The new Pepsi logo has generated a stir among those people who pay attention to such things. Among the various opinions, most of the negative comments tend to converge around the idea that it is “too generic”, or looks downright “cheap”. Moogy.org has a nice overview and collection of links.
At this point, it may help to invoke the great Wayne Gretzky:
“I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”
I believe that Pepsi has succeeded in skating to where the puck is going to be.
Maybe the new logo doesn’t match the current aesthetic of today’s world but that is because they are already marketing to tomorrow’s world. In two years, Pepsi’s new logo will simultaneously be both contemporary AND familiar. In twenty years, their logo will be cherished as an emblem of “simpler times”.
Maybe in the downturned economy, buying generic cola will be equivalent to creating a wartime victory garden or making mayonnaise cake?
On a side note: even if their logo proves to me a miserable failure, it shows that Pepsi has the balls to fight for their brand and make choices they believe to be best for their business.
