Things go better with persistent branding
I saw this image a few days ago and like most designers I found it interesting. Even though the image here cheats a little (Coca-Cola logo looked different in early days), it shows in a glimpse how persistent branding gives a more stable image to the company.
It also shows two mistakes you often see in branding:
- Copying the industry leader, or being obviously inspired by him, which is pretty much the same…
In its early days, Pepsi seemed to be very eager to give its product the same kind of branding as Coke, not sure it’s the best way to differentiate yourself from the industry leader. - Using a time-sensitive item in your logo
In 1950, Pepsi used a bottle capsule that has been abandonned afterwords. This is quite risky in terms of branding, since obsolete objects will force you to do major redesign to get rid of it.
It’s interesting that Pepsi have in all that time (11 logos!) not once produced a truly great design. Probably says something about the corporate culture of the board, or something. They still don’t have a great design. Perhaps when they get one, they’ll stick with it. Coca-Cola, whether by luck or good taste, or both, happened to come up with a great design in the first place. (I have no particular personal allegiance to either – just a designer’s view of the logos themselves.)
While I don’t disagree with the premise of the post, I think in this instance it is a bit of red herring. Have we forgot about the many iterations of “Coke”? Coca-Cola may have kept one logo the same, but had dozens of product logos front and center through the years.
Also, Pepsi is the underdog brand and Coca-Cola is the market leader. There is no incentive for market leaders to change, but plenty for underdogs. Fun way to tell a story, but I think it confuses the causality.
The only thing I like with the new Pepsi logo is the sans serif font.
Well said, Jeff!
I agree.
I do agree that when you’ve cornered the market changing your logo after years of successful marketing would most likely be counterproductive. Unless you are Camel Joe or something.
But, I don’t agree with the dozen of products statement in regards to the Coca-Cola logo. I think that is more of a red herring statement. Unless I am interpreting it wrong. Coca-Cola hasn’t changed logos since 1885. With the exception of foreign sales, that is the logo that goes on Coca-Cola. I think after New Coke they added the classic part and I’m not sure if that is always incorporated. But yeah Sprite, Mr. Pibb, Dasani etc. they all have small Coca-Cola logos. I don’t think you could sell a Dasani very well with Coca-Cola across the front of it. I think I’m misunderstanding what your saying. But yeah, Coca-Cola classic logo usually horizontal or diaganol in white, red, transparent or black with optional swoosh and practically the same since 1885. Pepsi on the other hand retains nothing of it’s original logo other than the color red.
BTW I’m a huge coke head. So pardon my incoherent rant and failure to see you’re trying to politely let me know you are no longer listening.
While it looks good on the surface, aren’t we missing something? Like the fact that Pepsi is the larger of the two companies and has a revenue of over $10 billion more than Coca-Cola.
Pepsi diversified it’s business whereas Coca-Cola simply diversified it’s soft drink flavors. I think Pepsi owns KFC, Frito Lay, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and a few other popular companies that perpetuate the fattening of people around the world. I don’t know what diversifying Coca-Cola may have done but I am sure it is inferior to Pepsi. I think Coca-Cola sells more bottled beverages than Pepsi. But I still think it is difficult to attribute this directly to the logo design.
really historical inspiration. thanks
Not that I don’t agree with the post. I definitely believe one image for the long haul gives a stronger company image.
But some people just like change more than others.
Look at Apple. Sure they’ve stuck with an Apple for the majority of their existance, but that apple has changed considerably.
As an aside, I think the new Pepsi logo looks strangely similar to Obama’s logo, turned upside down.
Pepsi would probably be wise to settle with a design by Shepard Fairey.
Interesting, in fact at first look I confused the pepsi’s logo with the coca cola’s logo, cause I think pepsi’s logo was coca cola’s logo, which say a lot about to imitate your competition it is not a good idea at all.
I think change is not bad at all, somethimes the brand needs a new desing, but you have to be very sure that you transmit the right feeling and not to confuse your client.
Anyway I agree greenmartini, that a logo will affect the complete image of the brand, there are other factor to take in count, but it’s really important to be consistent as the years come, because we don’t want to transmit the sensation that we don’t know what exactly we want.
Forgetting the background of both and arguing to decide which is bigger, my main interest in this post is timeless design, which coca cola clearly shows. The Coca Cola design is within a very small hand fall of design that has stood the time.
Cool article, I found it eye catching at first mainly due to the fact that Pepsi has just changed their logo again, and I was flabbergasted when I originally realized it.
I find their new logo just unnecessary and I don’t understand why they decided to lose the symmetry in it… if a logo does truly hold sway in the way that the public perceives a brand then this one is a doooooozy.
Well there are two schools of thought, Coca Cola started 13 years before Pepsi, so already had a market share. Most companies who are the underdog try to follow trends to pick up new customers to their brand. As such they follow the design and ‘emotional’ aesthetics of their era to speak to ‘today’ and feel contemporary, fresh and dare i use the word ‘cool’.
As such, they morph, and like a snowball, pick up new customers as they go. Coca Cola, however, as a natural market leader, naturally needs to stick to it’s core message. Such is the way with brands.
The other school of thought is that Pepsi have completely underestimated the power of branding back in 1950′s when the logo fundamentally changed. (notice how most of the changes have happened progressively quicker to the present) To be fair, Brand awareness was hardly around then, due to the simplistic ‘local’ nature of societies not being exposed to new cultures and products outside of their localities.
That said, I can’t stand the current pepsi logo. It already feels dated, unconnected and weak.
Can’t wait for the next logo… probably in 6 months time.
The image in this blog post is misleading and inaccurate.
http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/coca-cola_vs_pepsi_revised_edition.php
Enjoy.
wrt timeless design, i had a similar epiphany recently when comparing laptops.
apple often gets praise for their attention to design, but its funny to go back and look at some computers from just a few years ago.
take a look at the original imac or the clamshell ibook. compare with the ibm thinkpads of the same era. thinkpads (now lenovo) have withstood the test of time much better; they largely look the same today while apple continually redesigns their products.
The assumption is here that all other things are equal and Coke outpaced Pepsi just b/c it used the same logo. Had pepsi kept its logo would it have done better than coke? Points need to be awarded for all variables not just one.
Which is superior product?
Who was first to market?
Who was more effective at sales/marketing/cust service/etc?
I don’t know why Coke outpaced pepsi, but I don’t think this is a compelling argument that it was a consistent logo that was the determining factor. If there are ten cases of a leading brand staying with one design and the trailing brand changing logos, I would definitely think that would have a lot of weight!
While it looks good on the surface, aren’t we missing something? Like the fact that Pepsi is the larger of the two companies
Pepsi isn’t so successful like Coca Cola because they keep changing their damn logos. Coke on the other hand kept it logo same for so many years. HINT HIT Pepsi
Humorous post, but the comparison chart conveniently misses the half-dozen or so changes Coke also made to their logo during this same time, ending up with them going back to the original after the re-creation of ‘Coke Classic’. I thought, what great a marketing ploy! Change your taste to match your competitor, you lose a little ground, people don’t like the syrupy sweetness, then offer a ‘classic version’, going back to the previous taste, and dragging out the original logo from the archives in the process… Bravo Coka-Cola, back on top!
They forgot the bellybutton on the new Pepsi logo.
ohhh nice info. thank you!
Very cool to see them compared side by side like that.
nice artical .
happy to see such collection