2. NEW IDENTITY ALERT page 2
December 2009
Among the new brand identities featured in A “radical” rebranding may result in lost equity if
this issue are Commerzbank, AOL, MSN, Hertz, it is not properly done, and it requires significant
Ferrovial, Hilton Worldwide, Renaissance Hotels investments in communication resources to
& Resorts, Pfizer, and Sochi 2014. properly transfer existing brand equities to a
brand completely different from its predecessor.
A number of these new brand identities (Hilton, This is nothing new and it has been successfully
MSN, Sochi 2014) have been previously accomplished countless times, most dramatically
discussed on our blog, methodbranding.com/blog. when an existing brand has been acquired. For
example, FedEx appears to have succeeded in
It is interesting to note that while it has been
its efforts to transition the brand equity of Kinkos,
challenging to find major brands that have been
and has now been able to drop that name in favour
rebranded over the past year, this fall has seen a
of FedEx Office.
large number of major companies that have
unveiled their new brand identities. Several of the This is easier to accomplish when a company is
new brand identities featured are evolutions, simply rebranding, but it still cannot be done in
refreshing older marks. This is true of the Hertz, a vacuum, assuming that nothing needs to be
Pfizer, MSN, Renaissance and Commerzbank communicated. Brands, and brand identities, must
identities, with varying degrees of success. be properly introduced to their stakeholders if
they are to succeed.
It should not be surprising that the economic
climate has made companies more reluctant to
push the envelope with their brand identities
and would rather evolve their existing brand Y2K+10
identities. Regardless of economic decisions, Ten years ago, the world nervously waited for
this is often the correct course to take anyway. the clocks to turn to 12:00 am, 2000, worried
that computers would not recognize the date and
Companies have to weigh what real equities that they would crash – from home desktops, to
exist in their current brand identities, versus the major systems guiding commercial aircraft around
benefits of signalling real change by adopting the globe.
something that is unique and unlike their
previous mark. Either scenario brings real chal- Well, computers are still working. But other
lenges and risks. A timid rebranding may not disasters, both natural and man-made, hit in
communicate anything, with the only result being the past ten years.
that the company has spent a significant amount
of time and resources on the rebranding. So here’s wishing everyone a happy holiday and
a healthy and prosperous new year, as well as a
less eventful decade.
3. NEW IDENTITY ALERT An occasional survey of new corporate brand page 3
identities compiled from on-line news sources
December 2009
by Method Branding.
H I LTo N W o R L D W I D E This past fall, Hilton
Hotels Corporation launched its new name,
Hilton Worldwide, and new corporate brand
identity. It has also moved its global headquarters
from Beverly Hills, California, to McLean, Virginia.
The hotel brands, including Hilton Hotels, will
remain unchanged. On the other hand, the
Hilton HHonors brand identity has been updated OLD BR AND iDeNtit y
to align it with the new corporate brand identity.
Hilton Worldwide states its portfolio of ten brands
– including Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts,
Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton, Doubletree,
Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn,
Hampton Inn & Suites, Homewood Suites by
Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand
Vacations – has over 3,300 hotels in 77 countries,
with more than 300 slated to open in 2010.
Comment Not a bad new identity, though
comparing the H symbol to the posts of a bed, as
the Hilton press release does, is a bit silly. The
more interesting issue here is the decision to use
different marks for the Hilton corporate brand
identity and the hotel chain. Does this clearly
differentiate the corporate and loyalty program
brands from the hotel brand? Other than a com-
mon name, there is no link. (With the Hilton
Garden Inn and Homewood Suites brand identi-
ties, these at least share the same typographic
treatment for the Hilton logotype.) They are trying
“to be a little bit pregnant,” and ultimately it won’t
work. Don’t be surprised if in the next 12 to 24
months, they launch a new Hilton Hotel brand
similar, if not identical, to what they have just
launched for their corporate brand.
hiltonworldwide.com
4. NEW IDENTITY ALERT An occasional survey of new corporate brand page 4
identities compiled from on-line news sources
December 2009
by Method Branding.
