Size Does Matter. Especially if You are Selling to Millennials.
First off, let’s start off by keeping it clean and jump right into the topic of the day, logo’s. Over the last few years, every time we start a new project we always hear the same thing. “Can you please make my logo bigger?” Technically we can make the logo as big as you want it. The real question is..should we.
We are not talking about designing the logo. That is an entirely different topic. We are assuming that you already have a beautiful, simple logo design that brilliantly creates a perfect perception of your company the instant one views it.
What we are talking about is where you are going to put it. Now believe me, we get it. You LOVE your logo (hopefully). It’s a reflection of everything you have worked so hard to build. And now you get to take this perfect logo and start developing or redefining your branding materials. You want that logo as big as you can get it. You want to proudly showcase what your company is all about to the rest world.
There’s just one little problem. This isn’t about you. It’s about your customer. And that right there is one of the hardest lessons that new business owners have to learn
It’s Not About You. It’s About Them.
So let’s take a minute to talk about what your potential customer is looking for when they start searching for a product or service. They are searching for something that they can trust. If they are going to part with their hard-earned cash in a cash-tight era you better believe what you are selling better make their lives better, solve a problem, save them money or make them happier in some way, shape or form. Because in the end, it has to be about them.
Long gone are the days when companies can coast along and get by on just a name. We pretty much have Millennials to thank for that. Millennials are a values driven generation. It’s all about transparency and authenticity with them. They are a well informed group of people that expect more from the companies they are purchasing from. They are looking for companies that meet their high standards for new and innovative solutions. Oh, and by the way, they don’t like big logos.
Millennials Undeniable Ability to Influence… Everything
On the retail side, Business Insider reported in late last year that Millennials are turning away from logos. In this article you read about logo bearing brands like Coach, Abercrombie & Fitch and Michael Kors taking a major hit. This should get our gears turning about how this trend could segue into other areas of overall marketing.
In a second article out a few weeks ago, Business Insider again talks about how Victoria Secret runs the risk of being another brand that is dethroned by Millennials. When a generation has the power to put brands in a “dangerously vulnerable” place because of their dislikes, every business owner needs to pay attention.
A Current Snapshot of the Millennial Market:
• Millennials are defined as people born between 1980 and 2000
• They are 80 million strong (about a fourth of the entire population)
• The oldest Millennials are 36, the youngest about 16 years old.
• They represent $200 billion in annual buying power.
• Over the next five years the purchasing power of millennials is expected to increase to $1.4 trillion.
• By the year 2030 the Millennials will outnumber baby boomers
So far we only discussed apparel, but we at can definitely see we need to pay close attention to how Millennials react to things. Overall, Millennials are skeptical consumers. According to Fortune Magazine, 84% of millennials will consider a brand’s values before making a purchase. They have a sharp radar for authenticity, and initiatives that feel like a cynical attempt to win them over will backfire.
There is nothing wrong with being proud of what you built and wanting to showcase it to the world by presenting when presenting your brand. But perhaps we all should consider showing less of our logo and using that space to show what value we can bring to our customers instead.
Because at the end of the day, if we can’t show our value we won’t have any customers. And with no customers there is no need for a shiny new logo.
