Last week Gap released a new logo for its brand, which caused outrage in the social media world. People posted their opinions all over Facebook, Twitter, and blogs about the poorly executed design. These are the major sites that mocked the new logo:
The negative reaction to the logo spread so quickly online that Gap had to quickly act and release a campaign in response. The company let designers upload their own logo designs for a contest (keep in mind, there was never supposed to be a contest). A few days later, Gap scrapped the contest and the new logo. They returned to their original design of 20 years.
In my opinion, the Gap seems somewhat incompetent for releasing a new logo, then releasing a logo contest, and then scrapping both, but the company has displayed this past week that it is closely connected to its audience. The Gap should be praised for how quickly it has responded to the outbreak. The company’s PR/Marketing teams definitely understand the power of social media.
Overall, the Gap should not take this week as a complete defeat. I came across this article online and never thought about all the PR Gap has gotten this past week. The company is currently all over the Internet whether its blogs, Facebook, or Twitter. There are so many news stories too right now about the logo. They should not be mocked for releasing the logo, but rather applauded for listening to consumers and responding quickly after the fact. Great crisis PR work on their part! It is amazing that social media was the cause of this entire outbreak. Never underestimate the power of Facebook and Twitter.
Nick Schweers
Digital Media Chair