We will be heard!

I’ve been following this story for a few days. This is why re-branding REQUIRES deep thought and solid rationale.

To wit, the Gap saga of a totally mismanaged attempt to rebrand:

TA-DUH!
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662446/the-gap-falls-into-a-new-logo
Backlash:
http://www.craplogo.me
http://twitter.com/#!/gaplogo
The masses even respond with an unofficial redesign contest:
http://blog.iso50.com/logos/gap-redesign-contest

OOPS!:
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662452/gap-thats-not-our-real-logo-its-a-crowdsourcing-project

More social media backlash:
http://www.facebook.com/gap/posts/159977040694165
And then suddenly an attempt at rationale from the Gap's President:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marka-hansen/the-gaps-new-logo_b_754981.html

Followed by a swift retreat:
http://adage.com/article?article_id=146417

Ouch.

Social media has completely changed the game here.
More proof:
Flip-flop Trop
http://www.yumsugar.com/Due-Customer-Backlash-Tropicana-Ditches-New-Logo-2853310

“stop the verdana madness”
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1919127,00.html

Pepsi
http://www.sanyi.nyarad.ro/?p=81
And when your rationale completely loses sight of reality:
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/aaron-perry-zucker/new-ideas/pepsi-design-process-explained

The democratizing effects of social media show that consumers are increasingly willing to claim ownership of the brands they patronize. And while resistance to change is expectable, I think it’s striking how computer media facilitates the ability to backlash. While corporate America is no doubt pleased that consumers care enough about their brands to show it, I don’t imagine that anyone truly expected consumers to take the effort to create blogs, petitions, and parodies en masse. However, as it is with all grassroots movements, social media allows similarly-motivated people to build social synergies, and build a group momentum that transcends the import of the brand itself.

Does anyone REALLY care that much what logo The Gap uses to promote it’s retail chain? Individually, probably not. But upon the grand stage of the Internet, we are not one, but many. And perhaps that is the real point.