BRAND DO-OVER? OR DON’T?

September 8, 2011

Ask any graduate of Marketing 101 and they’ll tell you that branding is about more than logos. It’s the sum total of the experience your product, service or organization delivers. It’s everything you do, say and promise to all your stakeholders.

This suggests that a logo is simply a visual expression of the brand, a symbol of the experience that follows. But that doesn’t diminish the value of that symbol; it must deliver the total message in a split-second, and if it doesn’t, it may be time to consider a refresh.

Herein lies one of the most daunting of design challenges: redesigning a logo – especially one that has established considerable equity. Logo redesigns undergo tremendous scrutiny and criticism. Will it alienate the core audience? Will it inspire a new legion of faithful followers? Is it a movement forward? Or a giant leap back?

While ad campaign failures are quickly forgotten and forgiven, when a logo redesign fails, the Monday morning quarterbacking can last for years. Take for example, last year’s redo of Gap’s logo. Consumers reacted so ferociously, the company quickly and sheepishly reverted to its original mark (although some say the whole exercise was a PR stunt). Brand New, an online chronicle of corporate and brand identity work, named it the worst logo redesign of 2010.

But when it works, it’s reinvigorating. The reaction to Starbucks’ logo evolution, featuring a rather bold move to eliminate the company’s own name from its brand symbol, was overwhelmingly positive.

Both Starbucks and Gap are considered savvy marketers, have built considerable brand equity over decades, and have struggled to hold on to their market share in recent years. So why the drastically different reception? Communication.

While the unveiling of the new Gap logo felt like a cautiously placed toe in the water (one night the logo on the website changed), the new iteration of the Starbucks logo was carefully managed through a series of strategically coordinated press releases, corporate videos, in-store materials and merchandise to build buzz, generate excitement and inspire alignment. While the Gap team seemed almost surprised by its new logo, and certainly caught off guard by the reaction to it, the entire Starbucks team – from CEO Howard Schultz to your local barista – was completely behind the new look, and the promise it was declaring. The result was clear brand confidence and not a single customer – nor potential naysayer – could argue against the strategy that they themselves felt a part of – regardless of what they thought of the design.

That’s the point. Design is subjective without a strategy that supports it. In a brand video explaining the new logo Starbucks’ Schultz says, among other things, “Make no mistake, we have been, we will continue to be and we always will be the world’s leading purveyor of the highest quality coffee.” Clearly, with its new brand do-over, Starbucks has thought about every factor of the complete brand experience they aim to deliver. Their new brand identity becomes a symbol for the future their customers can expect and want to be a part of.

Gap, on the other hand, felt like an attempt at a redesign for redesign’s sake. There was no attempt to make current customers feel like there was something new to reinvigorate their brand experience. There was no plan in place to demonstrate that this was a symbol for an exciting new journey for loyal customers. The company knew they were feeling tired – and felt a simple “tweak” of the logo could bring some new interest into their brand. They forgot Marketing 101 – that branding and logo design are anything but simple.

Parcel brings brands to life through all touch points whether in person, in print or online. If you’d like to learn more about how we can help strengthen your brand, please contact Kelly Frances at: kelly@parceldesign.com or call 416 504 1200 x 225.

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