Common Ad Practices – Bigger Logo and Bigger Brand Name | Small Business Advertising Strategies

Common Ad Practices – Bigger Logo and Bigger Brand Name

If I had a nickel for every time I hear a client say “I want a bigger logo and bigger brand name”… Again, business owners always think that making their logo bigger will maximize their investment. Yes, advertising people hate it because we don’t believe in hard selling anything. We believe that brand recall will come when the ads give the consumer the right kind of emotion. However, I would be a liar and a hypocrite if I say that there hasn’t been an ad or a campaign that has worked following this principle. Much as I hate it, a bigger logo and a bigger brand name have worked in the past but not without conditions.

Read below.

Bigger Logo and Bigger Brand Name: Can it work?

Yesterday, we talked about brutal simplicy or the principle of making the ad or campaign as simple as possible to make the message understandable to the consumer. Using nothing but the brand logo or brand name is a form of simplicity. I mean, if there is nothing else there but your product, what else is there to remember or understand right?

There are two outstanding brands that come into mind: Coke and Absolut.

When the briefing was given to McCann (the advertising agency of Coke), the brand said they want nothing else for their billboards but their logo. Bummer. With that briefing, the advertising agency went back to client and gave them a billboard with nothing but their logo and decade after decade, it has worked. Whenever you see this billboard, doesn’t it make you want to have a bottle of coke, eh?

Absolute Vodka gave their advertising agency the same briefing. They want nothing but their product and they got nothing but their product, dead center of every print ad, banner, poster and billboard.

Who’s up for a drink later?

Bigger Logo and Bigger Brand Name: What are the advantages?

First, you gotta admit it is simple and clean. We have this thing on advertising that says the bigger the white space the better. That white space stands not just for the literal white space but for the blank space in an ad. The bigger the white space, the more breathing room, the faster for the eyes to settle into that corner of the ad that contains the message.

You are assured that your brand, at the very least, will be seen by everyone who will see the ad. If they will remember it or not is a different story.

Bigger Logo and Bigger Brand Name: Why do advertising agencies hate it?

Yeah, we hate it because it is not creative. Come on, you put a logo there and nothing else? What’s creative about it? But it is more because business owners are doing it for the wrong reasons. Remember that Coke and Absolut planned their business direction even before they started coming out with an ad. That move to have nothing but their logo or product is a strategic move and not a tactical move. It was part of a bigger plan. As I’ve said, whenever you see that coke billboard, don’t you just want to have a bottle? I don’t even drink soda anymore but man, whenever I see that logo it makes me crave.

Many businesses are also doing it the wrong way. Coke came out with other materials when they launched their brand. Nike, who is also known for using nothing but their check mark on some of their ads, constantly come out with advertising materials to assist in building the image of their brand.

In other words, materials with nothing but the logo or product image is a part of a bigger plan not a stand alone campaign.

Bigger Logo and Bigger Brand Name: Is it the right thing to do for your brand?

This usually works for fast moving consumer goods or FMCG.

Brands like Apple and Nike who have done the same thing also come out with other materials that reinforce their brand image.

The next consideration is how your product looks like or how your logo looks like. Let’s face it, the Absolute Vodka bottle looks sophisticated. Apple, Nike and Coke logos were all designed with proper studies. So take a good look at your logo or product, is it something people will like to look at? For the love of God, be honest.

Bigger Logo and Bigger Brand Name: Final words

Yes it CAN work but it doesn’t mean it WILL for you. Remember that not everything that worked for other brands will work for you. Create a business plan and a marketing/advertising plan that is long term. Determine where these materials will fall under, what role it will play. Take a look at your logo or product and know whether it looks good enough to stand alone. And do these things objectively.

When you have done those, you will be able to determine if it is the right way to go for your ad.