Instagram Rebranding and Corporate Digital Identity Renewal: A Case Study of @Lautanluas.id

Abstract

Corporate transformation requires organizations to align their digital self-representation with changes in business positioning, yet prior studies of Instagram-based corporate communication have more often examined branding, image building, or digital public relations than the operational process through which a business-to-business company renews its digital identity. This study examines how PT Lautan Luas Tbk reconfigured its Instagram identity during its transition from a chemical company to an Integrated Ingredients and Solutions Provider. A descriptive qualitative case-study design was employed using Instagram observation during 2023–2025, semi-structured interviews with one Corporate Communications officer, and review of corporate documents. Content from the official @lautanluas.id account was coded against Muzellec et al.’s four-stage framework: repositioning, renaming, redesign, and relaunching, with cross-source comparison used to strengthen interpretation. The findings show that repositioning was enacted through a new communication direction and content pillars; the renaming stage occurred only partially and is better understood as a digital verbal-identity adjustment because the corporate name did not change; redesign standardized visual and verbal branding; and relaunching introduced the renewed Instagram identity and was reinforced through continued content management and employee engagement. The study contributes by adapting a corporate rebranding framework to account-level digital identity renewal in a B2B context. The evidence supports claims about the company’s projected digital identity and communication consistency, but not audience perception or trust effects.