When brand relaunches go wrong: Lessons from "WE ?? NYC"

Want to see the power of a logo in action? Look at New York City.?

Just a few days ago, Mayor Eric Adams revealed New York’s new “WE ?? NYC” campaign. And the floodgate of critiques opened wide.?

We’ve all seen the backlash that a logo reveal can spark — especially when it’s a redesign of a longstanding and iconic brand. Do you remember when Pepsi refreshed their mark? Or when GAP tried to reinvent their logo? Public opinion can be brutal and this process is NOT for the faint of heart.?

You see, a brand is NOT a logo, but a logo DOES come to fully represent the brand. And that’s what is being mourned here.?It's called "identity" for a reason.

The original I ?? NY logo launched in the late 1970s in a season of crime and chaos for New York City. In an effort to reignite the “can-do optimism of New Yorkers” and increase tourism, legendary designer Milton Glaser was commissioned to create the now-iconic I ?? NY logo. The story goes that he was in the back of a taxi?when he originally sketched what would become that iconic mark. He was quoted in an interview with Surface saying, “It wasn’t a logo. It was a cry for acknowledgement.”?

It came to be not only a symbol of collective pride, but also a personal declaration of the heartfelt love and support for their city by each and every New Yorker.?

So much so that Glaser gifted the logo to the city for free — further imbuing the mark with good will and gratitude.?

When New York was attacked on September 11th, 2001, Glaser came back to create the now-iconic poster “I ?? NY MORE THAN EVER” using the original mark with a bruised heart to represent the pain New Yorkers were feeling. It was a loving tribute to a grieving city, executed with beautiful restraint and honor. And it only contributed to the emotional capital and connection this mark had with its community.?

Fast forward to 2023, where New York is faced with a need to stand up and fight for their city again — to “mobilize civic action and community engagement” to overcome a number of difficult challenges sparked by the pandemic.??

So they turned to what’s worked before: an attempt at refreshing the "I ?? NY" logo to be more inclusive and modern with a change to “WE ?? NYC” and more modern, albeit generic type.?

While the intent might be valid, I think they lost sight of the need to roll out the new face of this mission with an emotionally resonant story.?

Your brand story is the narrative that tells the outside world who you are and why you exist — or in this case, the why behind the redesign and campaign. Without that, people miss the heart and soul behind the message, and lack reasons to believe. And they get stuck in the weeds of opinion.?

The public has taken control over the story, and it has become nothing more than an unfortunate design exercise.?

I won’t pretend to like the redesign. But I do believe the purpose behind it is good and valid. Maybe in the coming months, city leaders will do a better job of wrapping their story around the new mark, and bringing the purpose behind the change to life, so that people can find a way to fall in love.?

Let us know what you think! Dig into the campaign at https://www.welovenyc.nyc/.

And do you need to find better ways to tell and share your brand story? Let’s talk!