged as the Saskatchewan Party in the 1990s after a major scandal, he said.

Black said while people suggest the BC United rebrand was poorly funded, badly communicated and poorly managed by Falcon, consideration should also be given to the shifting political environment in B.C.

害羞草研究所淲hat is different from the other rebrands mentioned above is that public sentiment on the centre-right was shifting already in early 2023 and a more right-leaning and more populist B.C. voter was looking for an alternative,害羞草研究所� he said.

害羞草研究所淛ohn Rustad became leader of that alternative.害羞草研究所