R E N A I ssA N cE H oT E L s & R E s o RT s Part
of the Marriott portfolio of hotel brands, Renais-
sance Hotels & Resorts launched their new brand
identity this fall. The company used the opening of
two new hotels in Paris and New York City to signal
the change in brand identity, with 24 more slated
to open in the next three years. Renaissance
Hotels & Resorts describes itself as an upscale OLD BR AND iDeNtit y
brand, with more than 140 properties in
28 countries.
Comment This is an evolution of a brand identity
that took a wrong turn. The logotype is more
contemporary, and appears more in line with how
Renaissance wishes to be perceived. The evolution
of the R monogram with swirls to the simple serif
R appears on the surface to be an improvement
as well. This, however, brings the new Renais-
sance brand identity uncomfortably close to W,
a competitor chain from Starwood Hotels and
Resorts. This certainly is not the case of a brand
inadvertently resembling another; the W brand has
been in existence for several years. So why appear
to be a copycat brand? Even if one assumes that
they intentionally wanted to borrow the caché of
the W brand, in the long run this is not how one
builds a strong, sustainable brand. It may work
for a supermarket chain and its private label brand
to sell cans of cola that resemble Coca-Cola’s
packaging without encroaching on their intellec-
tual property and trademarks. This is not a brand
strategy to borrow for the world of hotel brands.
renaissancehotels.com
marriott.com
5. NEW IDENTITY ALERT An occasional survey of new corporate brand page 5
identities compiled from on-line news sources
December 2009
by Method Branding.
H E RT z After a few months of quietly using
their new brand identity (the 2008 annual report
featured it on the cover and inside pages), Hertz
finally officially launched their new brand identity
earlier this month. This 91 year-old company
claims it is the world’s largest car rental brand,
with about 8,000 locations in 145 countries.
Hertz also states it is the number one airport car OLD BR AND iDeNtit y
rental brand in the U.S. and at 69 major airports
in Europe, and that Hertz Equipment Rental
Corporation is the world’s largest equipment rental
business. Hertz is based in New Jersey.
Comment Another brand evolution, the new
brand identity is meant to embrace “our traditional
values of speed, selection and service, as well as
values which customers will come to identify with
Hertz – a commitment to make the rental experi-
ence part of a rewarding, personalized journey
by refining every step of the rental process with
the customer in mind,” according to the Hertz CEO.
The new wordmark, a more contemporary
rendition of the Hertz mark, is lighter, rounder
and not quite as italicized as the previous one.
Keeping the yellow and black colour scheme is not
surprising given how much equity that has in the
marketplace (it would have been stunning had
they abandoned it). What is not clear is why they
would begin using the new brand identity some
9 months before officially launching it. Either they
should have waited before using it, or they should
have announced the change when they first began
using the new brand identity.
hertz.com
hertzequip.com
6. NEW IDENTITY ALERT An occasional survey of new corporate brand page 6
identities compiled from on-line news sources
December 2009
by Method Branding.
co m m E R z b A N K Following the completion
of the merger with Dresdner Bank, Commerzbank
unveiled its new brand identity on October 28. The
bank is the second largest in Germany, and one of
the major financial institutions in Europe. With the
merger, Commerzbank now claims to have about
1,200 branches and 14.5 million private and
corporate customers worldwide. All former OLD BR AND iDeNtities
Commerzbank and Dresdner Bank branches will
start operating as one Commerzbank brand
beginning in the second half of 2010, with the full
integration taking up to a year to complete.
Comment With a brand promise that states,
“Achieving more together,” this new brand identity
is an evolution of the Commerzbank logotype and
the Dresdner Bank symbol. The “ribbon,” as they
describe it, is well-done, though this has become
a stereotypical concept of the past 10 years, with
Rogers Communications and Grant Thornton,
among others, using the same device in different
colours. The symbol still retains its brand equity,
even though it is now Commerzbank yellow.
The logotype is a plainer version of the former.
The new lettering style doesn’t have the thick/
thin characteristics of the former. One could argue
that the logotype does not quite deliver on the
bank’s values: partnership and performance. It is
sturdy, though, there is nothing wimpish about the
new brand identity. And that is not bad, given the
state of many financial institutions this past year.
commerzbank.com
7. NEW IDENTITY ALERT An occasional survey of new corporate brand page 7
identities compiled from on-line news sources
December 2009
by Method Branding.
