So this was my post on my personal Facebook this glorious August Sunday morning:
And that is when it really hit me. MANY YEARS AGO.... Wells Fargo wanted to be the official "Bank" for the millions of members of the NYDLA.org - and I said....YES! And so, we built out the microsite NYDLA.org/WellsFargo And that was GREAT! Until it was not... Remember a few years ago when the 'Wells Fargo' brand was, let's say... a little radio active? We USED to have the Wells Fargo clickable logo on page 1 / slide 1 of NYDLA.org as Wells Fargo was our Platinum Level Sponsor. Today, not so much. And just last week, we were approached by Bank of America - to become the 'official bank' of the NYDLA.org - and I said yes.
A few years ago, Harvard (yeah, that Harvard) was also a Platinum Level Sponsor of the NYDLA and we had THEIR clickable logo on Page 1 / Slide 1 of NYDLA.org. Their microsite is still up via NYDLA.org/Harvard I remember me figuring out a way to slip 'Harvard' in to every single conversation: "Well, when HARVARD became a PLATINUM SPONSOR of the NYDLA.org ....yada..yada...yada...." The Harvard 'brand' has taken some hits recently with dumb decisions by their leadership. The Harvard University endowment, is over $50 billion - it is the largest academic economic endowment in the world. Yep, even really smart people with lots of assets and resources can screw up from time to time. I predict they will recover and be 'OK'.
Similar to the direction Wells Fargo chose, Bank of America opted to modernize rather than replace its 20-year-old logo — only slightly tweaked. A darker, richer shade of blue was used, and the stylized flag emblem was simplified and organized. The “flag” now has more white space between the color bands, and the bank’s name is now typeset in all capital letters with the lettering stretched out, giving it a more modern look. The new logo is accompanied by the slogan, “What would you like the power to do?”
In the wake of the financial crisis of 2008, BofA’s reputation was in the dog house. But the BofA brand has rebounded strongly since, whereas Wells Fargo is still suffering from a battery of scandals and fines. I remember reading a Motley Fool headline “Inside America’s Most-Hated Bank”, with a long article excoriating Bank of America’s flawed business model and culture.
In 2015, Bank of America settled with the last of the major claims stemming from the financial crisis with the Department of Justice. It has been quietly rebuilding top-to-bottom ever since.
As The Wall Street Journal describes it, CEO Brian Moynihan has been “pursuing a strategy of ‘responsible growth’ with ‘no excuses’ that values stability over swagger.” The $2.3 trillion bank has chosen to deal with less-risky customers and provide them with fewer products, and do so efficiently using automation and digital applications.
OK, Tom, land the plane... where are you going with this?
I love, LoVe, LOVE Zoom. We are the #1 promoter of Zoom in North America. But, if you go looking for trouble, you will find it. During COVID-19 when the world was indeed PoweredByZoom.us Zoom went from 10 million daily users in December 2019 to 300 million daily users in April 2020. Its security and privacy practices came under sharp scrutiny — and experts didn't like what they found. Zoom's end-to-end encryption wasn't quite end-to-end. Other Zoom meeting attendees could see a lot about you. 2024: Zoom has spent tens of MILLIONS of dollars on addressing their security issues, and today Zoom is used by schools, government, healthcare, and other mission-critical clients and vertical markets.
If you wait long enough, every brand will get its turn in the barrel. Harvard. Zoom. Wells Fargo. Bank of America. Delta. Facebook. LastPass. The list is long... And the big lesson, the big thing to look for is this: what do they do after the crisis. What do they do after 'the brand' takes a hit?
What does LEADERSHIP do to win back the faith and trust of their brand's customers and their brand's clients.... after the bad news???
Major telecom and technology brands want to be associated with the (now global) NYDLA.org brand because "our brand" is wholesome. Lifelong Learning. Education. What did your grandparents tell you when you were little: "Timmy, Susan, you got to get a good education!" I remember when the Chairman and CEO of Verizon told me: "Tom, your brand is better than our brand - for BlueJeans. Your brand equals 'Quality of Life' - Education."
Wow. I got the message and the lesson loud and clear. That is why Verizon made us their Tier 1 ELITE partner - for BlueJeans.
(Alas, www.GetBlueJeans.com is no more - Verizon shut it all down ) 2024: Hey, did you see how Verizon just did a brand refresh with a new logo??? And how that branding move will cost them hundreds of millions of dollars. Worth it!
Verizon rebranded in June 2024 to reposition itself as a media powerhouse and wireless infrastructure provider, and to better connect with customers. The rebrand includes a new logo, design system, and creative approach, as well as changes to marketing, digital properties, and retail stores.
The new logo features a lighter red "V" wordmark in a custom font with yellow-gold accents. The "V" is inspired by the company's name, which is a combination of the Latin word veritas ("truth") and horizon ("future"). The logo can be used as a standalone letter or in the company's full name. Verizon also dropped its previous red check mark logo.
The rebrand also aims to make the brand more approachable and emotionally connected. Verizon's CMO, Leslie Berland, said the company will lean more into the color red than in the past. The rebranding campaign also includes fast-paced segments that highlight Verizon's reliable connectivity and how it allows people to do things like stream videos, make payments, and play games.
AND SO, on this fine Sunday morning in August 2024: there are 55M+ people living in the New York Megalopolis and 579M+ living in North America. And I (TomCapone.com) thinks they should all
GetLastPass.com [ a new NYDLA.org/LastPass microsite is coming soon!!! ]
{ But of course - they should all first JoinNYDLA.org - free or paid }
No comments:
Post a Comment