Last week, Gap launched a new logo, with Vice President of Corporate Communications Bill Chandler describing it as “a more contemporary, modern expression.”  But unfortunately, fans, designers and webizens everywhere seem to hate it, more so on Facebook and Twitter which made the company to rethink about it.

 

On October 6, 2010, Gap updated its Facebook Page — which displays the older navy blue box logo — with a status update asking fans to share their alternative designs for the Gap logo. “Thanks for everyone’s input on the new logo! We’ve had the same logo for 20+ years, and this is just one of the things we’re changing. We know this logo created a lot of buzz and we’re thrilled to see passionate debates unfolding! So much so we’re asking you to share your designs. We love our version, but we’d like to see other ideas. Stay tuned for details in the next few days on this crowd sourcing project

,” the Facebook status said.

 

The update also explains that official details on Gap’s crowd-sourcing logo project will be revealed in the next few days — a clear sign that Gap is trying to act fast amid a sea of negative backlash with a user-generated logo contests, a travesty Twitter account and a Crap Logo Yourself website.

Logo Contest:

 

Twitter Account:

 

Crap Logo Yourself Website:

 

 

Today gap responded  saying “Ok. We’ve heard loud and clear that you don’t like the new logo. We’ve learned a lot from the feedback,” the company said on its Facebook Page. “We only want what’s best for the brand and our customers. So instead of crowdsourcing, we’re bringing back the Blue Box tonight.”

 

The backlash against Gap’s new (and now defunct) logo was severe. Beyond the thousands of Facebook and twitter status updates deriding its design, people found other creative ways to protest the new logo. The fake Twitter account gathered thousands of followers where people voiced their opinion about a brand they associate with, and Gap logo generators which was catchy and witty quickly went viral.

While social media wasn’t the only reason that Gap felt compelled to revert to the old logo, it definitely was a major factor. Social media at the end of the day represent the real consumers and it mobilized and spread the word by allowing the consumers to share their opinion with others.

Happy Reading