How Logo Rebranding Provokes Consumer Engagement

Fashion fans have been abuzz lately over Celine’s recent removal of its
accent mark and the unveil of the new Burberry logo and monogram.
Burberry’s previous logo had been in use for over 20 years, becoming an
integral part of the brand’s aesthetic identity. Hedi Slimane opted for the
simplification of the Celine logo
as a first big move in his role of creative director, similarly to how With
the help of acclaimed graphic designer Peter Saville, Tisci swapped out the
Bodoni font and stylized knight symbol for something more clean and modern:
a sans serif.

While the press seems to be in agreement that
Burberry’s rebranding is positive and a teaser for good things to come, and
are eagerly awaiting Tisci’s first runway show at Burberry next month, to
truly determine the success of a new logo, the customer must be considered.
And Burberry fans are not yet pleased with the recent changes, having taken
to the Twitterverse
to lodge
complaints such as
, “I’ve loved
Burberry for years, but this screams pandering to the youth & the opposite
of the class @Burberry has always been. Even [to] the most eclectic
millennials this is trying reach do not like it. Get rid of it ASAP.”

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A post shared by Burberry (@burberry) on Sep 5, 2018 at 9:50am PDT

Gap tried to introduce a completely new design to its signature label in
2010, though consumers responded negatively to the new logo. After less
than a week, Gap returned to their original logo. “Ultimately, we learned
just how much energy there is around our brand,” Gap said. “We always
listen to our customers and we heard them say over and over again they are
passionate about our blue box logo and they wanted it back so we made the
decision to do just that.” The ordeal reportedly cost the brand 100 million USD.

Does rebranding change a company’s consumer-base?

When logo rebranding tells a story, it is typically is well-received by a
company’s consumer-base. This can spark consumer engagement and brand
awareness. While Gap’s customers did not favor the break from tradition,
other brands experienced much more success in telling a new chapter in
their stories through logo rebranding. Diane von Furstenberg, Calvin Klein,
and Converse took a turn down the contemporary-fonted logo route last year,
telling stories through the rebrand of executive turnover or listening to
consumer feedback, as the latter cited.

Converse shared that as the brand aims to speak to each generation’s youth,
their marketing must adapt to changing environments. “Engaging with them
requires us to think and behave in new ways. And we’re listening,” the
brand stated. Converse shared that another driving force behind the logo
rebranding was an aim to create new awareness and to “reignite our brand
identity and purpose.” The response over the last year has been positive,
as the brand stated, “Our retail partners are connected to the purpose and
the brand is driving closer connections between Converse and its
highly-engaged consumers.”

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A post shared by Burberry (@burberry) on Sep 4, 2018 at 11:10am PDT

While some brands launch new logos to respond to consumers’ evolving
interests, others do so after executive changeovers to engage with the
consumer, sending a message of introduction to a new direction in visual
identity. Such was the case with Diane von Furstenberg, as the brand’s logo
change came shortly after Jonathan Saunders was instated as creative
director. A rebranding at this time allows the brand to give a slight nod
to their consumer and show them what they can expect aesthetically. As
Saunders said
,
“I’m very excited to finally share with consumers my vision for DVF. We
have taken the brand’s core values and energised them for our modern woman.”

There is a need to drive brand awareness and consumer engagement when
new creative direction steps in. Burberry’s new look has not only garnered
attention from consumers, but it conveys a new iteration of its brand
identity as it moves forward. In fact, one Twitter-user actually
commended the new logo for Burberry, writing, “Its pretty cute. Im not sure
about how it will translate for older Burberry fans but i like this print
and am excited about this new direction [sic].”

photo: Burberry Facebook