F E R R ov I A L On the eve of its shareholder
vote to approve the merger with Cintra, this
Madrid-based company unveiled its new brand
identity in October. Ferrovial describes itself as
one of the world’s leading infrastructure
companies, with over of 100,000 employees in
48 countries, operating “in a range of sectors
including construction, airport, toll road, OLD BR AND iDeNtit y
and car park management and maintenance, and
municipal services.”
In 2006 Ferrovial acquired BAA, a major operator
of airports at London Heathrow, London Gatwick,
London Stansted, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow,
Southampton, and Naples. Ferrovial is also the
company responsible for the automatic toll system
on the 407 ETR (a highway in the greater Toronto
area). Ferrovial plans to consolidate a number of
its brands under the Ferrovial brand.
Comment This is an improvement over the
previous brand identity. Even with its simplicity,
one can see the association of the new wordmark
to its tagline, “Engineering human progress.”
While these may not be the first words used to
describe the wordmark, the wordmark and tag line
do support each other. The lowercase lettering is
human and approachable, the shape of the letters
– best exemplified by the o – is solid and also
contemporary and sophisticated. The colour
palette helps carry forward the equity from the
previous brand identity. This may not be the most
exciting or innovative work, but it is very effective.
ferrovial.es
8. NEW IDENTITY ALERT An occasional survey of new corporate brand page 8
identities compiled from on-line news sources
December 2009
by Method Branding.
A o L With its divorce from Time Warner
complete and its shares traded on the New York
Stock Exchange, AOL has launched its new
brand identity. The company describes itself as
“a leading global Web services company with an
extensive suite of brands and offerings and a
substantial worldwide audience.” AOL’s business
spans online content, products and services that OLD BR AND iDeNtit y
the company offers to consumers, publishers and
advertisers. Among its more than 80 web sites are
AOL.com, Moviefone, Mapquest and PawNation.
In addition to its head office in New York City,
AOL has offices in Dulles, Mountain View, Denver,
San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Baltimore,
Detroit, Toronto, Hamburg, Dublin, Paris, London,
Bangalore and Tel Aviv.
Comment This is a visually interesting brand
identity, but this is not a improvement over the
one which was introduced five years ago (see New
Identity Alert, December 2004). Rather, there are a
number of serious problems with this new one.
First, the name has become problematic. Instead
pronouncing the name by its initials – A-O-L – now
that the name is written in upper and lowercase,
cynics may suggest the name is not three initials,
but is a word which is pronounced “eh-¯ l”, a rather
o
unfortunate choice, to say the least. This is also
inconsistent in the way they write about the
company, which remains AOL.
see next page
9. NEW IDENTITY ALERT An occasional survey of new corporate brand page 9
identities compiled from on-line news sources
October 2008
by Method Branding.
A name can have a wordmark all in capital letters,
or in lowercase, but still be written about as a
proper name, i.e., with the first letter capitalized,
and the other letters in lowercase. This brand
identity demonstrates that the opposite does not
work. One can bend certain language rules to
create new brands, but they cannot be
completely ignored.
The name issue notwithstanding, visually the
brand identity is interesting, but not without
problems. AOL describes the new brand identity
as “a simple, confident logotype, revealed by
ever-changing images. It’s one consistent logo
with countless ways to reveal.” Some of these
images and the placement of the logotype, render
the name difficult, if not impossible, to read (see
one of the sample web pages on the preceding
page, or the bottom-left example on this page).
While an argument can be made that a web site’s
brand identity can be more fluid and not as rigid
as a traditional brand identity, there are again
certain branding rules that may be bent but not
totally ignored. If your brand identity is so varied
that it can be anything, then it can also be, and
mean, nothing.
aol.com
corp.aol.com
10. NEW IDENTITY ALERT An occasional survey of new corporate brand page 10
identities compiled from on-line news sources
December 2009
by Method Branding.
m s N On November 5, Microsoft introduced the
new brand identity for MSN. Intended to work
alongside Bing, Microsoft’s web search engine,
the new MSN brand identity and home page is
“designed to be the best home page on the Web.”
