Two recent news items about companies that changed their brand identity got us thinking about the necessity of such changes.

One is Pepsi’s new logo.  Greeted with some admiration but mostly angry backlash over the million-dollar budget that produced a logo only slightly different than its predecessor, the new logo begs the question, Was this necessary?

The other is the new Tropicana packaging, which was also met with dismay by consumers and industry folks alike.

Interestingly, both of these projects were done by Arnell Group, and we’re really curious to know one thing: Did they ask Pepsi and Tropicana customers if they wanted a brand redesign?

To our thinking, both new product identities look generified and are in no way improvements over what had been in use for years.  But it doesn’t matter what we think, as design professionals.  What matters is what we think as customers – us and the millions of other Pepsi and Tropicana customers.  And we think Arnell Group didn’t bother to find out.

All too often companies want to change their look, get a new website, or update their logo “just because.”  Because they’re tired of looking at it.  Because their competition did.  Or because their ad agency suggested it.

But none of these are good reasons.  And in fact there is only one good reason to undertake such a task: Because your customers want it.

We’re all guilty of putting the cart before the horse and charging down Marketing Lane without first getting the input and approval of our customers.  Lucky for us smaller businesses such moves are rarely disastrous, because we can easily change back and don’t have a client base of millions to potentially piss off.  And make no mistake, people are emotionally invested in their favorite brands and get mighty pissed off about changes to them!

Regardless, now is a good time to re-learn the lessons of “look before you leap” and “if it’s not broken don’t’ fix it.”  And lucky for us, we can learn these lesson vicariously through Pepsi and Tropicana, rather than first-hand.

I was pouring the Pepsi, looking at the bottle and reading the packaging (like I always do), and I saw an announcement that said something like, “Sharp new bottle, same great taste!”  And I thought to myself, “Is it ever good to have to tell your customers that you’re still you?”  Sometimes I marvel at how many instances I see where people – marketers, mostly – contradict one of my favorite rules, If It Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix It.

The next day I noticed a wonderful application of that same rule: The Mickey Mouse Club.  Since the show’s inception in 1955, each episode ends with Mickey or a cast member saying, “See ya real soon!”  My mom heard it as a child, I heard it as a child, and now my daughter hears it.  It’s a modern tradition, and endears Disney to us.

At the end of the day, isn’t business all about endearing yourself to your customers so they keep coming back and recommend you to others?

This is a straight-shooting message about intellectual property rights by Maria Marsala, reprinted with permission.  She says it perfectly, so we'll let her do her thing.  Enjoy!

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Are You Stealing Your Logo?
by Maria Marsala, Elevating Your Business

It's scary to me, the number of business owners who don't know much about the laws regarding the work that other contractors are doing for them.

Do you know, for instance, that you do not own much of the work others do for you!  I’m referring to copywriters, graphic artists, web designers, photographers, etc., those who create things for you, your business or even a non-profit organization "own the rights to them."  Yes, the logo they create for you, they own.  Didn't realize that?  Even a contract a lawyer creates for you – you can't just give to a friend to use!  Read on.

It's the law.  Read more about a recent lawsuit won by a photographer who recently won $1.32 million in a copyright-infringement lawsuit.

What you can do if you create such work.  All my clients want long-standing clients.  So as part of the initial consultation, they tell every client about this law.  Some even give them an article on the subject during the initial contact.

Why?  Because a majority of the business owners don't know anything about this and the size of the business doesn't matter (see below).

Include this in your contract.  Offer to sell clients the rights by charging an additional fee if the client wants the "rights."

What can business owners do?  Know the laws around the work that others are doing for you.  Not knowing won't get you off the hook.  Ask the questions "Will I own the rights to use this?" and "Can I change this and use it any way I want including allowing someone else to use it?"  If you don't own the rights, and someone creates a logo for your website, you can't put that logo on your stationary or change it -- size, colors etc. – unless you own the rights.

Even large companies don't know all about the laws.  A multi-million mega dollar training/coaching company that I worked for a few years ago had the best photos and graphics in their eNewsletter.  After contacting them to learn their source, I learned that they were stealing the photos from all over the Internet!  I told them so and unsubscribed from the newsletter.

© 2007 Maria Marsala, a former Wall Street Fortune 300 executive, is a business therapist, author and speaker.  She helps small business owners earn more, work smarter, create profit by producing services/informational products, and live great lives.  Receive  FREE Business Tools.