Kraft Foods changed its corporate logo to, “more clearly deliver delicious,” according to a press release distributed by the company on February 17, 2009. The new logo will be the new icon of the Kraft Foods corporation, not the Kraft consumer products brand. The existing Kraft logo will still be used on cheese and all of those other Kraft products in your refrigerator.
I can understand the reasoning behind separating the brand logo from the corporate logo. In today’s economy, it makes more sense than ever to separate them! However, the new logo for Kraft Foods leaves much to be desired. First, it’s difficult to find the company name within the clutter. In fact, the company name appears like an afterthought.
Read the description of the logo from the Kraft Foods press release:
“The new identity that deliciously features a smile, the natural reaction to delicious foods and experiences, and a colorful flavor burst. It signals to employees, consumers and investors what the new Kraft Foods is all about.”
According to the press release, “to define the new Kraft Foods, the company turned to those who know it best. Using a co-creation process, the company engaged thousands of employees and consumers worldwide. Out of these collaborative sessions, fostered by social networking tools and interactive focus groups, came the new higher purpose and values in action.”
Unfortunately, you can tell by looking at the logo that there were too many chefs in the kitchen and instead of creating a single, powerful icon, a hodgepodge of ideas came together as a big potluck logo. With a myriad of colors, fonts and bits and pieces, the logo is confusing, cluttered and translates as dated rather than modern. The “smile” looks more like a piece of clipart one would find after searching for “party” in PowerPoint’s Clipart package.
Bottom line, I think the idea of a separate logo for Kraft Foods is a good idea, but this logo seems to go in too many directions without making a powerful brand statement that a company with the history, reach and strength of Kraft should communicate.
What do you think?
Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
