Consumers often become emotionally attached to brands that have been part of their lives for decades. Therefore, if a company attempts to change its logo and other brand visuals, consumers tend to respond harshly. So, whenever a business decides to get logo design services for the updation of their old logo, they must have a clear vision and objective for that. There have been numerous instances where consumers have reacted strongly to such changes. Cracker Barrel’s logo change is a recent example.
Cracker Barrel, considered a classic American restaurant chain, redesigned its iconic logo in the past week. However, the company’s loyal customers resorted to widespread criticism of the new logo on social media. Even President Donald Trump expressed his displeasure with the company’s logo change. Seeing the adverse reaction, the company promptly reverted to its old logo.
The reports claim that the company reverted to its original logo, but during the interim period, it lost nearly $100 million in market value. After suffering the losses, the company’s stock gained 8% on Wednesday.
Comparison of Cracker Barrel’s old and new logos:
The logo was changed as the company wanted to attract a younger generation of customers. But that did not work for the restaurant brand. Citing reasons why companies are often forced to return to their old logos, Careen Winters, president of global PR firm MikeWorldWide, said, “Legacy brands are particularly tricky, because you have to figure out what is cherished and authentic from the old and marry it with the new.”
“In Cracker Barrel’s case, they’re trying to attract a new, younger customer, which is no longer sufficient,” she continued. “You need to actually think about all of your stakeholders and how they will react, respond, and feel about what you’re doing or the direction you’re taking. And you need to be sure that what you’re doing is consistent with shared values.”
New Logo Blamed for Being ‘Soulless’ and Politically Correct
Social media users found the Cracker Barrel’s new logo lacking in substance. They did not like the logo, as it was perceived as “soulless” and too “sterile.” Conservatives believed the new logo was an attempt at promoting diversity and leaned more toward “wokeness.”
According to Eric Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, the new logo suggested that the inclusion of a white man in the old logo was politically incorrect and wrong.
He said, “I think the perspective of conservatives is, don’t ruin Cracker Barrel with the Bud Light meets Jaguar marketing playbook,” adding that such brands “attempted to disrupt positively and what they did was they nuked brand sentiment and shareholder confidence.”
Cracker Barrel’s logo design reversal is not the first such case. People’s anger and dissatisfaction forced many iconic brands to revert to their old logos.
In 2010, the retailer Gap introduced its new minimalist logo design, which was met with a less-than-welcomed reception from the public. They protested through social media, and the company was forced to revert to its original logo.
Recently, when Jaguar Land Rover removed the leaping big cat from its iconic logo and changed the brand’s font, the change was not well-received. The people saw the ‘R’ motif of the logo as more like a jewelry piece and described it as ‘goofy’ or ‘belt-buckle-like.’
However, an advantage of the Cracker Barrel logo design controversy was that it prompted people to discuss the restaurant chain’s brand.
Branding Lessons for Businesses
After an iconic brand like Cracker Barrel reverted to its original logo, there are some valuable lessons for businesses to learn. Here is what they should consider:
Avoid making radical changes.
The first lesson to learn is that brands should avoid making radical changes in their logos and other visuals. People do not usually respond positively to such changes as they are not prepared for them.
So, avoid redesigning a logo so drastically that it becomes unrecognizable.
Understand the audience’s emotions.
Ensure that your brand listens to what the target audience is saying and takes the necessary steps promptly. Cracker Barrel respected the audience’s reactions and emotions. The company immediately reverted to its old classy logo design to preserve trust and win back customers.
Make subtle changes
Even when redesigning a logo, make minimal changes so that it remains recognizable at a glance. Radical improvements will disassociate customers from a logo. Customers may struggle to reconnect with the redesigned logo, which can weaken loyalty.
Do operational improvements first.
If a company is facing declining customer interest in its brand or stagnating growth, it should improve its core offerings. Such companies should first assess their customer experience and improve it before making changes to their logo and other visual elements.
Do not neglect nostalgia.
People often become nostalgic about brands they grew up with, which influences their reactions. The Cracker Barrel’s logo change once again highlighted that loyal customers are nostalgic towards a brand. This is because they have spent a large part of their lives using the brand and seeing its logo.
Therefore, we should have a transitional approach before making radical changes to a logo. People will then gradually get accustomed to the new changes.
Adopt a transitional approach.
In case a logo redesign is necessary, present it as a transitional process. With this approach, you will build on the brand’s history and carry those logo elements in the new logo design. People will perceive a complete replacement of the old logo as discarding and disrespecting the past.
So, Cracker Barrel’s logo redesign controversy has some lessons to learn. Your business should consider several aspects of redesigning your logo.
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Wrapping Up
Cracker Barrel recently redesigned its logo radically, which its loyal customers rejected, and the company had to revert to its original logo. The new logo was blamed for being soulless and politically correct. Businesses should avoid completely recreating their logos; instead, they should adopt a transitional approach.