This Blog has been created as a forum for Milwaukee School of Engineering, Rader School of Business students to comment on various issues related to the subject matter of our class. The class, "Marketing Strategies" is an elective class in the graduate management program. The views expressed are those of the students individually and not of the professor or the university.
In class we discussed why a company might change their logo.
posted by Gene A. Wright @ 6:31 PM
This Blog has been created as a forum for Milwaukee School of Engineering, Rader School of Business students to comment on various issues related to the subject matter of our class. The class, "Marketing Strategies" is an elective class in the graduate management program. The views expressed are those of the students individually and not of the professor or the university.
4 Comments:
Do you think Logo Changes are a good thing? Why or Why not?
I absolutely agree that logo changes are a good thing for several reasons. First, as stated in the John Deere web site;
“The style and shape of this updated logo is reflective of today’s technology world: bolder, stronger, high technology oriented. In the symbol itself, the deer’s feet are rooted firmly into the ground for a strong leap into the new millennium. The body, head and antlers have a purposeful attitude, a sense of direction and a clear commitment to taking charge by running smart.
The mark depicts what John Deere Brand means today – proud of its past and preserving and building upon its heritage, but simultaneously looking out on the horizon, for new opportunities. With this modernized leaping deer, John Deere moves forward into the new millennium with confidence and power.”
A new logo symbolizes how a company or brand is evolving with or leading the times. It’s a symbolic statement to the customer that they are keeping up with the times in both technology and commitment and assures them that they can rely upon the brand into the future.
Second, Logo changes are also a means of injecting new interest and excitement into the brand much like the excitement of remodeling your house or getting some new furniture. To a certain extent, customers are proud to “show off” their new equipment bearing a new logo as a means of saying, “I have the latest technology”.
A third reason logo changes are important is the nostalgia factor. The logo changes for John Deere clearly establish how the company has changed through the years and helps bring about good feelings in customers minds about the “good ol’ days”. This can help nurture customer communities, word of mouth advertising and good will. A good example of this is the many antique tractor clubs that have sprung up in the past few years. People develop a sense of pride and heritage by restoring old tractors to running condition and proudly show them off in community events such as parades, fairs and the like. How can a company beat such “free” advertising?
I think logo changes are good. One area of concern is if the changes are so severe you no longer recognize the brand. I think John Deere did a great job of keeping a very recognizable figure in its logo throughout all the changes to it. As the company recognized necessary changes with changes in its focus or company charter, it kept the important aspects of the original symbol, making it recognizable. Updating a symbol does not mean that you lose brand identity.
I cant say I would have thought of this as being important, but how many times do you ask "weren't they so and so company before the merger?" A good example is right in our own backyard - Allen Bradley. Even when Rockwell bought them, the symbol did not immediately disappear from the clock tower or products. It was too recognizable and Rockwell understood the meaning of brand.
Brian G
Logo changes are extremely expensive. Just think of every Deere Dealer in the country being required to buy a new sign. Every bit of Deere merchandise also had to be redesigned with the new logo.
Companies like Deere are extremely aware their brand’s power. Deere is a lot like Harley in the fact that they make huge amounts of money selling licensed merchandise. If they can update their brand image without losing the connection to its heritage I think that it is a good idea.
Tim
I think logo changes can be a very effective way for companies to signify an internal change within the organization. This could be related to new products or services, an acquisition, a change in focus, or to signify that the company is starting a new chapter in their history. Because logo’s can have such a strong relationship with branding, it can be important not to change it too much. For example, UPS changed their logo in March 2003 as part of a global rebranding initiative. Simple geometric changes and the use of shading to make the logo look more three dimensional, fits a 3D world. In the end, it was still very much a UPS logo. Ford Motor has a very distinguishable blue oval that was updated in 2003 for their 100-year anniversary. It is referred to as the "Centennial Blue Oval". In my opinion, when a company can use a logo without any words, and obtain instant brand recognition, I think they nailed it. An example of this would be Pepsi with a circle; red on top and blue on the bottom. Nike would be another example. The Nike “swoosh” is recognized worldwide. Companies spend a lot of money creating and protecting their logos. I interpret this to mean they are very important.
http://www.pressroom.ups.com/mediakits/factsheet/0,2305,1060,00.html
http://www.muscularmustangs.com/database2/fordlogo.php
D. Wilson
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