When You’re Dealing with a “Toxic” Brand

Gawker recently published a memo from AIG Corporate Security outlining “certain protective measures all employees can take in order to increase their overall safety and security.” The #1 measure? Don’t showcase the AIG logo.

A few days later, the insurance giant removed its corporate logo from one of its New York buildings, replacing AIG with AIU. In Nashville, an AIG subsidiary was renamed American General Life and Accident (AGLA).

"Moving to a brand that the company built its reputation on and that doesn't immediately bring to mind AIG certainly helps with new business sales," said Shayna Schulz, an AIG spokesperson.

Ouch.

A strong brand — including the corporate name and logo — is an essential element of a company’s public face. Lots of brands weighed down with negative attributes reinvented themselves, including Enron (renamed CrossCountry), Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), WorldCom (MCI) and Philip Morris (Altria). The time has come for AIG to begin to distance its insurance businesses from the financial products unit that helped tank the company and the economy. It’s time for AIG to shape its new corporate identity.

The Power of a Well-Managed Brand

My politics are my own business, but I have to give “props” to the team behind the Barack Obama branding initiative.

Not only is the campaign’s red, white and blue logo — an “O” which evokes a rising sun — simple, effective and easily identifiable, but it sometimes seems as if the campaign’s volunteers have been issued copies of a style manual … and they’re actually paying careful attention to it! Campaign communiqués are all set in Gotham, an elegantly simple font that gives a very American look to all the campaign’s communications, including its website.

In the interest of bipartisanship — and because this blog entry should in no way be construed as an endorsement of any political candidate — you should also check out the websites of candidates John McCain and Hillary Clinton for comparison.