In my first post on marketing communications, I thought I would start with a discussion on the importance of your company logo. After all, when it comes right down to company value, the ultimate measure of a company’s worth is inextricably interlinked to the brand equity that company evokes in the marketplace. The logo is the closest depiction of a company’s brand equity, so can justifiably be argued as a medium of marketing communications.
I have been repeatedly astonished the lack of understanding by employees at the importance of maintaining brand consistency. Most people would be shocked to purchase a can of Coca Cola, only to find the logo be out of compliance – or worse yet, be mis-spelled.
Yet, time and time again I am presented with a new document, pamphlet or other piece of collateral for existing or new customers where a logo has been modified, is the wrong color, or has simply been stretched to be out of its original aspect ratio. Such was the case just the other week, when I was presented with a tri-fold, double sided piece of collateral that had obviously taken considerable work to assemble. The only branding element identifying that the collateral belonging to the company was a logo stretched to 50% height and 100% width. And, to top it off, the ink was smeared on the inside, clearly indicating the printing had been done on a low quality printer, rather than by a professional printer. This single piece of collateral will do harm to every single customer, partner and employee who comes in contact with it – screaming at them “we don’t really care about how we look or how we present ourselves to you!”
The irony is that when I pointed out the shortcoming of the piece and suggested to stop distribution and collect those pieces that had already been handed out, I was given a stare followed by a laugh …. “are you serious?” was the response. The amazing thing is that this is NOT the first time this type of situation has occurred … time and time again I have experienced the exact same circumstance, and each time the employee I have come in contact with has though I was totally crazy and acting totally out of line.
Other examples include footers in an email signature whereby the wrong logo was used, or one has been modified to a different aspect ratio, affixed to every single email the employee has sent out.
From my perspective your company logo should be treated like a “china doll” … treat it carefully, never distort it and always show it the respect it deserves, as it is the single defining image that represents your company to all of those who come in contact with it. They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words – your company logo should be treated no differently.
So, I ask you, am I crazy and over-reactive? I would be interested in hearing your feedback or any personal experiences you have had with trying to be the “logo police” at your company.
Gordon Benzie is a marketing adviser and business plan writer that specializes in preparing and executing upon business plans and marketing strategies.