Last week, US retailer Walmart made headlines by announcing a “comprehensive brand refresh”. This new look and feel, which they have described as a “testament to heritage and innovation”, comes 74 years after the corporation’s founding and aims to better represent who Walmart is today.
But the public doesn’t seem to be convinced. Internet users are questioning how much a designer was paid for the rebrand, saying they have clearly been ripped off. And given the logo has gone from a blue wordmark and six yellow sunburst rays to a blue wordmark and six yellow sunburst rays I can somewhat see where they are coming from.
Which begs the question: why do it?
There are several reasons a corporation might undertake such a light touch logo rebrand.
- We’re all talking about it
Yes, even me. In an endless stream of digital content sometimes shouting the loudest is the only way to cut through the noise. In this case, maybe the best way to get people talking about your brand is to annoy them into doing it. It’s the same approach that leads people to put intentional typos in their TikToks and Instagram reels, prompting people to comment the correction and inadvertently boost their reach and engagement levels. I talk more about some of the most news-worthy rebrands in recent years in this blog.
- It’s not about the logo
And I think this one may be the main approach for Walmart. It might be the logo that everyone sees most immediately but if you dive deeper into the press release for the rebrand you can read about their approach to digital platform design. The Walmart dashboard and App design takes a bento design approach, a modern and friendly visual structure.
- “We’re still the same strong and stable company”
Given the US political landscape is seeing major changes with the new president it might not be such a bad time to communicate a sense of the same old reliable, trustworthy retailer but with some minor improvements and upgrades to make your lives better. If this was Walmart’s approach, then I’d say their key message hasn’t quite come through in the press activity for the refresh given their language of “comprehensive” and “innovative”.
- Using up the budget
This is farfetched but they may be using up a bit of money to avoid a budget surplus. Essentially, there may have been a certain amount of money earmarked for marketing strategy this year or quarter, and if it isn’t used then their budget could be reduced next time. Sometimes it makes more sense just to use that budget up. And if you still don’t know what I mean by that, I can recommend watching The Office US Season 5 Episode 10: The Surplus. Oscar gives a great summary.
The takeaway from all this is that a brand might be far more complex than just a logo, but it is still a hugely vital part of a company’s external communications and is certainly what people seem to latch on to. There are many great reasons to have a brand refresh, even if you’re not keen to reinvent the wheel totally. Talk to PLMR’s creatives to start your journey today – email us at info@plmr.co.uk
