That’s Aol. now, not AOL. Just ignore what spellcheck tells you.
In a bizarre and grammatically incorrect move, AOL has rebranded as Aol. — yes, the period is included and is intended to represent confidence and completeness (as a New York Times article explains, “Aol. is the place to go for the best content online, period.”).
The new Aol. logo will use the Aol. name in a new, consistent typeface, but the background will change to suit the brand’s mood.
Okay, I’m kidding about the background changing to meet the brand’s mood, but that’s actually closer to the truth than you might expect.
The Aol. wordmark will appear in front of a variety of backgrounds (hundreds have already been created and anxiously await their debuts) to represent what The New York Times refers to as “the breadth of Aol.’s content.” Backgrounds include Aol. in front of a Polaroid camera (why?), a View-Master (again, why?), a high-heel shoe, a head-banging rocker. a kissing couple, and every other random background you can think of. You can see several of those logo variations here.
Not convinced that the new Aol. branding is going to knock anyone’s socks off? Perhaps this quote from The New York Times article will help:
“Many backgrounds involve objects that float or fly: a leaping dog, balloons, a butterfly, a falcon. That is apt because Aol. is eagerly seeking a way to soar as it did during the 1990s, when it was a premier, pioneering service provider.”
I guess we’ll have to wait to see the new brand identity in action to truly understand if it will work in revitalizing the struggling brand that represents little in consumers’ minds other than outdated Internet access that never worked well when it was one of the few options over a decade ago. Remember when people used to get the free AOL CDs in the mail? Yep, that’s how long it’s been since AOL has been relevant.
Well, there is no doubt that AOL is in a precarious position. The brand is outdated and irrelevant. I’m not sure if a bizarre rebranding will do the trick and help save Aol. or not, but I’d hazard a guess that the company’s problems go a lot deeper than a simple brand band-aid will fix.
Your thoughts?
Oh, and just for fun — check out the new Aol. brand identity preview video below.
Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
I see the brand name and all I can think of is an abbreviation for a-hole. I don’t know if that’s what they’re going for or maybe I’ve just become a knuckle-dragging troglodyte, but that’s what I think. They probably should’ve been a bit more creative if they want to reinvent themselves and shoulder their way into this competitive market.
Some self-deprecating humor about their CDs might be in order. Hey! Be brave enough to laugh at yourself. Interest me, engage me, get my attention or get out of my face! I’m not trying to be cruel to a-hole, just being honest.