Guest Blogs
This post was contributed by Ian Kennedy and originally appeared on the Chatham-Kent Sports Network.
While some nostalgic, diehard traditionalists that were upset by the new Winnipeg Jets logo, there was an equal group of fans who were thrilled by the choice of the NHL’s newest ownership group.
The old Jets logo holds memories for thousands of hockey fans from their roots in the Manitoba city dating from 1979 until 1996, and when the team packed up and moved to Phoenix in 1996, Jets fans clung to the old logo like it was the last bit of their community identity and the last thread connecting the city to a team they loved.
While the old Winnipeg Jets logo is long gone, the new logo does integrate some of the best aspects of any logo. Like the logos for Coca Cola, the Montreal Canadiens, New York Yankees, and McDonalds; it’s timeless, it’s simple, and it’s meaningful.
The new Jets logo looks classic, and honours the Canadian Military, something that is a hard theme to bash. It’s also distinctly Canadian, and plays on a compass pointing North; likely a combination of a tribute to Canada, and the owner company’s moniker, “True North.”
Most new sports logos from the last two decades have been cartoonish and overly complex, mixing out of proportion graphics, with a trendy colour scheme or design that eventually looks grotesque. This, instead of sticking with what has always worked, clean, simple, memorable lines and basic colours.
For fans who flock to the rink this winter to cheer on their new Winnipeg Jets, the old jerseys and old logos won’t look out of place considering the new colour scheme still honours the original Jets, and by keeping the team’s traditional name, the retro-sweaters still fit.
When they first announced the new Winnipeg Jets logo, I was expecting to be offended as a sports fan. Many were. Many marketers see the logo as an overly military, overly governmental, and a complete departure from the old Jets. In essence though, when the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Manitoba, it marked a new era, and a new logo seems fitting. Overly military? It’s a Jet, they’re called the Jets…get it? Makes sense. Maple leaf too governmental? It’s a new Canadian NHL franchise…something Canadians have been praying about for decades…again, makes sense.
I loved the old Winnipeg Jets logo, I thought it was a staple in the NHL, but I also loved the Hartford Whalers and Quebec Nordiques logos, and they’re no longer a part of the league, and I wouldn’t expect a new franchise in these cities to revert to the original logo.
Would I be at all surprised to see the new Winnipeg Jets playing a few games in coming years wearing their nostalgic logo and sweaters? No. In fact, I think it’s inevitable.
Really, I don’t think True North made a marketing blunder by re-branding the Jets with a fresh logo. Simple colours, a tribute to the country, an obvious connection to the Jets name, and clean lines. Most importantly, the name “Jets” is still there. People will always love the Jets regardless of the logo, and that’s why this combination of new logo, and old name is genius. It will sell apparel, the name appeals to pure traditionalists, it honours a proud country, and it has the chance to interest a younger generation.
At the end of the day, when Winnipeg’s arena is filled to the brim this winter, and you look out on the crowd, what will you see? Undoubtedly, you’ll see a crowd blended with new and old Jets jerseys and logos. But more importantly, when that arena is filled, and the TV cameras are rolling, what will you hear? My bet? You’ll hear the new logo, and old logo fans, screaming in unison…Go Jets Go!
The following post is a great guest blog on infographics from Topher Lee. Want to guest blog with CIK? Then drop us a line!
In the world of marketing, if people aren’t talking about you or your products, you are probably doing something wrong. Business owners know this and so do marketing firms. Need evidence? You need not look any further than the recent push in social marketing, where success is measure in things like Tweets, Diggs, Bookmarks, Likes, StumbleUpon’s, and Shares. These are all societies’ ways of letting us know what’s hot and noteworthy.
Businesses have started to take notice, and campaigns are being enacted every day in order to create as much social buzz as possible surrounding their brands. Great idea, but implementing it is a fairly daunting and time consuming endeavor. With so many social avenues out there and new ones creeping up each day, wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to get the buzz to come to you? In some cases this isn’t too difficult. Where your more sensational or trendy brands and products are concerned, social interaction from consumers might be a given. Logistics companies on the other hand? Sorry, you are going to have to create your own social buzz.
Infographics Make Everything Cooler
Let me offer up an example. Take for instance, once of the most mundane subjects (outside of Excel spreadsheets) known to the business world . . . shipping. If you were to produce a dissertation relating to information surrounding say, shipping and customer conversion rates; I would guess you might be fairly surprised if that document even made a ripple in the social realm. I know I would. With the exception of a few outliers, most people don’t want to sit and read someone’s statistic-packed 52 page dissertation about shipping cost and conversion rates. Most consumers wouldn’t be likely to even read it. I don’t image even if they did, that they would “Like” it. And they certainly wouldn’t “Tweet” about it. So how does one go about conveying relevant information to business owners and consumers, while also causing a bit of a stir in the social realm? One answer, my friend, lies in infographics.
Visually stunning, while still being informative; infographics are like the double edged sword of the marketing world. Not only can they cater to the intellectual side of your audience with the top notch information they can provide, but you also get the benefit of addressing those whose proclivity is more towards shiny objects, (I myself like shiny objects). Being a designer at heart, I have always known the benefit of well-designed marketing materials. I was astounded though when a friend of mine showed me how well a recent infographic he designed was doing socially. Within 4 hours of going live, the graphic had made it to number 4 on Delicious, been “Tweeted” 107 times, “Liked” 60 times, shared on LinkedIn 20 times, submitted to Digg 65 times, and renamed by one user as “The Holy Grail of E-Commerce” (which was the number one result Googled returned when searching for the article).
I find this interesting seeing as how the topic of the graphic, which relates to how people make purchases according to shipping options, is vaguely interesting at best. The design is top notch, but I’m probably just biased. Put them together though, and you have something with some real mass appeal.
Below is the infographic in mention. Marketing professionals and business owners may want to take note.
[Via: Fedex Shipping]
This is a guest post by Topher Lee. Topher admits to having a slightly unhealthy obsession with all things related to marketing and social media. When he is not utilizing his talents as a designer at his 9-5, he can be found spending time with his wife and two daughters.
