Q & A with Brand on Stuart, Creative Director at Fanscape, The Marketing Arm’s social media practice
Yahoo recently announced a plan to roll out 30 logos in 30 days. What’s this mean for the brand ? And for consumers?
This program helps position Yahoo — and Marissa Meyer’s regime — as nimble, which is a trait that today’s digital consumer appreciates. By playing with the brand ‘s iconic logo, Marissa is making it clear that Yahoo is not scared of breaking traditional models of corporate brand ing.
This positions Yahoo as current and savvy in a world where brand s are becoming increasingly human and transparent through social media and other channels that create a two-way dialogue between brand and consumer. A brand ‘s logo is at the heart of it’s presence, and Marissa is showing that Yahoo can adapt and evolve just like the consumers they seek to engage.
For years our eyes have been trained to recognize the iconic Yahoo logo in the corner, without even having to give it direct attention. Now that it’s evolving day after day the logo will intrigue and reengage the eye.
Often consumers initially reject a brand ‘s creative departure from a historical logo, but even that dialogue can be enough to spark curiosity about the purpose for the shift.
People relate to logos. A brand ‘s logo can stir up memories of experiences and moments of discovery. So when a brand deploys a new look or feel for their logo, it can be jarring. I believe Yahoo is soft-launching their new look by breaking the routine every single day. They’re training the consumer that Yahoo can be as unique as each of us and should not be stereotyped as a dated search engine. They are reaching out to the consumer and saying “we are evolving just like today’s digital world and each of the consumers within it.”
The pros are that the brand appears nimble, human and transparent, all of which have proven to be fruitful in today’s socially-engaged economy. People gravitate toward brand s with which they feel a connection. This campaign allows an iconic fortress like Yahoo to show that there exists a personality behind the gates.
On the downside, there will inevitably be some backlash to the inconsistent brand ing and irreverence for consistency. Some consumers may feel like the brand is becoming wishy washy by not stand ing behind one iconic image and be concerned or speculative about what it means for their service.
For Yahoo, the good news is that we’re talking about it and speculating about what it means, which is a step in the right direction for a brand that has at times carried a persona of being dated or stagnant. This fun approach to the redefining the face of the brand marks a creative exploration that will resonate with younger consumers.
