Brand Logos are Due for a Change

During these last two or three years (coincidentally during the time of recession), many brands have redesigned their logos and remodeled their storefront. Target and Disney stores have been remodeled.Wal-Mart, Coach, Starbucks, Borders and Saks Fifth Avenue, among others, have redesigned their logos. These are just a few brands that I have noticed.

A successfully redesigned logo is one that no one notices. The only reason I noticed the afore-mentioned logos is because I encounter them much too often for my own good. Redesigning a logo is a strategy to give the company a fresh look.

After 17 years, Wal-Mart’s sharp, uppercase letters spelling out the name of the company and the pointy star that serves as a hyphen (as described by BusinessWeek, btw, who also has a new logo) have been replaced by rounded, lowercase letters and a sunburst-like symbol. This new symbol feels friendlier with its new font. However, the sunburst doesn’t exactly shout “Wal-Mart” to me.

I think of cheap, non-branded items when I hear Wal-Mart. I would rather go to Target because in my mind, for some reason, they can provide me with higher quality merchandise. I was informed by an article in MSN Money that as the recession drags on, Wal-Mart has attracted more upscale, budget-conscious consumers, or “Target shoppers.” Target pulls in more consumers by bringing in well-known designers names to their merchandise and remodeling their stores to give a more department store feel.

At the same time, Wal-Mart mimics the strategy of its rival. Just the other day at Wal-Mart, I noticed a certain line of clothing—Miley Cyrus/Max Azria. I’m thinking, “I’ve seen Max Azria in the upper-scale part of Macy’s and Nordstrom; how in the world did they get him in here?”

Analysts say, “Wal-Mart isn’t exactly copying Target. Its brand-name strategy has a Wal-Mart twist. Instead of pursuing fashion-forward brands, Wal-Mart is looking to revitalize classic, recognizable brands as well as offer low prices on the big-name electronics and home appliances sold by competitors.”

I’ve only discovered Wal-Mart in college. I know of no Wal-Marts 15 miles from where I live. Once I move back home, I don’t see a point in looking for one. The only times I pay a visit to Wal-Mart is because I need to get something at 2 am, I can’t get the product at Target, or I don’t care about the quality.

Is Wal-Mart the new Target? Joseph Feldman, a senior retail analyst at Telsey Advisory Group, says, “I am realistic that [Wal-Mart is] not going to keep everybody who has traded down to them. But I think they are going to keep a lot of them. [As for Target], it leaves them in a fine position. It is still going to be a bit more fashion-forward than you would find at Wal-Mart, and that customer will return.”

Check out some redesigned logos here at If It's Hip, It's Here.