• Gap. Again. Or is Buzz the Social Media Ding Dong Ditch.

    Posted on October 14th, 2010 by and currently 3 commenting.


    I was cruising Flickr looking for a photo of a baby wearing something with GAP on it and well, I could not resist sharing this. Pretend it has something to do with GAP. cc lusciousnis

    Sorry. I can’t hold my opinion in.

    So at the risk of joining a seriously over baked conversation, I’ll give you my two cents on the whole “Gap’s Changed It’s Logo” after school drama.

    Our roots as a company are in the naming and identity business. So — I feel somewhat qualified to comment.

    I don’t like the newly suggested Gap logo. It’s very silly.

    GAP has been around a long, long while. They are on every street corner and mall in America. Why mess with a good thing? Or put another way, if you are going to do it — do it big and with feeling. And PURPOSE. The proposed change was not subtle like a new black jacket with a tiny adjustment in the collar or length to be more fashionable, nor is it meaningful. In my humble opinion.

    When BP changed it’s logo it symbolized (whether you believe it or not) a VALUE change. Same with Wachovia when they pulled away from traditional bank branding identities and moved to a more organic mark. They were making a statement. If GAP was making a change that reflected a need or a value change, let’s just say for jollies that they believe with all their hearts their customers hunger to dress with more color and so they added color to the logo mark, that would be meaningful. A simplistic example, but you get my point.

    But this change to their mark is just — different. For the sake of being different. Or so it seems from what I have read so far.

    Not better or worse. And it appears from what am gathering in the press statements (yes, that is in italics for a reason) that it was mostly internally driven over a period of about two years. My admiration. I have never stuck with one decision for that long. Ever.

    Hmmmm.

    Perhaps they should take a cue from Nabisco…

    Nabisco has given “slow baked logo transition” a whole new meaning. It’s fascinating. I like to think each subtle change was done without much thought. Certainly not two years worth of it. Geez.

    Wait. That is so interesting isn’t it? Iconic brands have subtly been changing and updating their marks for many, many years. Without much fanfare. Now social media and the voice of the customer has made it really hard to be subtle about change. Large or small. We are a reactive bunch – we humans. We just can’t help ourselves from joining in on the discussion.

    Especially on the topic of change.

    And last but not least, I will say this one last thing:

    If this is buzz stunt, I am sorry for you GAP.

    Like Ding Dong Ditch – that would be really annoying. IF it’s a stunt I would have to ask: Don’t you have more meaningful ways to engage sustainable support for your iconic brand? Like the momentary confusion of a ringing of a doorbell at 2am, all this chatter (if a stunt) will be forgotten in the morning. Or at least by cocktails the next evening.

    Hey, but like the rest of the observers and ranters, they didn’t ask me. I’m just an ordinary, longtime advocate of their simple white tees.

    P.S. I wrote this yesterday, so who knows. There could be new overnight developments (smiling).