Gap has received alot of flak for quietly uploading a new logo to its website; so much flak that, in fact, they have since taken the new logo down and reverted to their old one.
As all of us know, the costs for rebranding with a new logo are astronomical. Can you imagine the amount of flak it took for them to make the decision to say, “oops!”?
Gap quietly uploaded the new logo about a week ago. Fans objected in force, posting comments to Twitter, FaceBook and on tech blogs. Initially, Gap insisted the new logo would stay, and would be rolled out in advertising and in stores next month. However, Gap soon changed its tune and listened to its customers, releasing the following statement on its FaceBook page: “We’ve heard loud and clear that you don’t like the new logo. We’ve learned a lot from the feedback. We only want what’s best for the brand and our customers”. The new logo was removed from its website today.
The thought behind the new logo was that it better reflected Gap’s updated image and more modern clothing designs.
What did they do wrong? They didn’t take into account the emotional attachment their customers had to their logo. On top of that, they ‘introduced’ the new logo without fanfare or even explanation. Plus (and I know I often stand alone on this), if you have something that works, and works well, why change it? Their logo was iconic – you can’t beat that PR! Finally, a big criticism they faced was that Gap didn’t ask their customers to weigh in on the new logo before choosing it.
What did they do right? They admitted a mistake, and swifly corrected it. Doing so endeared them to their customers, and allowed their customers to feel as if their opinion mattered and as if the Gap was listening. Doing so cut short what could have been an even larger PR disaster, and provided an opportunity to turn their current crisis into a positive experience for the company and its customers.
This post is a repeat of a post I wrote for PRSA-MD’s blog.
