While watching the first weekend of the NFL playoffs I noticed a couple commercials with a new look for their companies. But it wasn't there that noticed the new GM logo for the first time. Rather, it was here in a barbed story from Fast Company: General Motors' New Logo Is the Biggest Branding Fail of 2021, So Far. The article begins:
Over the last week we’ve seen a rash of rebranding efforts by major companies such as Burger King and Pfizer. Now, General Motors announced it too had a New Year makeover, unveiling a new logo aimed to reflect its commitment to the production and sale of electric vehicles.
When companies make a move of this nature, they usually accompany it with a publicity campaign in which they explain their rationale. That is, since decisions like this can't be made lightly, it is useful to take the opportunity to draw attention to what the new look is attempting to convey. Here's what GM had to say about it:
The new GM logo features a color gradient of vibrant blue tones, evoking the clean skies of a zero-emissions future and the energy of the Ultium platform [GM’s EV battery system]. The rounded edges and lower-case font create a more modern, inclusive feel. The underline of the “m” connects to the previous GM logos as well as visually representing the Ultium platform. And within the negative space of the “m” is a nod to the shape of an electrical plug.
Essentially it's an environmental message and a commitment statement. It reads like a sales pitch from an ad agency to the GM marketing team, who in turn took it to the top to see if it would fly. And apparently it did.
Jeff Beer, the author of this article, does not share the same enthusiasm for this re-branding effort that GM does. The problem, according to Beer, is trust. Trust is an essential part of any relationship between consumers and companies. Beer cites the 20% drop in Tropicana's sales after they rebranded in 2009. (Which included 5 months of design work and a 35 million dollar campaign.)
GM says they are in an evolutionary state, moving toward a future with "zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion." These ideas are contained in a logo concept that Beer feels has zero history, zero trust and zero originality. On top of all that Beer sees it as just plain bland.
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The Fast Company piece compares the GM re-branding to Ford's Bronco launch last summer which focused on that company's history and legacy. Beer's barbed probe questions GMs motivations, too. Does GM feel challenged by Tesla? Is this re-branding an effort to re-captured the future in the imaginations of its consumers?
2001-2010
At the New York World's Fair the GM Pavilion, a.k.a. Futurama, was equally future-focused. Imaginations were stirred by concept cars that looked very different from what we drove in the Fifties, almost space-aged. There comes a time when being too tied to the past is perceived as dated. "We're not your father's Oldsmobile" is a famous campaign that implied cutting ties with the past.
Nearly all the previous logo designs maintained that stodgy, square, solid block with a GM in the middle. Today's logo is more fluid, organic.
What do you think about this new look? Leave a comment. We'd really like to hear.
Related Links
Here's a cool web page where you see all the logos from General Motors' history since 1908. The first 30 years its Certificate of Incorporation served as its logo. https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/General_Motors
New Logo Is the Biggest Branding Fail of 2021, So Far (Fast Company story)
At a time when so many other American institutions are in danger of crumbling, one can’t help but root for GM’s attempt to reinvent itself as a more forward-thinking organization. While some might yearn for the solidity of the old GM and its accompanying Mark of Excellence, their time has passed. Here’s hoping that the new, cleaner, friendlier GM can succeed, for, even though it’s a bit of a misquote, what’s good for General Motors is still good for America. I guess we will get used to it. Good luck.
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