Does a picture speak louder than words? When seeing a brand’s logo, without words, can you tell which company it belongs to? A logo ultimately represents a brand. But logos aren’t only used on cups, signs, advertising or billboards. Logos are in places you sometimes don’t even realize. When reading Scott Monty’s blog, head of social media for Ford Motor Company, he snatched my attention. His blog titled, “The Importance of Logos”, made me reflect on all the commercials I’ve seen when logos play a BIG part, and without wouldn’t make sense.
Do you ever watch TV and wonder who the heck is the company that’s running this commercial? Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:
When I first watched this Old Spice commercial, I was so confused about what this commercial was even about….Until I saw Old Spice’s logo at the end. Another example, which is seen a lot with car commercials, is this BMW commercial. Without me telling you that it’s a BMW commercial before you view it, watch it as though you didn’t know.
A lot of car commercials put a picture in your head of what your life would be like to have their car before being able to view the actual car itself. When watching this commercial, I didn’t know it was for BMW or even a car commercial, until I saw car toward the end of the commercial. The BMW logo is one that most people are familiar with.
The next commercial is another perfect example of how logos are important:
Watching these Ikea commercials, you would never watch the first part and think “Ikea” until you see their logo at the end of the commercial.
Monty’s blog intrigued me to dive deeper into the importance of logos; and even a closer look at the importance of a picture for a brand so consumers can relate and identify with. Logos allow guidance and a sense of community for certain brand users. A great example is the Starbucks logo. All Starbucks customers can see the logo and feel a sense of belongingness, which they feel attached to. This feeling is experience through many logos.
-Sara
I was really surprised by the IKEA commercial, I don't feel like it said IKEA at all to me until the end like the point you were trying to make. I think this works well when it's like the Old Spice commercial because the Old Spice man in himself is Old Spice's brand, he's like their mascot. But the weird stories for IKEA didn't have much to do with IKEA's brand and didn't do much for making me want to choose IKEA's projects. Interesting blog post.
ReplyDeleteInteresting thoughts, for sure. Undoubtedly we've all seen commercials like these where we don't really understand until the punchline (or punchlogo in this case). However, as I think more about it, it's probably a tactic that a lot of companies use on purpose. 1) The mystery keeps the viewer engaged until the end, and 2) Things that make us go "What the?" are usually the things that stick with us the longest. Remember the Paris Hilton Burger King commercial? Yeah, talk about a switcharoo...
ReplyDeleteEven still, these types of ads may be working to help the consumers recognize the brand better than we may think. For example, I know the Old Spice guy's voice anywhere and can't help but "I'm on a horse" anytime I pick up a new stick of deoderant. Also, as soon as I hear the list of accolades of "the most interesting man in the world, I know that I'm watching a Dos Equis commercial even though nothing is said about the product itself until the very end.
Either way, I see your point. Sometimes it can be confusing, and sometimes even frustrating. But as I think more about it, it is a pretty good strategy.