There’s been a lot of talk over the internets the last few weeks in regards to big brands’ rebranding efforts.
On August 23, 2012 Microsoft unveiled its new logo, the first update of its kind in last 25 years for the Redmond-based software giant.
More recently, eBay also took the plunge and refreshed its logo. A logo that has remained untouched in the company’s 17 year history.
This post isn’t so much to debate the shortcomings of these updated logos and skewed marketing strategies (albeit I believe they are both diluted and soulless), I’ll save that for a future post when I talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of 2012.
This post is instead created to explore whether these updates were actually rebrands, or simply logo refreshes.
What’s the different between rebranding and refreshing?
The difference is huge. While the answer might seem obvious to some, the words “branding” and “rebranding” have been horribly Frankensteined by wayward marketing companies, typically by those who don’t understand the true function of branding.
Rebranding:
Is the act of altering the vision, mission, position, and promise of a company. Because this change of course is such a big deal both internally and externally, once the brand strategy is determined, a visual and written change in the communication of the company typically accompanies the rebranding efforts. Logos get updated, colours and fonts change, language is refined, and in extreme cases, companies even rename.
Refreshing:
Refreshing is the act of changing the aesthetic components of a brand, typically to update the appearance and revitalize the company’s image. This is the brand marketing equivalent of updating a wardrobe or getting a new haircut. The individual’s values, beliefs, and personality usually haven’t changed, just their image has.
Now having an understanding of the difference between rebranding and refreshing, were Microsoft’s and eBay’s updates in fact rebrands or were they simply refreshes?
Microsoft = Refresh
In the case of Microsoft, nothing has changed. While it’s expanded its product line with the Windows Phone, they still offer Windows, they still offer Office, they still offer Internet Explorer, and they still offer Xbox. There’s no change in the company’s purpose, there’s no change in market position, there’s no change in brand promise, and there’s no change in the customer experience.
eBay = Rebrand
eBay’s situation is quite different than Microsoft’s. Once an on-line garage sale and auction site, eBay has evolved into a global marketing channel for people to launch their online stores and sell their goods. In this case, there’s a colossal change in what the company now offers and how it operates. When an evolution like this takes place, marketing strategies must adapt. Even if it’s organic, a brand has no choice but to reposition itself in the minds of its customers to ensure the experience is being communicated and delivered as promised.
So now you know.
6 Replies to “Microsoft and eBay: Rebranding? Or Refreshing?” .
Oh dear, you’ve put it mildly, this is a step backwards in terms of saliency, and, beyond the marketing and strategy, which can not justify such an output, in terms of simple design. It’s truly awful and a waste of resources.
It will go down in history as one of the worst re branding (or rather, new logo design) exercise ever. Pathetic.
And here I thought “diluted and soulless disasters” was harsh, but you’ve managed to one-up me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Unfortunately, I believe they went with the 4 squares to represent their core product: Windows. The logo is obviously, a simplified, contemporary version of some of the earliest Windows logo incarnations. Which makes no sense for the corporate identity.
I agree on all your points about Microsoft; however, I think the company is attempting to shift consumer perceptions regarding their brand personality. Their new visual identity including the interface of their core product have been redesigned for that purpose. They want consumers to believe, that they are hip, fun, and well designed as Apple. It’s too early to tell if this will make good on this since their new products are just rolling out.
Thanks David. You’ve raised some good points. You are correct, the four squares appear to be borrowed from its Windows identity. As you’ve indicated though, it doesn’t make any sense that one of its products is dictating the overall corporate identity.
I agree with you that Microsoft is attempting to reposition itself as hip and fun. The Internet Explorer commercial is a good example of these attempts; however, I’m not sure if it can ever win the battle for “cool.” It’s kinda like the socially awkward, nerdy kid in class getting contact lenses, a haircut, and a new jacket, and thinking just because he’s upped his image that his classmates might think he’s now the coolest kid in the class. If the cool kid (Apple) is going to ever be dethroned I believe it’s going to be a completely new kid that comes to school, flips the world upside down, and challenges the notions of what is really cool. At least that’s how I remember things going down on the playground.
As for Microsoft, instead of focusing on the position of the mother brand, it should focus its efforts on its sub-brands and win the battles in these trenches. If it does this I believe it’s more likely to succeed because Apple can’t be the best at everything.
You’ve definitely hit the money there. What you are talking about is the brand experience. A dressed up nerd isn’t enough to sell it because while new duds may attract those kids at first, it’s the future interactions with that nerd that matter.
This helped, thank you
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