Gap: "We have a new logo?"

This is part 2 of 2-part blog about Gap and their recent logo redesign. Part 1 focused on the design itself. This part focuses on the roll-out of their logo redesign.


"We have a new logo!"

"We have a new logo?"

How would you rather announce to the world that you have a new logo?

Gap appears to have taken the timid, experimental, almost apologetic approach to a logo redesign.

In a recent Advertising Age article, Gap's spokesperson: 1) confirmed that the new logo was NOT a joke (as many people believed), but more importantly 2) confirmed that they had planned all along to roll out the new logo by placing it on their North American web site... ONLY.

That's just the wrong way to roll out a logo redesign.

It's as though they're standing outside of the meeting room, sliding the idea under the door, then listening through a glass pressed up against the door to see how people will react.

Now they've gone so far as to: 1) admit it was experimental in nature ("to monitor responses") and 2) write a FaceBook post that solicits new logo ideas!

As though they burst in to the meeting room yelling "Psych! We weren't really going to do this!" when they really were.

Now it just so happens that the design is in fact poor, and that the response has been overwhelmingly negative, so they've paved the way for retracting their new logo experiment without too much invested. But they were setting themselves up for failure by the method of the roll out.

They didn't do anything other than post the new logo on the web site. Their corporate FaceBook page had the old logo. And the challenge page (where you select your country) on the web site even had the old logo!

Exceedingly poor execution of a strategically monumental undertaking, with an overwhelmingly negative impact on their brand reputation.

LESSON FOR BUSINESS OWNERS / EXECUTIVES:

• Create a detailed, coordinated, thorough (internal) roll-out plan (including FaceBook page updates!) for re-branding roll-outs
  
• Have a similarly coordinated internal communications plan
• Have a similarly coordinated media launch
• Announce your new logo with pride and conviction!