Logo episode III

This article focuses on the risky business of a logo change and refers to last years Gap logo and the more recent change of the Starbuck's logo as examples of a failed attempt and a successful change. So far nothing new under the sun and it pretty much sums up previous blog posts about the subject. 

What is interesting is that the article points to how social media in our days plays  the role as a feedback meeter to any logo change. It refers to the rather drastic changes of the Pepsi logo through several generations. If we could go back in time, for example to the 1950's or 70's; not many had a chance to say much about a logo change except from of course the buying client and the ad agency staff. Somehow the biggest fear and challenge were probably how well received or criticized the logo would be by the professional community and other competing ad agencies. 

In those days the direct communication between a brand and the consumer may have been through some random market research and questionnaires that even with correct statistical data could only give a reflection of the market. If a consumer wanted to comment on a design, options were limited to either contacting the company office directly (and if you did, do you really  think anyone listened  much to John Doe's complaint about  the logo colors?) or you could send a readers comment to the local newspaper. If you were lucky it may be accepted and printed.

This is the thrill and scare of our time where social media give all brands the opportunity of  a direct and massive input of opinions about their branding and branding choices. Still professional marketers and designers need to make the last judgment call, but it is increasingly important to listen to the rumble of the ground, which really isn't a new thing. Just think about how the native Indians did just that to time and plan their strategy for their buffalo hunting.

To read article about logo changes: Taking a risk on a Logo

Previous blog post about the Starbuck logo: The mermaid of Seattle 

Previous blog post about the Gap logo: Filling the Gap

Love of an elevator

 Here's an article about art literally finding new spaces to fill in New York city and I think it is a great idea! As it sometimes happens with this blogger I got this allegory to this music video from 1989:




To read the article: In New York, an Elevator is an Art Gallery

My cart belongs to daddy ?

For years gender differences has played an important role for any marketer trying to map out a strategy for a specific target group. The classic, old school and predictable trend have been the awareness of women as a strong, sometimes "invisible" influence behind purchasing decisions. Another, the fact that women for generations has dominated the cart-strolling in most stores and what has landed into them. 

This article focus on what might be significant new changes in consumer habits and shopping trends between men and women. Not only as a result of new trends and shopping habits the last decade, but influenced by important demographic changes. 

One caution: The article does not disclose any information in regards to how the research was conducted. As with all quantitative market research the formulation of questions can have significant impact on the results, especially when you deal with psychological issues. Gender roles and peoples personal perception about them are still among issues that can be case sensitive. A "weakness" in this report is the age segment from 18-64 years which is too general. The results should have been broken down into several age groups which I believe would have given significant different and interesting results.

As the demographic gets more fragmented so does the shopping habits and trends. Obviously the growth and impact of internet shopping the last decade has led men to more frequently stroll the electronic shopping carts. New generations of women are steadily increasing their impact on the household economy and younger men have a different and more open approach towards being part of the household logistics. But as  the article mention, the results may be influenced by the wish to be perceived and/or self perception of being the main provider and a strong contributor to the household.

No matter what, it is interesting results that eventually will have impact not only on future advertising in all media channels, but also packaging design and other commercial design. In the meantime I enjoy the ride watching the attempts of adjustments whether it is Old Spice commercials for women (which proved very successful) or men portrayed with a soft backdrop of the bakery section of a Publix store. It's going to be interesting to see the changes towards more masculine household product commercials versus more feminine high tech commercials for products like for example 3D TV and cable ads and what about more feminine beer commercials ? (I love a good beer but I never drink "Dos Equis") I also believe we can expect much stronger social media reactions from men in regards to campaigns failing to pick up on changing trends, like the mentioned "Behind Every Olympic Athlete is an Olympic Mom".

To read article: Time to Rethink Your Message: Now the Cart Belongs to Daddy