In the world of branding, the fastest and easiest route to changing a look is through a Logo & Corporate Identity Makeover. It’s the expedited method of projecting a new image, and an ongoing journey of constant changes, regardless how subtle.
Here’s a look at US-based Renaissance Hotels & Resorts, a hotel brand owned by Marriott Hotels & Resorts.
… the metamorphoses of Renaissance, which has spent more than $2 billion in recent years to move the brand away from bland, partly with sleeker interior design. Renaissance also has a new logo: formerly full of ornate, maroon flourishes, the logo has been edited down to a cleaner, modern letter: R.
The Renaissance Paris Arc de Triomphe, sporting the new rebranded look. Photo: Marriott Hotels
As a brand, Renaissance Hotels has quite an interesting background, changing hands across different countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. Here’s an excerpt:
Renaissance Hotels was founded in 1982 as Ramada Renaissance Hotels, the upscale division of Ramada Inns, Inc.
In 1989, the bulk of the Ramada hospitality and franchise system was acquired by New World Development Company of Hong Kong (the U.S. rights to the Ramada name were sold to Prime Hospitality), and the former Ramada Corp. was renamed Aztar Corp. New World established Renaissance as a stand-alone brand.
In 1993, New World purchased Stouffer Hotels from Nestle[1] and folded the Stouffer hotels into the Renaissance chain. New World took their management and franchising company public, while retaining ownership of many of the individual hotels through its CTF Holdings subsidiary.
In 1997 Marriott acquired the Netherlands-incorporated Renaissance Hotel Group N.V., and retained the Renaissance brand, while eventually shedding the Ramada International business in phases to Cendant Corp. In 2005 Marriott acquired most of the remaining New World/CTF owned Renaissance Hotels in North America and Europe, with the intent of selling them under long-term management and/or franchise contracts.
A Logo & Corporate Identity Makeover is, however, by no means what branding is all about, and the potential it can deliver. Customers are already experiencing your company’s products & services in their very own distinctive way. The MEANING of a product & service in any customer’s mind is what SHOULD matter to any organization. It is this MEANING that needs to be thoroughly analyzed, managed, and optimized in the company’s best interest. This the foundation of strong branding and brand positioning strategy.
An Identity Makeover is not without risk. The key is in the hands of Customers, who decide “WHAT’S HOT” and “WHAT’S NOT!” Therefore, if a company changes its logo WITHOUT changing the meaning – ie. properly align and match their brand message with the positive brand experience the company WISHES customers to have – the often sizeable investment in aesthetic touch up is reduced to a futile and expensive exercise. An utter waste!
Companies MUST ensure that the brand experiences they provide remains positive, therefore if your products and/or services still show weaknesses; customer satisfaction is dismal, market share is lagging, your customer service department is drowning in complaint calls, stakeholders are edgy due to weak stock performance, staff morale is in the abyss while staff turnover is high… a logo makeover WILL NOT bring about improvements like a magic wand!
Inspiration: Hotel Chatter; New York Times; Ocon Design
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