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New Gap logo reflects an even deeper problem with the company?
20th October 2010
Why did Gap change their visual identity?
You change your visual identity when you want to communicate something really important that your customers and stakeholders need to know, right? Wrong.? You change your visual identity because it doesn't work in the digital world, right? Wrong? You change your visual identity because it looks out of date, right? wrong?
Why Gap committed itself to such a humiliating few days with launch and un-launch of the new brand identity is quite the most astonishing story of bad brand behaviour and is likely to become a text book favourite for any marketing student in the future.
The only upside to the nonsense was that is was all over pretty much before it really started. Do you think it could have been a stunt to see if social media could give them the answer, No sorry that just won't stick.
Why didn't they use some crowdsourcing techniques to ask the consumer, why was it such a poor solution. The answer is that Gap is in serious trouble, clothes are not selling at any price, retail experience is crap, staff don't care... the world has moved on so Gap have shown us through the transparent window of brand identity that they have run out of ideas. It is time for the Gap brand to be put out to pasture and a new product, retail and brand strategy created which will connect with a new audience who don't care how exciting Gap was when it first emerged.
From a branding company's point of view Gap has really done us no favours at all. Using your visual identity as a shot gun to splay your message of corporate despair around is just wrong.
But the really bad thing was how quickly they threw the towell in. Remember the 2012 London Olypmic logo.. we all love it now don't we!!!+*&^%$$%????
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blog , Credit Crunch , Digital , Marketing , social media , Stuart Greenfield
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