Changing Your Logo
There has been some buzz about Brand Image and Logos especially since GAP's logo fiasco and likewise Starbucks implementation of it's new Brand Image.As I'm sure you're aware, the cost of Brand Image Implementation can be staggering. By the time you pay the design company, purchase new business cards, letterhead, re-design of website and signage the cost could be quite significant. So why does a company like Starbucks, GAP, or (as you'll read later) Air India spend so much time and money re-inventing themselves and is it something you should consider for you company?
Using Starbucks as a case sample I want to consider why a company would/should consider embracing a new brand image.
Starbucks started selling coffee 40 years ago out of a small storefront in Downtown Seattle. At first it was just a whole bean coffee provider and never dreamed of becoming the conglomerate it is today.
It's first Brand Image, 1971, included the honorific Siren in all her glory and communicated that the company dealt in Coffee and Tea. Seattle is an edgy city that is anti mainstream and the home of Grunge Music. You can see these qualities in the color and design of the Logo.
In 1987 the Logo underwent a modest (literally) change to accommodate a wider audience both in gender and age. The company, at this point, also began to focus more on Coffee and less on Tea and so dropped the word from the logo.
In 1992 Starbucks began it's domination of the world Coffee market but also began to deal in other services. You could now find food, music and Coffee machines as well as other merchandise in stores across the globe. The Siren also took on a more modern and modest look than it's predecessor.
This brings us to the most recent change, 2011, and what is most noticeable is the move away from the ring of words indicating that the logo belonged to Starbucks Coffee Company. This new Image has received positive, negative and neutral attention and has accomplished exactly what Starbucks wanted to do - create publicity. You see, Starbucks is making a shift as a company to widen it's services to include other things than Coffee. But the previous logo was so wrapped up in beverages that it need to re-invent itself to broaden peoples understanding of who and what Starbucks is. With this new Logo Starbucks can now branch out as a restaurant chain, whole food grocery store a record label, or even an airline.
Which brings us to our first in why a company should consider a change in it's Brand Image or Logo.
1st - The new Image/Logo creates a new identity that reflects a new reality of the company it represents.
This might be one reason why GAP's Logo failed so miserably. GAP launched a new Identity without a word of change about what else was changing. The result was a total disconnect with GAP's audience and customers. Starbucks, on the other hand, has done just the opposite and created anticipation about what the company will offer in the future.
Another reason why a company might consider a Brand Image Makeover is:
2nd - The company wants to connect better with the new, ever changing consumer.
This would be the reason RynoMedia updated it's Logo and website. We realized that our previous models were outdated and didn't accurately reflect who we were or what we were capable of doing. Another example of this is the telecommunication company, AirTel, based out of Asia.
Airtel needed to pull all of it's services together and communicate a shift from "area coverage" to impeccable "customer service" they adopted a new logo that could incorporate all of their services and at the same time communicate a friendly and hip atmosphere to a younger target audience.
3rd - A new Brand Image/Logo might be necessary to escape a bad reputation or existing baggage associated with a previous Image.
The classic example of this is Amway/Quickstar. Everyone hates a devoted Amway enthusiast except other Amway enthusiasts. Because of this Amway began marketing itself under the new name of Quickstar. It didn't take long for this scheme to fail but I know I was duped at least once by someone who said they worked for Quickstar and not Amway.
Another great example of this is the Indian based airline, Air India (also known as Indian Airlines). This company has transformed it's image almost too many times to count all in an attempt to present itself as a new company with better and safer services. However, with a mishap even this week no-one is being fooled by flashy colors and fancy slogans.
What we learn here is most important:
Identity change only works if it truly reflects the underlying changes which make the customers re-evaluate a brand.
Should you consider update, changing or re-inventing your brand? Review the reasons above and feel free to contact us for some help.
