How Gap Got it Wrong: Branding Strategy Gone Bad
Why creative ideas can't replace the branding process.
The launch and retraction of the new Gap logo showed an amazing lack of connection to the most valued aspect of branding: customer loyalty.
The brand connection really lives in the experience of the customer; customers are basically operating from their experience of what they like and feel loyal to. This changes over time but the longer and stronger the connection, the more valuable the brand is to the customer.
GAP Loyalty More Than Skin Deep
The failed brand change shows that GAP customers really feel their loyalty matters. Knowing who these customers are, how they react and what they really want is critical. This is where The GAP went wrong. Their internally-focused process did not include the loyalty factor. Their customers value the GAP image, including the white serif capitals on a blue field.
Why Crowd Sourcing is a Myth — Sometimes
GAP made a last-minute effort to engage fans through a Facebook page where they solicited input: "We love our version, but we'd like to see other ideas."
The "crowd sourcing" concept can be difficult to manage. Hearing the unedited voice of the "crowd" or the customer will give brands exactly what they need? Wrong. The problem: How do you identify and measure the most important customer's opinion vs. the most vocal opinion from the marginal customer or the person who hates your product? You can't. so getting input like GAP did in a public forum for all to see was a disaster. There's value in looking at crowd-sourced input in a context that makes sense, but the process and the relationship needs to be astutely managed to avoid damage to the brand.
Changing and Evolving Brand Identity
Yes, you can change an evolve the brand identity of major corporate brands but there's a way to bring customers, employees and the media along to a place they all want to be.
The Key Steps to Evolving a New Brand
 Do internal stakeholder interviews with those who really know.
Focus on key internal players who have a finger on the pulse of the brand: managers, customer relations and contact people who have a daily experience of the customer's relationship to the brand.
 Talk to customers.
Customers need to be heard. Being able to listen to customers means different customers; old and new, most loyal, the occasional buyer. They all have opinions and what's essential is that you know how to value each. Your most loyal customers may buy more frequently, but they may have lower total purchasing power than another segment. You need to know the customer you aspire to keep as well as the one you want to cultivate — and your brand needs to bring them along.
 Research in your market
Look at what customers are saying, what your competitors are presenting. Your brand does not exist in a vacuum of cool design. It exists with other brands and your brand is a "flag of loyalty" in this context. It may be time to update but see what's out there.
 Provide clues to change.
Post ideas and reasons for the company changing its brand before you change the brand. When Apple introduced its current mark it also introduced a brand new line of iMacs and MacBooks. The brand change symbolized something new for the company that gave more to the customer, without destroying its central value. This builds the customer's experience of your brand and its value.
 Grow your brand with the customer.
As you listen to customers you'll find your brand, your company and products are the focus of the loyalty that your logo and mark symbolize. As you evolve the mark you evolve the brand promise — you are providing something customers are being guided to, not just a new cool logo without context.
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