JCB - brand suicide?

[Digga]

Is it just me, or has JCB been subject to the most crass, idiotic external-consultancy-led brand destruction?

I'm referring to the gradual disappearance of the iconic logo:


This is how the new yellow products are being stickered-up these days:


FWIW, I think it is a dead-end move and one that removes and immediate brand recognition. Even the illeterate could have recognised the old logo. Shame.

[Eric Mc]

Companies often rebrand. Both the BBC and BP had fundamental changes to their logos over the past 15 years or so and I don't think it made much of a difference to their fortunes.

BA, on the other hand, made a disastrous brand change in 1997.

[Digga]

Eric Mc said:

Companies often rebrand. Both the BBC and BP had fundamental changes to their logos over the past 15 years or so and I don't think it made much of a difference to their fortunes.

BA, on the other hand, made a disastrous brand change in 1997.

BBC is a monopoly though - if you have a TV, you need a TV licence, ergo taunty gets their money. They are not, strictly a commerical organisation.

In my mind, this is the desecration of an iconic brand - which carries the sort of instant recognition that many frims would kill for.

[Eric Mc]

Digga said:

BBC is a monopoly though - if you have a TV, you need a TV licence, ergo taunty gets their money. They are not, strictly a commerical organisation.

In my mind, this is the desecration of an iconic brand - which carries the sort of instant recognition that many frims would kill for.

BBC are involved in much commercial activity - especially outside the UK - so their branding is pretty important. They claimed that their change was brought about because of the increasing use of IT in their activities and that the old lettering was not supported by standard IT fonts.

BP definitely had to overcome a lot of negativity to their brand change (I didn't like it for a start - but it didn't stop me buying BP fuel).

Caterham Cars are currently changing their branding - so as to distance themselves a bit from the Seven as they move into other areas. We shall have to see how that works out.

[Digga]

Personally, I think this equates to McDonalds (not that I care much for that brand) getting rid of the golden arches logo.

And FWIW, I still disagree that, although it does engage in commercial activity, the BBC is anything other than a public ssector entity. It may well 'sell' abroad, but IMHO more because ti is seen to be a national institution.

[guru_1071]

its a shame, i love the old 'tapered' jcb logo

ive spent many happy hours 'riving and chewing' in an old 3CX

[Globs]

Yes it's cack.

Most rebranding (99% IMO) is a completely waste of money and brand awareness.
BT was one of the worst, the lovely red vans turned into crap.

It's a sign that the board's ego is (considerably) larger than their brains, and a signal to start selling stock in them.

[Digga]

Globs said:

Most rebranding (99% IMO) is a completely waste of money and brand awareness.

I agree. It's probably IMHO the biggest waste of money on external consultancy in the corporate world.

Sure, evolve a logo, but don't try to kill it or smother it. Frankly, in the case of JCB - a very privately-owned company and one where tthe very name is synonomous with the family who owns it - I'm astonished this has happened.

[Simpo Two]

Globs said:

It's a sign that the board's ego is (considerably) larger than their brains, and a signal to start selling stock in them.

A follower of Parkinson's Law eh?... another sign being a move into shiny new HQ building...

[Eric Mc]

Globs said:

Yes it's cack.

Most rebranding (99% IMO) is a completely waste of money and brand awareness.
BT was one of the worst, the lovely red vans turned into crap.

BT couldn't use red vans as they were the "brand" of a different organisation, following the split away from the postal service in the 70s.

BT went yellow and to me that was quite a successful branding. However, since then, BT have changed the brand image at least twice.

My favourite BT advertising -

[Digga]

I always thought that, on the last re-branding, BT had stolen the Conservative party's clothes.

[Eric Mc]

I thought they were into coloured blobs these days -









I reckon they've changed their image at least once every four years.

[davepoth]

Digga said:

Is it just me, or has JCB been subject to the most crass, idiotic external-consultancy-led brand destruction?

