I’ve deliberately been waiting with my reflection on the A.A rebranding. With some perspective and time past, it is time to go into it. Of course I am talking about the big rebrand of American Airlines made by Futurebrand.
The fundamental approach to this post is a question on why the logo still is the first in mind when referring to a major rebranding, if you ask me it has never been about that, the logo is just a tiny part, however important, of the visual structure of a brand but not the essence.
When A.A made the switch between the classic logo made by design guruMassimo Vignelli back in the 60’s he and and other industry experts around the world was outraged. Some called it atrocious. Some called it a disgrace.
From a graphic design standpoint I might join the crowd that still likes the old logo better (the ones who know me, knows that I am a big Vignelli fan), however I am amazed that the discussion primarily have been about the logo, not the extended process they undertook on in order to make a leap of faith in order to (hopefully) save their business.
For the first time in decades AA invested strategically in their brand NOT the logo. AA focused on the entire brand experience. Flying used to mean something but have not been so for quite some time now. As a possible investment to re-strengthen from a downwards spiral since the 2000’s they made the effort but everything remotely engaging seem to be about the logo at least from a industry standpoint.
Here is a excerpt from the press release:
“…Since entering the restructuring process, American has made a series of strategic investments designed to place customers at the center of all it does and give employees the tools, training and leading technologies they need to provide customers with a uniquely American experience, while also creating growth and opportunity for its people.”
And, of course, to top it off they also introduced a new logo.
With these details in hand I understand A.A:s decisions to make this transition, it is a vital part and a investment in order to take of once again or landing for good.
But people cried out about a killing of a classic, to some extent true and I will probably miss it but lets be frank the logo is not your brand. Just from an employee perspective this new brand experience was a huge leap forward in trying to reach relevance in people’s mind again.
Only time will tell if A.A, made the right decision, I would say they did the right thing regarding the other possibilities.
Cannot rest the thought on a more nearby example…SAS. Is it time for them to try to revitalize their brand experience once again in order to keep up with the opposition of low-cost efficient operators in the region?