lower case Is The New Black? US Retailer JC Penney Joins the Rebranding Bandwagon, Plans Oscar Awards Launch

The Gap, Starbucks...now jcpenney (lower case is the new black?)are among the globally significant retailers who have decided that a new logo is just what the strapped consumer needs to start spending. This seems a rather desperate approach to marketing, but clearly brand managers are becoming frantic as the economic recovery continues to lag. The problem, of course, is more fundamental; the disappearance of jobs and incomes has a well-researched effect on people's ability to spend on new fashions. However, since corporate boards and shareholders know they can not do much about macroeconomics - nor do they particularly want to hear about it - the brand mavens are left with these ploys. At least they are stimulating the brand consultancy economy.

Abe Sauer reports in BrandChannel:



"JCPenney has thrown in with all the other brands suffering sluggish performance in the belief that a logo change will make a difference.

Penney's new logo moves around some red furniture, drops to lowercase and presto!: "Our new logo reflects the modern retailer we've become while continuing to honor our rich legacy."

Maybe due to the punches in the guts lately from some truly questionable logo redesigns, JCPenney's move doesn't look all that disagreeable. But then, that might be the Gap logo hangover talking. But this is no small logo change, even if it looks like it was made using the Gap logo-maker. JCPenney is remaking itslf into "jcpenney."

If the brand's statement on the new logo it accurate, it seems this is more than just a new logo. The rebranding announcement begins, "In a move symbolizing jcpenney’s transformation to become America’s favorite shopping destination…"

Throughout the release, the brand refers to itself as "jcpenney." That implies that JCPenney intends, in fact, to become "jcpenney." All branding on the website, for now, remains JCPenney though.

JC Penney jcpenney will, however, roll out its new logo soon:

"The new jcpenney logo will make its public debut when the Company launches its spring marketing campaign as the exclusive retail sponsor of the Academy Awards on Feb. 27.

While advertising and direct mail will begin featuring the new logo at the end of this month, the Company expects to replace all packaging and customer collateral over the next year, with external store signage transitioning over the next three years."

On the one hand, dropping the case in the logo seems to make sense because the core "JCP" of the brand is called out by the red framing.

The red square behind the letters "JCP" forms a natural avatar, one that has already rolled out to its Twitter and Facebook page, where it comments: "We’re very excited to unveil the next evolution of our logo with a new modern look! It’s fresh and bold, yet reassuringly familiar. Thank you to all our loyal customers who helped bring our new logo to life."

The full version, however, of its new lowercase jcpenney brand identity just looks so… unimportant, particularly for one of the most iconic retailers in American history. But that's the image the retailer is trying to shake.

What Penney's is trying to do — to make itself more youthful, a goal outlined in its long-range plan — is understandable. And sure, the kids with their texting and "r u 2" language are spiteful of capitalization. But like a US Senator that sends out tweets using "omg" texting lingo, it's just kind of lame.