Changing Icons Ain't for Sissies

By John Malmo

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkno/local-wkno-953597.mp3

Changing Icons Ain't for Sissies, by John Malmo

Memphis, TN – The minute I heard that Ole Miss had done away with Colonel Rebel and would try to pick a new mascot by popular vote, I knew they were in trouble: changing any familiar icon, whether it's a school mascot or company logo, is a heavy load. And probably no other mascot in the NCAA was as emotionally ingrained or unique as Colonel Reb. Then the process, itself, made the job impossible.

The Black bear that Ole Miss ended up with is simply a knock-off of the University of Maine Black Bears. Ole Miss fumbled the ball, and it will cost them a lot in merchandise sales.

Then, there's Starbucks. The ubiquitous coffee shop has tweaked its logo yet again. This time, the brand name and word "coffee" have been removed. The new logo is cleaner, simpler, and easier to use. The Gap clothing retailer changed its logo last October, but had to ditch the new one after a few weeks because customers hated it.

Starbucks, too, is being heaped with criticism, but, as you start selling more and more different things, it makes sense to dump "coffee" from your logo. The Gap change was kind of willy-nilly. The Starbucks change is solid reasoning.

The Ole Miss change was just amateur night.

John Malmo is a marketing consultant who concentrates on helping business owners grow their businesses with effective marketing. To reach Mr. Malmo, hear and read more of his commentaries, or ask him a direct question, go to askmalmo.com.