1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,583 (upbeat music) 2 00:00:04,420 --> 00:00:06,640 - Burger King goes retro with its rebrand, 3 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:10,190 while G-M's new logo is more of a design no-no. 4 00:00:10,190 --> 00:00:11,907 I'm Jeff Beer and this is Fast Company's 5 00:00:11,907 --> 00:00:13,630 "Brand Hit Miss of The Week". 6 00:00:13,630 --> 00:00:15,930 The miss this week goes to General Motors. 7 00:00:15,930 --> 00:00:19,090 Late last week, G-M unveiled its new year makeover. 8 00:00:19,090 --> 00:00:21,890 Launching a new logo aimed to reflect its commitment 9 00:00:21,890 --> 00:00:24,350 to the production and sale of electric vehicles. 10 00:00:24,350 --> 00:00:26,686 It takes the familiar G-M in a blue box 11 00:00:26,686 --> 00:00:30,353 and turns the coloring to a lighter blue metal gradient. 12 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:35,810 Overall, it's giving off some major Y-2-K vibes here. 13 00:00:35,810 --> 00:00:37,900 The company said the gradient evokes quote, 14 00:00:37,900 --> 00:00:41,007 "the clean skies of a zero emissions future 15 00:00:41,007 --> 00:00:43,180 "and the energy of the Ultium platform", 16 00:00:43,180 --> 00:00:44,800 G-M's E-V battery system. 17 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:48,267 It also said, the rounded edges and lowercase font, quote, 18 00:00:48,267 --> 00:00:50,807 "create a more modern, inclusive field. 19 00:00:50,807 --> 00:00:52,837 "While within the negative space of the M 20 00:00:52,837 --> 00:00:56,680 "is a nod to the shape of an electric plug", okay? 21 00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:59,637 The company says it's evolving its brand identity, quote, 22 00:00:59,637 --> 00:01:02,887 "as G-M transforms itself to deliver on a vision 23 00:01:02,887 --> 00:01:05,117 "that creates a world with zero crashes, 24 00:01:05,117 --> 00:01:07,990 "zero emissions, and zero congestion." 25 00:01:07,990 --> 00:01:10,284 The thing is, it's doing so with a logo with 26 00:01:10,284 --> 00:01:15,284 zero history, zero trust, and frankly, zero originality. 27 00:01:15,486 --> 00:01:18,320 What if I showed you this logo and said it was for a new 28 00:01:18,320 --> 00:01:20,410 direct-to-consumer toothbrush brand 29 00:01:20,410 --> 00:01:22,800 called Good Morning, would you believe me? 30 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:24,730 At a time when brands are flop sweating 31 00:01:24,730 --> 00:01:27,590 for consumer's attention and eager to build trust equity 32 00:01:27,590 --> 00:01:30,350 through product innovation and marketing prowess, 33 00:01:30,350 --> 00:01:32,560 it boggles the mind why G-M is veering 34 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:35,640 so wildly away from its 113 year history. 35 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:38,420 A cynic might see this new G-M look as a reflex 36 00:01:38,420 --> 00:01:40,740 to the popularity of a brand like Tesla. 37 00:01:40,740 --> 00:01:44,100 And a desire to not look old, outdated, past it. 38 00:01:44,100 --> 00:01:46,170 But there's gotta be a way to do that without ditching 39 00:01:46,170 --> 00:01:49,100 a century of history, brand trust and innovation. 40 00:01:49,100 --> 00:01:52,880 And instead, evoking a certain thirstiness for youth. 41 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:55,897 It's the logo equivalent of your grandad in a Supreme shirt. 42 00:01:55,897 --> 00:01:56,730 (man groans) 43 00:01:56,730 --> 00:02:00,500 G-M has incredibly big and admiral ambitions for its future. 44 00:02:00,500 --> 00:02:03,910 With plans to invest $27 billion in electric 45 00:02:03,910 --> 00:02:07,400 and autonomous vehicles for the next five years. 46 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:09,503 Now, it just needs a logo to match. 47 00:02:10,390 --> 00:02:12,760 This week's hit goes to Burger King. 48 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:15,030 It's brand redesign week on "Hit and Miss", 49 00:02:15,030 --> 00:02:17,910 with yet another new look for a major brand. 50 00:02:17,910 --> 00:02:19,750 But in direct contrast to G-M 51 00:02:19,750 --> 00:02:21,829 driving away from its logo legacy, 52 00:02:21,829 --> 00:02:24,720 Burger King went all in on nostalgic vibes 53 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:26,940 with its first rebrand in 20 years. 54 00:02:26,940 --> 00:02:30,220 That includes logo, packaging, restaurant merchandise, 55 00:02:30,220 --> 00:02:34,010 menus, uniforms, restaurant decor, social media, 56 00:02:34,010 --> 00:02:36,880 digital and marketing assets, whew! 57 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:39,990 The brand identity is warm and full of retro colors, 58 00:02:39,990 --> 00:02:42,260 like mustard and burnt orange that mimic 59 00:02:42,260 --> 00:02:45,260 the organic shapes and colors of B-K menu items. 60 00:02:45,260 --> 00:02:49,510 The result is something warm, fun, and full of personality. 61 00:02:49,510 --> 00:02:52,580 That also feels distinct from its fast food competitors. 62 00:02:52,580 --> 00:02:55,180 It's all designed to emphasize fresh ingredients 63 00:02:55,180 --> 00:02:58,070 in an industry that's not exactly considered healthy. 64 00:02:58,070 --> 00:02:59,990 Last year B-K announced it only used 65 00:02:59,990 --> 00:03:01,350 preservative-free ingredients, 66 00:03:01,350 --> 00:03:04,590 with the grossly effective moldy Whopper ad campaign. 67 00:03:04,590 --> 00:03:08,410 One of the most important attributes of any brand is trust. 68 00:03:08,410 --> 00:03:10,730 Trust in the product, first and foremost, 69 00:03:10,730 --> 00:03:13,510 but also in things like experience and marketing. 70 00:03:13,510 --> 00:03:16,390 And the symbol of that trust is the logo. 71 00:03:16,390 --> 00:03:19,290 Brands spend millions on creating just the right one 72 00:03:19,290 --> 00:03:22,230 that'll represent what it is and stands for 73 00:03:22,230 --> 00:03:25,730 to both customers and employees, it's a big deal. 74 00:03:25,730 --> 00:03:27,780 Now that's a tasty combo. 75 00:03:27,780 --> 00:03:29,730 That's it for now, thanks for watching.