Does changing your outside really change your inside? No, I’m not shamelessly promoting my new self-help book, and no, I’m not quoting from Oprah’s latest make-over episode. I’m talking about Wal-Mart…er, Wal*Mart…ah, Walmart…
By fall this year, Wal-Mart (I’m sticking with the hyphen) stores across America are changing their logo. Instead of the non-descript white-on-blue-star-for-hyphen that has heralded cluttered aisles and ambiguously “rolled-back” prices in the past, shoppers will be sucked into bargain-Shangri-La by a soft-edged, hyphen-less, mono-word beacon, complete with a sunless starburst.
Kevin Gardner, a Wal-Mart spokesperson, said in a written statement that, “This logo update is simply a reflection of the refreshed image of our stores and our renewed sense of purpose of helping people save money so they can live better.”
Despite the grating use of superfluous “of”s I can’t help but find this statement laughable. Burger King has recently realized that updating their marketing image with a creepy plastic king mask doesn’t do much to hide the fact that their food is still cooked in trans-fat oil. And only recently have they added healthy-option kids’ meals, something McDonald’s focused on (and succeeded in) last year.
Is changing your logo or marketing strategy really going to precipitate internal change? If it’s part of a complete reworking, I think aesthetic redesigns can have just the right affect. But if you’re relying on a new look as a quick fix for bigger problems (and Wal-Mart has its fair share of problems) I think you’re in for a disappointment.
“A reflection of the refreshed image of our stores…” A veiled statement like that can be read so many ways it sounds like a State of the Union address. What Gardner is probably thinking of is a bright new sign that can be read from the freeway…what I would hope for is, indeed, a refreshed store image…like self-check out machines that actually help check you out instead of providing an excuse to hire less cashiers; cleaner aisles so I won’t flash back to drunken nights in Tijuana alleys; who knows, maybe even a cart or two that has four working wheels.
I have to wonder if the designer of the new logo is making a statement (probably not, but it’s more poetic that way). The starburst at the end is all fiery, exciting solar flares, but there’s nothing in the middle, no change…vacuum…something you can easily buy at Walmart *insert metaphorical starburst here* for $49.97.
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Tina at 4:24pm on June 30th, 2008
There is defintiely something to be said about a fresh new look. Ask anyone on trading spaces what a coat of paint can do for a room. But when you are talking about making over a corporate giant like Walmart (if you want to change your name, who am I to judge?) I agree that a new logo is like putting half a sheet of wall paper up in a delapitated shack: it’s just not enough. I hope that there are serious plans to do more than remove a punctuation mark from their name.