Friday, February 25, 2011

JCP

Walmart went to a new logo a couple years ago.  Gap adopted a new logo, and quickly went back to the old one when shoppers complained.

Now, it's JCPenney's turn.  Or, it's now just jcpenney.

I'm sure the company researched this one 'til the cows came home.  No one asked me.  I'm underwhelmed.

The company's president says the new look is "clean, modern, and inviting."  The people who make a living writing about such things say half the logo in red and the other half in white shows jcpenney wants to portray the image that it's thinking outside the box.


In this case, I didn't think the box was such a bad thing.

Yes, I do have a jcpenney credit card.  Years of trial and error on my part shows the company makes a darn fine dress shirt, and they're reasonably priced.

The logo doesn't make much of a difference to me.  I'll still drop by from time to time.  Marketing geniuses say the logo is a big part of the image.  If jcpenney is to stay afloat in a difficult retail world, it has to show it's a hip and modern company.


I grew up with the black and blue Penneys logo, and I'm old enough to remember when the Viewmont Mall store had a candy department, records, tools, hardware, bikes, sporting goods, and even a restaurant.  The auto center was in a separate building in the mall's parking lot.

Now, jcpenney is clothes, shoes, cosmetics, and some things for the house.

I'm not saying one era is better than another.  Just different.

I guess a new logo should reflect that, or is it much ado about nothing?