MSN claims it has more than 600 million custom-
ers worldwide every month, with nearly 100
million in the U.S. alone. OLD BR AND iDeNtit y
Comment The new butterfly is simpler and more
abstract but not as friendly or accessible as the
original. Was it necessary for Microsoft to revisit
their 9-year old MSN brand identity? This cannot
be viewed in isolation. First it has to work with the
unfortunate Bing brand identity (See the July 2009
of New Identity Alert for more information). Viewed
through that prism, at least the new light face
logotype makes sense; it is closer to the Bing
wordmark. In fact the MSN logotype font is better
than Bing’s. The logotype also moves MSN further
away from Microsoft. Is that a good thing? One can
debate the merits of both sides of that argument.
One gets the impression though, that there is no
overarching strategy, vision or discipline guiding
these brands. New brand identities seem to be
created without any regard to the other brands in
the Microsoft portfolio. Hence, the difference in
fonts for Bing and MSN, and to no discernible
advantage or benefit. One would think that Micro-
soft would/should be examining all their many
varied brands, determining how they interact,
establishing a cohesive brand architecture and
potentially rebrand the whole thing.
msn.com
11. NEW IDENTITY ALERT An occasional survey of new corporate brand page 11
identities compiled from on-line news sources
December 2009
by Method Branding.
J u N I p E R N E T W o R Ks This computer
networks company unveiled its new brand identity
in October. Timed to coincide with the 40th
anniversary of the internet, Juniper Networks also
unveiled “groundbreaking new software, silicon,
systems and partnerships designed to propel the
‘new network’ for enterprise and service provider
customers.” Juniper describes itself as delivering OLD BR AND iDeNtit y
innovative products and services that transform
the experience and economics of networking.
They claim to serve more than 30,000 customers
and partners worldwide and earned more than
$3 billion in revenue last year. Juniper also
revealed a new ingredient brand for its Junos
software platform.
Comment The new Juniper Networks brand
identity is an improvement from the previous
brand identity. The wordmark is, however, surpris-
ingly generic. It is a rather pleasant bit of typogra-
phy, suitably set in a extra light font, combining
both capital and lowercase letters for the word
Juniper. There is a spare aesthetic at work here,
with Juniper in black and Networks in a blue-grey.
The new web site is also quite spare. Only when
the brand identity is applied to its primary soft-
ware, Junos, does a spiral graphic appear (not that
there is anything that would compel someone to
exclaim “WOW”). There is definitely no MSN
rainbow palette at play here. Somehow, one
wishes that a small dose of Microsoft’s any
colour goes would have been administered here,
and that Microsoft would look at Juniper to see
what can be done with some restraint.
juniper.net
12. NEW IDENTITY ALERT An occasional survey of new corporate brand page 12
identities compiled from on-line news sources
December 2009
by Method Branding.
N u m E R I x This analytics company launched
its new brand identity this fall. Numerix describes
itself as “the leading independent provider of
award winning cross-asset analytics for the
structuring, valuation and risk analysis of
derivatives and structured products.” Founded in
1996, Numerix claims it has over 375 financial
institutions and 45 strategic partners in 25
OLD BR AND iDeNtit y
countries that rely on Numerix analytics. Numerix
is based in New York City, with offices in London,
Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai.
Comment The “double helix” symbol is said to
represent “the front to back-office connectivity
and interoperability of Numerix products across
multiple partner and 3rd party vendor platforms.”
Simply stated, this is an interesting symbol.
The intertwined arcs are a visually intriguing
interpretation of interoperability. The logotype in
a light, lowercase lettering style can certainly be
described as contemporary (see the previous
two pages), which gives the logotype a certain
futuristic look. What the logotype does not
contribute is the gravitas and credibility that this
brand demands. One would assume that, these
days especially, gravitas would be a critical
requirement for the brand identity of any firm
analyzing financial derivatives and other financial
products. Unfortunately, the logotype gives
this brand identity the look of a small software
start-up.
numerix.com
13. NEW IDENTITY ALERT An occasional survey of new corporate brand page 13
identities compiled from on-line news sources
December 2009
by Method Branding.
p F I z E R With the close of its acquisition of
Wyeth, this global pharmaceutical company has
updated its brand identity this past October. The
maker of drugs such as Celebrex®, Lipitor ®, Zoloft®
and Viagra®, claims it is now a more diversified
healthcare company. Pfizer now has products in
the human, animal, and consumer health sectors,
including vaccines, biologics, small molecules and OLD BR AND iDeNtit y
nutrition across developed and emerging markets.
