Assessing Logo Awareness
E-Score® Brand measures logo awareness along with many other facets of brand equity, and is the perfect tool to track consumer perceptions over time. We found the brands that have a big gap between their Name Awareness and Logo Awareness, suggesting their logos aren’t as recognizable as their brand name.
- In 2013, American Airlines decided to move away from their iconic “AA” logo in an attempt to portray a more modern and innovative This resulted in a 61% difference between their Name Awareness (71%) and Image Awareness (10%) compared to only a 4% difference with their previous iconic logo.
- Entertainment Franchises are often active in licensing, and want iconic logos suitable for a wide range of uses. But by designing logos without the name of the brand, these brands are surrendering substantial equity. X-Files tops the category with a 48% gap. Others include Justice League (32%) and James Bond (30%).
- Sometimes a logo also serves as a badge, as in automotive brands or sports teams which have to fit their logo on hub caps or helmets. Tesla leads all automotive brands with a 33% difference in Name and Image Awareness followed by Buick (31%). The New York Giants and Denver Broncos top all sports teams with 40% and 31% differences in Name and Image Awareness, respectively.
Starbucks
In 2011, Starbucks removed their name and the word “coffee” from their logo in an attempt not only to modernize their look but also to expand their brand from just coffee. E-Score Brand has been tracking Starbucks for over ten years and has uncovered the effects the logo change had on the brand’s Awareness.
- In 2010, the old Starbucks logo had a 2% difference between Name and Image Awareness. In 2011, when they made the change, this number spiked to 42% as people had trouble recognizing the green mermaid without the brand name attached.
- Although some considered the bold move a mistake, Starbucks stuck to their guns and reinforced their change by boosting branding initiatives and slowly growing their Image Awareness from 40% in 2011 to 75% in 2017.
- Starbucks is not back to the 2% difference between Name and Image Awareness they boasted in 2010 but they managed to close the gap to only 7% and have turned their green mermaid into an iconic symbol that extends far beyond coffee.
Big Baller Brand
Sometimes logos can be confused for other, more recognizable brands. This is a problem that has affected the newly formed Big Baller Brand created by Lavar Ball, father of current Lakers rookie sensation Lonzo Ball. Using E-Score Brand we see not only the Name and Image Awareness of the new athletic brand but can also see Consumer Comments revealing that the triple B’s cause a bit of confusion.
- Big Baller Brand has a low Total Awareness (5%) but interestingly has a higher Image Awareness (6%) than Name Awareness (4%). When digging a little deeper and viewing some Consumer Comments, we uncovered that two thirds of consumers confused the logo for that of the Better Business Bureau.
- The Consumer Comments also reveal subtle nuances of consumer sentiment. We found “overpriced” to be a frequent comment, but as one consumer noted, “If you can’t afford these shoes you ain’t a big baller.”
Takeaway
One of the most valuable tools for any brand whether they are changing their logo or simply want to track how their brand is perceived is E-Score Brand. With over 10 years worth of tracking, brands can keep an eye on themselves and on competitors to drive decisions and help shape successful brand strategies.
Resources
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