Logos are a critical part of branding … but Do-It-Yourself logos?  I hate the idea, but our friends at Toyota seem to think it’s a winner!!!  They’re encouraging Scion owners and others to design their own logos that can then be airbrushed onto their Scions or put on decals.  I don’t think so!  Do-It-Yourself logos are a terrible idea because they will cause confusion in the marketplace.  Plain and simple!
I remember when I started my first business adventure  (any genuine business venture becomes an adventure, believe me!).  One of my students wanting to be helpful came up with logo ideas.  They were awful because they were all over the place!  They didn’t communicate what my brand was —a smart, savvy marketing professional who could help clients solve their marketing issues.  A logo that’s confusing or, even worse, several different logos for the same thing is like someone going by several different names.  It’s hard enough to get people to remember one name –don’t push it!   See the NY Times article here and the Scion site here. 
Marketing is the new advertising and thinking “outside the box” about how to reach your customer is more important than ever these days.  But to repeat: this one is really bad and I bet you the person who thought of it never took Marketing 101.  It may build some short-term excitement, but what are thousands of different, personalized logos going to do for the Scion brand long-term!  A logo is only as good as its recognizability and multiple impressions.  Clarity –not confusion— is golden for brand building!  And from the quotes in the article, it sounds like this might be another example of an advertising strategy too creative for its own good.  But is anyone at Toyota listening?  I hope so!!!
Remember, it’s easy when you keep marketing in mind!