Last week, Gap, the clothing brand, debuted a brand new logo on their Website, www.gap.com. This new logo was to replace the original logo that the brand had used for decades. According to an article from Advertising Age, the new logo was designed by an agency in New York, Laird & Partners. Marka Hansen, Gap North America president, said that the logo was chosen because it was “more contemporary and current,” and that it pays homage to the classic blue box.
Here’s a side-by-side comparison:
(Source: http://www.buzzfeed.com/catrocketship/new-gap-logo-is-a-box-of-fail-16j2)
Upon the release of the new logo, backlash ensued almost immediately. Everyone from fans of the brand to marketers and graphic designers criticized the new logo and proclaimed their preference for the original. At first, Gap attempted to stand by the redesign. Amidst heated comments on the company’s Facebook page, Gap released this response:
“We know this logo created a lot of buzz and we’re thrilled to see passionate debates unfolding! So much so we’re asking you to share your designs. We love our version, but we’d like to see other ideas.”
However, the criticism finally got the best of the company, and they announced on Monday that they were scrapping the redesigned logo. Hansen said that the company recognized that this was a mistake. Also, the roll out of the logo was halted, even though it was set to appear in stores in the near future. Here’s part of her statement:
“At Gap brand, our customers have always come first. We’ve been listening to and watching all of the comments this past week. We heard them say over and over again they are passionate about our blue box logo, and they want it back. So we’ve made the decision to do just that – we will bring it back across all channels.”
So, do you feel like Gap made the right choice? I do. They listened to their consumers, and I think that was the best route in this situation. Plus, I think the new logo looks cheaply made, whereas the other is a classic. However, I think this whole debacle could have been easily avoided. Obviously, with this amount of backlash, I do not think that Gap properly did their research. As Hansen even went on to say herself, “We recognize that we missed the opportunity to engage with the online community.”
What are your thoughts on the matter?
I totally agree with you! Sometimes classic is best. I’m reading a book called What Would Google Do by Jeff Jarvis, for my Business of Journalism class this semester. Throughout the entire book, Jarvis hammers on the concept that consumers are a company’s best friend, and they are in control — despite what CEOs may think.
This logo war with Gap is a perfect example of how consumers control the companies they purchase from. I think Gap made the right decision to scrap the new logo after hearing feedback from their consumers. Granted, they did miss an opportunity here, as Gap’s president pointed out, but hopefully they’ll be able to learn from this and consider their customers’ opinions before choosing to transform their brand.
I think you bring up another great point. Sometimes companies make the assumption that since they are setting the trend, then they have all the right answers. This is something that Gap neglected to notice, and it ended up hurting them. They didn’t realize the power and respect that already followed their brand’s classic image. As the old saying goes, sometimes you don’t need to fix what isn’t broken.
One can argue that Gap’s “almost” new label looks like something created in Microsoft Word!
It’s a good thing the company tested the reaction before implementing the change in retail stores. Too bad they threw it up on their Website to do it!
I will follow this story. I want to find out if they purchased any merchandising tools (bags, signage) with the new logo on it.
Their initial reaction seemed childish — kind of like “Well, why don’t YOU do it then” — when asking fans to develop their own version of the brand. The final outcome was good when they emphasized the point that customers come first.
I think you’re right, the new label does look like something anybody could make. The original, however, is more iconic. I think if they were to actually replace it, they would have to step up their game. And if they ever did try this again, they will hopefully work with the consumers before the fact, not after.
I agree that Gap made the right decision to scrap the new logo and continue using the old one. I agree because many companies ignore consumers, which is a huge mistake because there are so many products and brands out there to choose from it’s important to “put the customers first.” I assume Gap wasted money on creating a new logo, only to throw it away. Some prior research would have been beneficial and could have saved them money. However, the company was smart to ask for customers for their design submissions, at one point. It was a good idea because it makes the customers feel involved and that their input matters. Overall, Gap handled the situation well and has a good PR team leading them.
I definitely think Gap made the right choice to stick with the old logo. I must admit that I’m surprised they would have wanted to change it in the first place. The research I’m finding says that financially they are rebounding in 2010 just like everyone else. So why change a good thing? I consider them a classic, timeless styled apparel company — so modernizing their logo isn’t necesary. The old one fits with the classic, timeless element so I’m glad they have decided to keep it.
I think that Gap did the right thing by listening to their audience and halting the progress of the new logo. Branding is one of the most pertinent aspects of building trust and consumer-base in your brand, and by getting rid of the classic GAP logo clients and customers may lose trust in the retailer.
In my opinion, if Gap wanted to re-design their logo/image while also paying attention to their online database of fans, they should have rolled out a viral campaign prompting people to design the logo themselves. If this type of action was taken in the first place, the public backlash would have been greatly diminished and all stakeholders involved would achieve satisfactory results.
Overall, I am impressed with the PR tactics used and the Gap team’s ability to avert a potential disaster.
Scott, I thought this was so interesting! When I first saw the logo, I was so turned off by it. Gap has built such a strong brand recognition with their logo, I was shocked they were even considering changing it. In my research about the change, I didn’t see anyone with positive feedback. Gap definitely made the right decision to scrap the new logo and stick with the old one. Why they needed to change in the first place confused me, too. Their existing logo is classy, simplistic and fits their style just right. Kudos to their PR team for listening to feedback.
Deciding to get rid of their new logo was a wise decision on Gap’s part! However, I do agree with Hansen that they failed to truly listen to their online fans. One of the benefits of having a fan page is that you are able to engage and communicate with a group of people who are already interested in your brand! In addition to giving their consumers little warning that they were even changing their logo, they lost a great chance to ask for feedback from them. It seems like they have some pretty passionate fans out there considering that they were able to change their logo back in nearly a week, so having input from them wouldn’t have been a problem.
Also, I definitely agree that Gap’s new logo look really cheap. They could have done that using Word and Paint, I sure could have!
I completely agree with you. The new logo looks so generic and thoughtless whereas the old one conveys class, style and tradition. If Gap is trying to re-structure their company, I think they need to start with their line of clothing, not their brand. In my opinion, their brand is on par with companies like Starbucks and Nike. I definitely think they made the right decision by listening to their consumers. However, as you said, they could have avoided this by conducting more research … testing it in focus groups. So far, I think they’ve controlled damage the only way they could, by revoking it.
There are other ways to generate new logos, like how Gatorade did with their “G” campaign (http://ryandigicrest.blogspot.com/2009/01/gatorades-g-campaign-yes-or-no.html). Like I said before, if Gap wants to change its image, I think they need to start looking at its wardrobe rather than its logo.
Why change your brand? If the company needs a facelift, perhaps a new marketing campaign would have been the correct move. Creating a new identity can be a huge task. None the less, they responded to dislike well. Reaching out through social media and asking for consumer suggestions was well played — they turned a PR problem into a consumer competition and really opened up that two-way conversation.
It was smart to step back, but I wonder what prompted the change. A new PR or marketing firm?