Why do incumbent brands change their logo?

We spot that brands change their logos after some period on the market. Why? Will changing the brand logo turn the company into profit? Will changing the brand logo help attract new customers & retain existing customer? Yes & No, changing the logo is only part of the story, if it were that easy, I'm sure that you will be seeing a lot more logo changes on the market.

My company is currently undergoing a re-branding project. Yes, after ample of efforts in communication and negotiation I have managed to persuade a 51 years old company to change their brand image, starting with the visuals. Yes, logo will be part of the visual amendment.

We have been working with the outsource design vendors for a few months now. The vendors have proposed many designs to us, and we have provided many of our feedback to them. We also had an internal voting event, which was opened to the executive managers and to our word wide agents, to vote for their top choice. Finally we are almost set for our new logo.

Last week, I was called into my boss's office, Where I was asked "You know what? I don't really see a big difference between our new and old logo, whats wrong with our old logo, do we really need to change the old one?" Yup just great, back to square one...

What is the purpose of changing a company logo? One first must have a clear understanding of the core meaning of a logo change before going into execution. Changing the logo is much more than a new look, a new visual. Logo change is a declaration to the market and a declaration internally that the company is constantly meeting the need of the market.

Changing the logo is much more than a new look, a new visual. Logo change is a declaration to the market and a declaration internally that the company is constantly meeting the need of the market

The market is changing faster than ever. Companies that doesn't amend itself to constantly meet the demand of the market will not survive, or at least unable to maintain its market share. This is not limited to small companies but very true to big corporation as well. Some classic example of big corporation failure include Nokia, Boarders, Block Buster, Toys R Us and Kodak. These companies failed to re-position itself on the market, to provide business models and products that match the need of the market. As result, finding itself struggling to survive.

Logo is a declaration for change. However, declaration itself is not enough, declaration is only the beginning, the company needs to adjust itself from the top to bottom. From its operation, culture, product, management, business model...etc. All these need to be adjusted to meet the demand of the market. This involves great effort, dedication and strong commitment. In the process, there will surely be oppositions. Yes, it will definitely be painful. However, at the end of the day it is either change or be eliminated.

Declaration for change is not enough, declaration is only the beginning, the company needs to adjust itself from top to bottom. From its operation, culture, product, management, business model...etc

When is a good timing for logo change? Well, when you believe your company is ready for an operation, culture, product, management, business model...etc adjustment. Otherwise don't bother with a logo change. Yes, a logo change will bring a new look to the market, and will definitely attract some potential customers. However, during engagement, your customer will discover that you are just an old dog that can't learn new tricks and will abandon you in the end.

In case you are curious, after our internal communication, our company decided to continue to go forth with the logo change.