Tag Archives: logos

by | Friday, November 3, 2023 · 12:40 pm

Rebranding: Twitter Becomes “X”

Marketers love branding, and branding is a critical part of the marketing process. Branding is when an organization uses an image, name, design, or symbol to clearly identify its products. Brands help companies stand apart and help distinguish one product (or service) from another. We can picture brand icons in our minds – and these help us recall the product purpose and usage.

Think about it for a minute. If someone says “Nike” a consumer can easily picture the logo and the products that Nike offers. The same can be true of services. If we say “Facebook,” it quickly conjures an image of the Facebook logo and its services.

Brands also have personality linked to their icons and images. What do we mean by personality? It’s a set of human-type characteristics and we associate with a brand name. Again, think about Nike. What characteristics might you say Nike represents? Facebook?

In general terms, brand names should suggest the product benefits, be distinctive, fit the company image, be simple and even emotional.

So why did Twitter recently rebrand itself as “X” from its traditional blue bird? According to Elon Musk (new owner of Twitter) he wants to use Twitter as the basic foundation of an “everything app” known as “X.com.” X will eventually include audio, video, messaging, and even banking capabilities – none of which were part of Twitter. (Twitter has also filed to rename the company to X Corp.)

Mr. Musk has used “X” as other names for his companies. He had formerly run financial company PayPal which started as X.com, his space ship company also uses and X as in the name “SpaceX,” and a new artificial intelligence business is also includes an X in “xAI.” The overall corporate entity created to purchase and control Twitter also has an X as in “X Holdings.”

Will the branding change benefit the company? Time will tell.

P.S. Do we still say “tweeted” when posting on X?

 Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Show video about the change from Twitter to X: https://www.wsj.com/video/elon-musk-rolls-out-new-x-logo-as-twitter-rebrands/0F91130A-ED9D-497B-A282-F26CCCF5DD91.html
  2. Show the website: https://twitter.com/
  3. Poll students: What are their favorite brands?
  4. Divide students into teams. Can each team draw the brand icon for these favorites?
  5. Also have students define the brand personalities for their favorite brands.
  6. Will Twitter’s rebranding help its standing as global brand?
  7. OPTIONAL: Show Interbrands’ Top Global Brands list: https://interbrand.com/best-global-brands/

Source: Corse, A., Eaton, C., and Purnell, N. (24 July 2023). Elon Musk replaces Twitter’s blue bird with an ‘X’. Wall Street Journal.; Scheiber, N., Mac, R. (23 July 2023). Elon Musk changes Twitter logo to an X. New York Times; other news sources.

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by | Friday, November 5, 2021 · 7:45 am

The Squid Games Phenomenon

By this point in time, you have most likely heard about the hit show “Squid Games.” The South Korean series playing on Netflix is now the most-watched Netflix show ever – beating out recent hits as “Bridgerton,” “Lupin,” and “Stranger Things.”

In the unlikely case you haven’t seen or heard of the show, the dystopian drama is set on a mysterious island where all the game-players are literally playing for their lives. Dressed alike in teal-green track suits and white canvas sneakers, the 456 numbered players are forced to play children’s games (such a red-light green-light, marbles, and tug-of-war) to the death in order to pay off their crushing load of debt. They are controlled by faceless workers who also dressed alike in red jumpsuits and black masks.

While the high level of viewers watching the show isn’t too surprising, what is surprising is the level of merchandise being sold for the show. Not only are the track suits and t-shirts sold on Netflix, Walmart is also carrying the apparel on its website as part of the “Netflix Hub” of merchandise, along with Squid Game card games. The Walmart deal is the first online storefront that Netflix has created with a national retailer.

Netflix is a certainly an industry behemoth and now has more than 200 million subscribers around the globe. But it faces increasing competition from other streaming platforms such as Amazon, Disney+, and Apple+ TV. It is also entering the video game space in order to retain, and attract, subscribers. Original shows such as this one create buzz and garner more subscribers.

But, are you willing to play?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Discuss the show. Who has seen it? What are their thoughts about it.
  2. Show a trailer of the show at: https://youtu.be/oqxAJKy0ii4 (Warning: There is violence in the trailer.)
  3. Show the Netflix merchandise site at: https://www.netflix.shop/collections/shop-squid-game-merchandise
  4. Show Walmart’s Squid Games website store: https://www.walmart.com/search?q=squid+games
  5. What is the target market for Netflix? For the Squid Games show?
  6. Based on the target market profile, will the merchandise be a draw for those customers?

Source:  Ad Week; New York Times; Wall Street Journal; other news sources

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by | Monday, April 12, 2021 · 8:05 am

More Branding Needs to be Changed

All marketers know that branding is hard to do, and expensive to change. Thus, many brands are reluctant to revise their logos, names, and images. After all, if it’s worked for decades; why go through the trouble and expense to change it now?

The short answer to that question is that society and the world changes (sometimes drastically) and therefore companies have a responsibility to respond to and recognize those events and make changes in order to stay relevant in the marketplace.

A recent topic is that of the use of the name “Jeep Cherokee.” The Chief of the Cherokee Nation has strongly stated that it is wrong of the company to use the Cherokee name to sell cars, and has asked Jeep to discontinue the name.  The Cherokee name belongs to a nation of peoples and they contend that using it for peddling products diminishes it. Jeep has sold the Cherokee vehicle since 1974 and retired it in the early 2000s, then reviving it in 2014. It is a popular model and sold more than 200,000 units last year.

This topic brings to mind the issue of the (former) Washington Redskins NFL team. The team has agreed to drop the name and logo after years of protest, as have MLB team Cleveland Indians. Similar protests last year were made against brands including Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s. Land O’Lakes already dropped its image of a Native American woman from its packaging.

Brands matter.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. This is a tough topic, but discuss racism in business with students. Ask them their views.
  2. Poll students: What products, services, and brands use racist stereotypes?
  3. Discuss the issue of the Jeep Cherokee and show video: https://youtu.be/D6ZrRbS-yxs
  4. Show Jeep Cherokee site: https://www.jeep.com/cherokee.html
  5. Divide students into teams. Have each team reimagine a new name and message for the company.
  6. How would they overhaul the image if they were in charge of marketing at the company?
  7. Show all the student solutions and debrief the exercise.

Source: Associated Press; CNN News; New York Times; Wall Street Journal; other news sources

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