The other day, I came across a ‘Guess the Logo’ quiz, and surprisingly did better than I expected. It led me to think how logo and graphics have become increasingly important nowadays. In Marketing 101 we are taught how packaging and advertising are done to boost sales and enhance brand image. Yet some brands underestimate the ’emotional’ connection their logo and packaging have with their customers, especially if the brand has been running for for many, many years.
Take the logo redesigning of Tropicana, for example. Consumers criticized it so much, that they soon reverted back to their original logo. Something similar happened when GAP also ‘re-branded’ themselves, in 2010.
A more recent example would be when Instagram’s retro camera logo was axed for a simple pink-purple icon – and everyone freaked out. – I personally detested it for quite a while, but it eventually grew on me, and how Instagram sought to change their ‘image’ in respect to the new updates they introduced, were also portrayed via the new logo.
Social media platforms have empowered customers to voice out their opinions and suggestions directly to the businesses. Businesses need to utilize these platforms as their first point of contact with loyal customers and invest on engaging their customers more often, rather than solely deciding based on board consensus and survey numbers.
Another element that plays an important role in branding, other than logo design and target customers, is the employees themselves. Solely based on experience, I can say that if the employees themselves don’t resonate with the brand or business, it becomes increasingly tedious for them to perform well, which in return translates to the quality of service given to end users, ultimately affecting the brand image of a company.
Whether the logo would be positively received or not by the customers still remains a gamble. It is important to understand that companies spend millions on logo redesigning alone, not even adding the annual advertising expenses. However, it is also critical to plan how the logo will be designed and launched – keeping in mind the key characteristics of the brand image in the customers mind; and how possible backlash will be handled – risk management plays a crucial role in saving the brand as a whole.
After all, change is not easy, and old habits die hard.
🙂 FTK
Credits:
(1) The Branding Journal, “What to Learn From Tropicana’s Packaging Redesign Failure?” (2015)
(2) CNN Money, “New Gap logo ignites firestorm” (2010)
(3) The Telegraph, “Instagram is changing its iconic logo – here’s why” (2016)
Photo via Visual Hunt