Based in New York City, Pfizer lists at least 45
separate country web sites
Comment This is a well done, if subtle, evolution
of the Pfizer brand identity. The rotation and
shading of the oval gives the mark a more ener-
getic, contemporary look. The logotype has also
been successfully modified. Most notable is the
second half of the name. The letter z has a more
uniform character stroke, resulting in the horizon-
tal portions of the letter being more prominent.
The letters e and r are now rendered in a style
more in keeping with italic lettering, giving the
logotype a more flowing look. If there is one
criticism of the new brand identity, it is, that at
least initially, the new mark is often used in a flat
reverse white, losing the three dimensional
shading. They could have opted for a dimensional-
ized white oval. Another option, best exemplified
by the blue band on their web site, would have
been to adapt the blue gradient to these areas as
well. This is still an example of a brand identity
evolution well done.
pfizer.com
14. NEW IDENTITY ALERT An occasional survey of new corporate brand page 14
identities compiled from on-line news sources
December 2009
by Method Branding.
s TATo I L This Norwegian energy company
changed its name in November, going from Statoil-
Hydro ASA to Statoil ASA. Statoil states it has
operations in 40 countries with 30,000 employees
worldwide. They began operations 37 year ago on
the Norwegian continental shelf as an oil and gas
producer. The company also states that it is
“committed to accommodating the world’s energy OLD BR AND iDeNtit y
needs in a responsible manner, applying technol-
ogy and creating innovative business solutions.”
Comment This is another example of a brand
identity that has both positive elements and some
unfortunate decisions. The name change appears
to be a positive move, with Hydro (at least on this
side of the Atlantic) associated with electricity
generated by water dams. The symbol’s design is
also interesting. Made of separate elements, and
strongly pointing upwards (toward the north), it is
said to be based on a constellation of stars seen
in the Nordic sky, and meant to represent the
company’s pioneering spirit and ambition to be a
leader. Then they decided to choose magenta as
the colour to differentiate themselves. Maybe they
misunderstood what was meant by differentiation.
The colour choice, as well as the choice of type
style for their logotype has certainly differentiated
them from brands like Exxon, BP, and others in
this industry. While a brand needs to be differenti-
ated, this usually is attributed to how the company
behaves. While a brand identity wants to stand
out among its competitors, it must remain cred-
ible. Looking like a hair product brand is not
differentiation for an oil and gas brand.
statoil.com
15. NEW IDENTITY ALERT An occasional survey of new corporate brand page 15
identities compiled from on-line news sources
December 2009
by Method Branding.
s o I c H I 2 0 1 4 The new brand and emblem for
the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics has been unveiled
ahead of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games this
coming February. Sochi is described as a Russian
multicultural city of 400,000 inhabitants repre-
senting more than 100 nationalities. It is a major
port city, located on the east side of the Black Sea,
north of Turkey and near the border with Georgia. OtheR OLympic emBLems
The Sochi 2014 Games will take place from
February 7 to 24, 2014.
Comment That the wordmark is also the Games’
URL and that Sochi and 2014 are supposed to be
mirror images are touted as two of the main
characteristics of the emblem. IOC President
Jacques Rogge is quoted as saying this emblem
will become “one of the most visible and recogn-
ised marks for people of all ages from around the
world.” The emblem may indeed become recog-
nized around the world, but that doesn’t make it
good. The web address is actually sochi2014.ru,
but that’s not how the emblem reads. Linking the
emblem to the game’s URL would have seemed
truly innovative for the Liilehammer 1994 Winter
Games, or the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics.
Today this is “old-hat” (see amazon.com, to start
with). An Olympic “app” for smart phones would
be innovative, but then who would suggest that
the emblem be an app icon? Mostly, this emblem
is not bad, but it’s just boring. It is not as bad as
the London 2012 emblem, nor as amateurish as
the Vancouver emblem. But it does seem to
continue a recent trend of Olympic brands that are
distinctly uninspiring.
sochi2014.ru
