What do iconic brands have in common?
Some quick thoughts on some of the most iconic brands and the process of debranding
What is debranding?
The removal of brand elements to appear less corporate and more personal. The key aim of this is to focus on the consumer, not the corporation.
At the center of many marketing campaigns, debranding is the act of streamlining your brand identity by removing words, simplifying design or changing your business name and logo completely. The overall goal is to create a customer-centric brand – but how effective is this approach?
Debranding has become more and more relevant as we move into a mobile-first society. Where logos were once made to be intricate, it’s now necessary to make them fit comfortably on mobile devices and still be recognisable. In addition to necessity, having a simplified visual aspect of your brand allows for more freedom when it comes to the design side of marketing campaigns or online media.
- Dunkin’ Donuts becoming Dunkin’
- Domino’s Pizza becoming Domino’s
- Apple Computers being just Apple.
But there’s another phase to this evolution that I don’t really see people talking about.
And that’s when a brand becomes so iconic that they just drop their name altogether and become their icon.
Some examples of brands doing these are
- Nike, with the swoosh (Nike logo)
- Starbucks with the mermaid
- McDonalds with the golden arches
- Apple with an apple
The 3 main branding goals for a business are:
- Influence people’s feelings about the brand
- To create a distinct identity
- Build loyalty overtime
How your brand's logo is universally recognized in the market and culture is truly the pinnacle of marketing.
Of course, there are many things to consider when thinking about changing your branding. If you’ve created a strong visual identity that people connect with, it can be difficult to get it right and it will be important to understand your motivations to do so.
