Question

Topic: Branding

Use Of New Corporate Brand Identity Before Launch

Posted by Anonymous on 11/5/2008 at 3:02 AM ET 125 Points
our company has recently undergone a rebranding process, complete with a refreshed company logo. we are set to do our corporate brand launch in february 2009.

here's my problem. in preparation for christmas, we usually give out in the first week of december thousands of poster calendars to our customers as tokens. the calendar always bears our company logo.

am not sure which logo to use on the calendar. if we use the new logo, people would see it a couple of months before we've actually launched it. if i use the old logo, for 10 months next year people will be looking at a calendar which has an obsolete logo.

so, do i use the old logo or the new logo?

am i making a fuss on what might be a simple matter? my boss thinks it's okay to already let the public see the logo even prior to the launch. i am of a different opinion 'coz i think doing that kinda takes out the thrill from the actual launch of the new brand and visual identity.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 11/5/2008 at 3:11 AM Member
    Hi, maybe the new logo can be placed on the pages starting from Feb onwards. People often just look at the front page of a calendar.
  • Posted on 11/5/2008 at 3:44 AM Accepted
    Hi,

    You sure got a ticklish issue. And am wondering if this can be used to further add impact to the new identity with the existing clientele at the time of the launch.

    And it definitely is not a good idea to reveal the new logo before the actual launch.

    Two options

    1. Write the company name without logo type or visual and add a smart line which cues in the new philosophy.

    2. Send two sets of calendar. One with old logo till feb and another with new logo at the time of the launch... with a special message.

    Wonder if it helps
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 11/5/2008 at 9:40 AM Member
    It depends on your budget. You could print up the old calendar for 2009, and then send out a new one after the launch. Or, you could circle the date of the launch on the calendar in red (with a note) to generate some advance interest. Or, print up stickers to replace the older logo with the new one (print your 2009 calendar with dotted lines around the old logo where the new one will be dropped over it).
  • Posted by Mikee on 11/5/2008 at 11:03 AM Member
    The other option is to think of some other promo and not the calendar. Wait until you are ready to launch the logo and do something at that time.

    This seems like the best option. I acutally think calendars are over rated. I get so many of them that most end up being recycled, thus defeating the idea of having the logo before people all year. In this day and age with smart phones and computers, most people aren't really using paper calendars that often.

    Hope this helps,
    Mike
  • Posted on 11/5/2008 at 12:10 PM Member
    I would include both logos and play up the message that 2009 is going to be a year of improvements and transformations for the company.
  • Posted on 11/5/2008 at 7:49 PM Accepted
    Hi Sheila,

    This challenge presents a great opportunity for you. I would recommend printing the calendar with the new logo, but holding it until your February launch. You can then send it with a clever piece of communication (playing off the delayed release) that positions your new brand and the value your new brand strategy brings to your customers.

    The one thing I would urge you to consider is communicating the new brand, and the strategy behind it, to your employees -- first. Getting them involved in your new brand before the launch will equip them to support your new brand promise and be able to deliver it through their interactions with your customers. (Happy to discuss effective ways to do this with you, offline.)

    What an exciting time for your company! All the best with your launch.

    Tim
  • Posted on 11/6/2008 at 3:00 AM Member
    How crazy and catching can you go in respect to your corporate image policy?

    If anything, this is not an issue but a great opportunity for creating buzz. Use it to do a pre-launch. Put the new logo on the calendars and attach a short letter announching the re-branding Under the new logo and in following communications (emails, newsletters, press-releases, ect.) leave a catchy slogan that keeps people wondering positively, like Phil suggested, but more misterious.

    Wish you best of luck,
    Davide
  • Posted on 11/6/2008 at 10:11 PM Member
    It depends on what kind of a launch you have planned. Do you have something special planned that is expected to generate media attention or some other level of public interest. If your branding and messaging is done, as it should be if you have designed the new logo, then why are you waiting until February?

    If there is not an event or other public/sales generating opportunity that the launch is planned around, I would use the new logo and incorporate your new messaging in the design of the calendar.
  • Posted by ilan on 11/8/2008 at 11:08 AM Member
    You talk about "rebranding" in very limited terms.
    It sounds like that effort was only limited to a new logo...
    If this is the case, you have enough good recommendations above to choose from.
    But I would challenge you to think differently.
    Did the "rebranding" effort include a new thinking about your brand?
    If so, why would you use the old marketing tactics of the "old brand" which included an old fashioned calendar?
    Maybe the new identity calls for a better idea, one that will be the Christmas glimpse into the future of the company, with the new logo, but used almost as a teaser.
    Think about it, you have an opportunity, don't be the same old marketer you used to be.
  • Posted on 11/18/2008 at 11:00 AM Member
    Hello there

    Sorry for the delayed response. I only joined Marketing Profs recently and started posting today.

    I would use both the logos adjacent to each other the ol one transitioning into the new in a single image.

    This would be appropriate even if you print it even before the launch and would remain up-to-date the whole year to show, the company has a new look and feel now.

    Hope this suggestion helps.

    Regards
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