Is it right for the CEO or MD to change the company name or logo?


Well, I believe that it all depends. MDs and CEOs come from all sorts of backgrounds, maybe finance, maybe a technical specialist in a product or service of your organisation. If the company or organisation head is from a marketing background, then the chances are that they would have suggested a name or logo change based on sound marketing research – in which case – no problem!

But what if the figurehead is not from a marketing background – could that light bulb moment of wanting a new logo or company name have come from somewhere different? Something more emotional – a wish or desire rather than a calculated move forward?

Back in the 1980’s I worked for a computer business and its name very much told the story of what the company did – a bit like Ronseal does now. It worked for us and this was a very profitable company. Then the MD saw a new logo which was actually from another organisation who had just ceased trading – but the MD thought – “what a great company name and an even better logo – let's go for that”. 

So we made the change – new company name, letterheads printed, brochures altered (this was before the Internet) and then the time came to answer the phone with the shiny new identity …

“So what is it you do?” our customers asked – “sorry, must have called the wrong number” – oops, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. A few weeks on and the mistake was clearly apparent and the poor switchboard  operators now had to use both the old and the new name, so as to avoid confusion. A year or so later the company went out of business …

So, by all means change your company name, update your logo – give it a refresh now and again – but do look at the exercise from a marketing viewpoint. At the end of the day, its your customers’ opinions that matter – because they’re the ones who are going to buy from you. Put yourself in their shoes and see the world from their viewpoint.

Marketing is a complex art and it needs to be done well. Yes, we want the opinion of the CEO or MD, but always stand in your customers’ shoes – and give them the message and the experience that they want. Then they’ll come back for more.

Happy to chat or advise
roger@nexgenmarketing.co.uk

#branding #logos #marketing

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