It’s been a minute [Ok, maybe it’s been a month… or two] since my last blog post. Time lapse aside, I really wanted to share my thoughts on Google’s umpteenth transformation.
I am almost certain that many of us have not noticed the incremental changes Google has been making to its logo over the years; a smidgen here and a smidgen there. They’ve tried different colours, they’ve changed fonts, they’ve added things and subtracted things. Today, they have made yet another transformation.
The first thing I thought when I saw their post on Instagram was: “Google is certainly dispelling this notion of brand consistency”. Think about it.
Since the beginning of “branding”, we’ve seen the great pride organizations, companies, corporations and people on the whole, take in maintaining their brand identity. Marketers and brand managers invest enormous amounts of resources in ensuring that the company’s font or logo looks exactly the same every and anywhere it can be seen. It must always be consistent.
With the continuos changes Google makes to its brand, I have to ask: What really defines the brand?
I think Google has clearly shown that their brand is far more than the six colorful letters we’ve grown accustomed to. They’ve in fact shown us, their brand is their reputation. Think about it. [Yes I’m asking for a lot of thinking today :-)]
Google has never been one for much frill.The actual search page is quite frankly a blank sheet with a box for entering text. Look at all of their apps–simple. The thing that has given strength to the Google brand is their reliability, their consistency, their quality. Their strength comes from their reputation.
As small business owners, consultants and independent professionals, we have to think about the strength of our brand–not in terms of brand consistency–in terms of brand reputation.
What do your clients, business partners or investors think about you? What are their experiences with your brand? Do they associate you and your brand with reliability, consistency or quality?