I'm referring to the gradual disappearance of the iconic logo:


This is how the new yellow products are being stickered-up these days:


FWIW, I think it is a dead-end move and one that removes and immediate brand recognition. Even the illeterate could have recognised the old logo. Shame.

http://www.jcb.com/products/MachineOverview.aspx?RID=9&IID=3

It does look like their logo is still their logo, they're just writing JCB in big letters on the side of all their diggers and trucks as well.

[Digga]

davepoth said:

It does look like their logo is still their logo, they're just writing JCB in big letters on the side of all their diggers and trucks as well.

Sure, but WFT is the point?!

I'd been pondering this for a while, but a 3CX came down the by-pass, past our office this morning and you really couldn't tell if it was a Jake or a New Holland or some such. The old logo, even to the semi-literate on site, was instantly recognisable.

[Yertis]

Digga said:

Is it just me, or has JCB been subject to the most crass, idiotic external-consultancy-led brand destruction?
FWIW, I think it is a dead-end move and one that removes and immediate brand recognition. Even the illeterate could have recognised the old logo. Shame.

I noticed this the other day and couldn't quite believe my eyes – WTF? Maybe the old logo was considered less-than-legible in emerging markets. There has to be some logic in that humourless, undesigned new thing.

I think it's unfair to slag off designers as a total waste of money though. I know the perception is that we just play around with crayons then charge loads of money, but like it or not the visual identity is an incredibly important and valuable part of any brand, and presumably you'd agree that the best people at the job should be properly remunerated?

Although IMO those who are best remunerated are not necessarily the best at the job.

[Digga]

Yertis said:

I think it's unfair to slag off designers as a total waste of money though.

I'll allow that their talents are perhaps misdirected.

Yertis said:

I know the perception is that we just play around with crayons then charge loads of money, but like it or not the visual identity is an incredibly important and valuable part of any brand, and presumably you'd agree that the best people at the job should be properly remunerated?

Although IMO those who are best remunerated are not necessarily the best at the job.

True and a shame. FWIW I'd say the visual identity of JCB's machines is a good case in opint. The actual 'look' of the machines is pretty good - cohesive and attractive - but this logog thing is madness.

[stevenr]

Digga said:

Sure, but WFT is the point?!

I'd been pondering this for a while, but a 3CX came down the by-pass, past our office this morning and you really couldn't tell if it was a Jake or a New Holland or some such.

You couldn't tell the difference? Really? If that's the case why are you getting so upset about how their logo is written?

[prand]

Not sure I agree.

I saw a few wheeled lifter/loading type vehicles on the back of a lorry this morning on the M1. I saw bright yellow paint and read "JCB" in big black and white letters on the side of them - and thought didn't think more beyond wondering what the actual name of the lifter/loader was.

So - it works for me, and I can't see how this could really be commercial suicide. A change in colour perhaps might do it perhaps.

What might be a bit confusing is the use of both logos, but again I didn't notice it so can it really that bad for everyone?

[Munter]

Unlike BT. I don't think the sort of people buying large amounts of JCB's product are swayed by the image on the top of the factory/side of the product.

What will it cost us to buy and run
&
Can it do the job

After that the logo/brand comes some way down the line.

BT need to attract people who buy on impulse and other irrational things. I suspect people buying JCB products on impulse are few and far between.

[Yertis]

prand said:

Not sure I agree.

I saw a few wheeled lifter/loading type vehicles on the back of a lorry this morning on the M1. I saw bright yellow paint and read "JCB" in big black and white letters on the side of them - and thought didn't think more beyond wondering what the actual name of the lifter/loader was.

So - it works for me, and I can't see how this could really be commercial suicide. A change in colour perhaps might do it perhaps.

What might be a bit confusing is the use of both logos, but again I didn't notice it so can it really that bad for everyone?

The point here is that the retention of the old 'perspective' JCB logo would have subliminally reassured you, instantly, that these machines were built to a set of values you understood and which, I expect, were positive. As it is, you know it's JCB because it says so, but, in the minds of many, as you see here, questions are raised. This can be good, when the brand has been through a rough patch and expectations need to be reset to 'positive change', but in the case of JCB brand values are (I think) generally positive and well understood, so the question is bound to be 'hello, what's afoot at JCB?'. Doubt, which is bad.