Entertainment Weekly just reported that NBC Universal has unveiled a new company logo that seems to be missing something. NBC Universal Inc., a media and entertainment company who over the years has been engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base. The company also owns and operates two American television networks, numerous cable channels, and a group of local stations in the United States, as well as motion picture companies, several television production companies, and branded theme parks.
The company was recently bought by Comcast and after officially taking control of the network, Comcast has decided to revamp the logo and drop the famous peacock that has been a part of the logo since 1956. The previous version of the logo was launched in 1986, (to see the full history of the NBC logo click here). The company will continue to use the peacock only when promoting the NBC broadcast network and its cable news outlets. The peacock has been part of NBC’s branding since 1956. Explaining the minimalist new corporate design, NBC Universal’s chief executive Steve Burke told employees on Thursday that the old logo “seemed kind of busy.” Leave it to the execs to make design decisions! If they were good at making artistic decisions they would be in marketing, not the CEO of a network. If you look at the new corporate logo (above) it is just plain sad in my opinion. It looks like something the assistant to the CEO made in WORD. BLAH! I certainly hope they didn’t pay some marketing firm to come up with that disaster.
It’s funny to me that companies continue to revamp their logos, like it is going to make a difference in their profits or customer loyalty. Did we learn nothing from Starbucks and GAP’s recent logo over-haul disasters? GAP’s customer based spoke out against the new logo and after much social media back-lash the company decided to revert back to the old logo. Starbucks, on the other hand doesn’t seem to care what it’s customer base thinks of it’s logo changes. Starbucks has changed their logo 4 times now since opening it’s doors in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1971. Although, in the case of Starbucks they have always maintained their mermaid, but only slightly changing her of the years.
So. Is changing your logo a good idea? In my opinion, no. Especially if your logo has been around for years. Customer’s remember logos (whether they like the original one or not) and that logo becomes synonymous with the company and brand. Does changing your logo increase profits? Well, I guess we will have to see how things go for Starbucks and NBC Universal. I believe the GAP did the right thing by listening to their customers and changing their logo back to the 1969 original. That’s a long time to have a logo and then decide you need to “modernize” it. American’s love history, tradition and heritage. Changing a logo is like messing with our heritage and American’s certainly don’t like change. So, to all you companies out there considering a logo change – DON’T DO IT! Remember. Your logo is not your brand. It is only a visual image that accompanies your brand so people recognize your company. Instead of changing your logo, look for other ways to gain attention and to increase customer retention. Oh, and please don’t change your packaging either. That’s a whole other topic!
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