The Tribune

By D’Arcy Rahming

I recently read a great article on Fastcodesign.com that, I think, puts logos in the proper perspective. The article states that we should think of logos as “a social brand platform that invites participation and creates value in authentic and relevant ways.” Wow! That’s quite a mouthful, but I agree with it completely. The article goes on explaining how just changing a logo, without addressing the underlying social platform, is of limited value. My point of view is that the logo must be tied to the actions of the company.

New business owners spend a lot of time establishing their logo, which is important. It is what identifies the public with your company. A logo also lets your shareholders, and others, see that you are active in your advertising and presence. Keeping shareholders and investors happy is extremely important if you want to stay in business. Company or brand logos are prominent, but it isn’t all just about the numbers.

Now, will an advertisement with the logo on it be more effective than an advertisement that does not have one? The answer is that sometimes it will, and sometimes it won’t. If you are an established business where your values, products and services are well known, then the logo is worth all the money invested in it.

For example, Coca-Cola and McDonalds paid over $100 million to use the Olympic Rings in their advertising, and to say they are a proud sponsor of the Games. It is their hope that persons will associate their products with the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship.

So the product is not necessarily a direct sale to an athlete. Really think about it: How many of those athletes are downing a Big Mac before or after a meal, and washing it down with a Coca Cola? Definitely not part of a professional athlete’s diet. Yet the co-branding works because people enjoy these products when watching the Olympics. They associate the products with the good times of watching their athletes win, and will purchase more later because they implicitly want to recapture that feeling.

However, a warning here. Big companies can spend a lot of money on advertising dollars just to put a logo out there. This may not be a practical reality for a smaller company. Their advertising dollars might be better spent on making sure they are creating a great experience for their customers. For example, there is a guy that I buy conch salad from on Montague, and I don’t think he even knows what a logo is.

NB: D’Arcy Rahming holds a Masters of Management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. A lecturer at the College of the Bahamas, Mr Rahming has clients in general insurance, retail, the health and medical fields, sports federations and financial services. To receive his marketing newsletter FREE go to http://DArcyRahming.com or contact him directly at darcyrahmingsr@gmail.com