Re-branding...New logos and taglines do NOT count!

Re-branding seems to be the latest buzz word in the branding world, with companies such as Kodak, PwC, & Airbus all trying to re-vitalize their brands either through new logos, positioning or targeting new markets.

New Kodak logo

Let's start with Kodak who have decided to do all  the three above. In an effort to modernize the brand and promote their new camera feature (the share button-for photo sharing), Kodak has decided to connect with their chosen segment of young, social media savvy urban consumers, with their new tagline of 'So Kodak' and a planned a multimedia campaign (or an IMC to be specific) consisting of musicians: Drake, Pit Bull & Trey Songz in online, print & TV spots in an effort to build street cred. Quite a commendable effort to re-engage the consumer, and while the campaign is still to be released, a couple of questions pop into mind, namely:

1) Why are urban consumers their segment of choice? According to Kodak on their company blog they 'set trends for the larger population in areas of fashion, entertainment and music', aka they are the "Innovators" but you can easily argue that today almost everyone is socially connected, so wouldn't a more mass appeal be more strategic especially as Kodak's positioning has always been innovation for everyone; unless this segment is the most profitable for them.....?

2) Is street cred really that important for a brand such as Kodak?  Kodak to me is a family brand, a brand for everyone, to share, enjoy and record those 'Kodak moments', so by street cred do they really mean word of mouth?? and are urban channels the best way to accomplish this?
  
Which brings me to...

3) What's with their new tagline of 'So Kodak'?? To be honest I'm not entirely sure what the new positioning is trying to convey....was it adopted because it has already been used in songs by artists 100 Deep Phly Boyz and Blok- Breeze, leading to the belief that it might appeal to their chosen segment? I personally preferred the 'Kodak moment', and would have preferred re-launching a new strategy with the same tagline, which not only is historical in its own right but also conveys the brand's heritage.

 And finally the big one...

4) If they hope to target social - media savvy consumers...WHY IS SOCIAL MEDIA NOT A #1 
    PRIORITY WITHIN THEIR CAMPAIGN????


Although to be fair, Kodak in all sincerity is trying to re-brand themselves as young, hip and still innovative which is backed by their new smart printing system PYNK, which is a new retail photo kiosk that  can create a fully assembled photo collage, a definite plus for the innovation! Check out Barry Silverstein's article Kodak touts innovations at Photokina

New PwC logo

Moving on next on the re-branding list is Pwc, who have decided to modernize their brand by changing the logo and shortening their company name to PwC, as its'commonly known as, for promotional purposes, which is great as they aim to appeal to their clients by sharing common ground. They launched an infomercial of sorts on YouTube about what their new brand is all about ... modernity, change and value. The video, which can be watched here, talks about how their customers are changing and how they are changing too and that change is good for everyone....too much of change? Well if you listen to the video and you're anything like me, you will not want to hear the words 'change' & 'value' again!! I know repeating a point usually gets the idea through...but there is a limit.....anyways, their overall message is that as part of their re-branding for modernity they intend to listen to their consumers, asses their needs and provide value in order to surprise and maybe delight their customers....which is all fantastic of course, but I'm a little wary as to if they plan on doing that now....WHAT WERE THEY DOING BEFORE??? 

Next on the list is Airbus which has released a new modern logo, which involves changing the font type to a more striking cutting sharper one, while keeping the iconic ball and color the same....the new logo looks great (while not very different), but I have just one thing to say...A NEW LOGO DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AS  RE-BRANDING!!! Airbus press release states that new logo is an effort by the company to rebrand itself but to what?? There has been no major change in the company's positioning or operational culture so to all effects the brand is still the same.

New logo                                           Old Logo

When a brand needs a boost it's always easy to say let's re-brand without fully appreciating the finer details of what its all about, its more than a logo and a positioning, it's about the way a company thinks, operates and promotes itself to the audience, changing your name and logo does not count. It is also one of the most riskiest strategies that a company can employ as it risks en-dangering your current segment and not only confusing customers but also destroying the brand's heritage. 

To take a page from Coca-Cola, the world's greatest brand and still #1, according to Interbrand's Best Global Brands of 2010, who in their entire history have successfully modernized the brand without having to re-brand, i.e. the brand image and principles have been retained regardless of changes in logo design, and product packaging. Therefore its always better to think what else can be done before resorting to re-branding.