New Owners – New Brand?
I’m a racing fan – particularly Formula 1. It’s the fastest form of motor racing in the world, featuring the best drivers in the world. And the cars are at the forefront of racing technology.
One of the aspects I like is the fact it has a prominently European feel to it. Which is also why I like football (soccer) so much. I find British produced sports more streamlined and to the point then the pomp, glamour, and patriotism of North American sports. And with all the negative politics in the world now seeping into our North American sports. It’s kind of turning me off.
F1 isn’t perfect. A lot of the races can be a bit boring with the outcome usually determined on the first lap of the race. There’s usually one team that has the dominant car that year (or four years in a row). There definitely needs to be more parity among the teams. Especially if the new American owners, Liberty Media, want to attract new viewers.
When Liberty Media bought the rights to F1 last year I met the purchase with some pessimism. I think the racing does need to improve. But I like the way the sport is currently packaged and I don’t want that to change – and now to my point.
When F1 unveiled their new logo at the end of the race season, I think my pessimism was confirmed. Why? Because I don’t like the logo.
I’m not opposed to a new logo since it is a new era of F1. I just don’t think it’s an improvement over the old one. I personally think it’s uninspiring and over simplified. I’ve been blogging about logos a lot lately. And I think some of the most important things to consider when designing a new logo is to make sure it’s better then the old one, so you don’t lose your brand value, and it doesn’t alienate supporters of the old brand.
I guess this new logo is making me think that F1 will soon turn into Nascar or NFL. Which I hope doesn’t happen.
See what kind of emotions can stem from one simple thing like changing a logo! To make my point, have a look at an article outlining some of the worst corporate rebrands ever. Have a read and let me know – do you think the new F1 logo fits into this category?
