Hidden Messages in Marketing
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Logos come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, all representing brands or products a company wants to make memorable. Many of these logos have hidden messages! You may already know how some brands have been designed to incorporate additional symbolism, but before participating in this discussion, watch this video on YouTube from Be Amazed and find out more.
Then:
- Search for a logo you’re familiar with or have encountered in your daily life that contains a hidden message (not a logo included in the video you just watched). Include the logo or a link to the logo here.
- Explain the hidden message and what it represents. Did you know this hidden message existed, or did you just learn about it?
- How do you think the brand is attempting to position its product in the marketplace? Do you think it’s working?
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In order to receive full credit for this assignment, all components of this assignment are due by 11:59pm ET on Friday, May 20, 2022. You should first contribute a thoughtful post of your own before viewing/commenting on the posts of others. You must respond meaningfully to at least two classmates to receive full credit for this assignment.
This assignment is worth a total of ten (10) points — 6 possible points for your original post, and up to 2 points for each of the two responses to your classmates’ posts. Please reference our Discussion Rubric for more information, and to this guide from MSSU to learn more about what it means to respond meaningfully to a classmates’ post.
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Hyundai Motor Company, popularly known as Hyundai, is a South Korean International Automotive manufacturer founded in 1967 and has its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. Although everyone, including me, assumed its famous logo, the letter H only stood for ‘Hyundai.’ Surprisingly, it symbolizes two individuals meeting in the middle with a firm handshake.
The Hyundai logo represents its brand astoundingly well in the marketplace. Its marketing strategy is so strong that in 2021 Hyundai Motors sold half a million motorcars in Europe, which is a whopping 21.6 percent increase over the previous year (Press Release, 2022). The company also has attained a record market share in Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom over other Motor companies. Similarly, the sales of electrified cars in Europe are up 77 percent compared to 2020 (Press Release, 2022). With sales comes an increase in the company’s shares in the stock market. In 2021, Hyundai Motor company shares rose by 24.2% based on stock performance (Financhill, n.d.). This is mainly because the letter H doubles up to stand for Hyundai and the mutual trust between the company and its clients, denoted by the firm handshake (Wordsmith, 2020)
Financhill. (n.d.). HYUNDAI MOTOR CO STOCK PREDICTIONS. Retrieved from Financhill: https://financhill.com/stock-forecast/hymtf-stock-prediction
Press Release. (2022, January 18). Hyundai Motor outpaces European automotive market in 2021. Retrieved from Hyundai News: https://www.hyundai.news/eu/articles/press-releases/hyundai-outpaces-european-automotive-market-in-2021.html
Wordsmith, L. (2020). The History of and Story Behind the Hyundai Logo. Retrieved from MoneyInc.com: https://moneyinc.com/hyundai-logo/#:~:text=Each%20of%20the%20two%20vertical,signify%20mutual%20respect%20and%20trust.
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A popular logo in which (surprisingly) was not mentioned within the video would be the Domino’s Logo.
Many people are often drawn to said logo because of it’s bright-colored pop; Others being more impressed by the design paying tribute to the actual domino game. Though the meaning behind the logo is quite interesting.
Originally, the Domino’s logo was created to have 3 dots (placed without much thought), 1 dot resembling each operating restaurant. This idea was quickly tossed out the window, with over 200 restaurants being fully operated within the following 12 years. 1/2 of the founders of Dominos Tom Monaghan stated in a 2003 interview with CNN that;
<p style=”text-align: center;”>“I decided we’d put three dots on the Domino because we had three stores, and every time we added one, we’d add a dot. You can see I wasn’t thinking of a national chain back then.”</p>
It seems Dominos is set on being a business that appears dedicated to not only their history, but the ones who were along for the journey. And to be fair, as a top food chain they certainly have cracked into a successful method. I actually had an idea about the logo having the dots on each side being divided strategically, though I had no idea this was the explanation. This along with the color combination tying into the American Flag certainly does show a love for patriotism- as well as a simple yet fond creative logo.<p style=”text-align: center;”>References/Work Citations</p>
Savage, Kristin “History of the Domino’s Logo Design – What does it Mean?” (Ink Design, 2020)Sloane, Julie “Tom Monaghan Domino’s Pizza THE PIONEERING PIZZA-DELIVERY CHAIN I STARTED ALMOST DIDN’T MAKE IT OUT OF THE OVEN.” (CNN, 2003)
Retrieved from: https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2003/09/01/350799/
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Many logos have hidden meanings or represent main aspects of their company. In modern days we see this often thanks to simplistic ideals in company aesthetics. One great example of this comes from a company named “Twitch”. Twitch is an online streaming website where the content creators stream to an audience that interacts with them through a live chat on the site. The logo is a white square shaped chat bubble with two circles to represent eyes on a purple background. The eyes in the logo represent the viewers of these streamers. They put the eyes in a square to resemble the shape of a screen. They then add a small triangle that turns the square into a kind of text bubble. This is standing for a key part of the site which is the interactive text chat on each creator’s stream. Then they drop this logo on a purple background, purple being a color well accepted across all demographics. Though the logo I speak of is considered the “Chat emblem” by twitch. A simple google search will show that amongst its users this is the instantly recognizable symbol representing twitch. This website being one of the places to pioneer live streaming has had a massive impact on younger generations. It has produced several people on Forbes 30 under 30 list and influences millions of people on a daily basis. Live-streaming has become what many turn to when they don’t want to watch a show or movie. It has the appeal that reality television had on previous generations with the added appeal of interacting with the entertainer. This logo was carefully chosen after several attempts at rebranding. This logo was decided upon in the most recent rebranding and also coincided with the biggest growth twitch has ever encountered. That is averaging over 30 million viewers daily and almost 3 million concurrent viewers in the first quarter of 2022. After looking at the statistics I would say Twitch’s new logo has helped position it as one of the top “alternative” forms of entertainment. That is from a viewpoint of usage and user growth not focusing on economic impact. Being a young company balancing its economics with a massive increase over a brief period of time has left it to learn through trial and error. But this platform has a promising outlook since its main competition is YouTube who has only recently decided to focus more on live-streamed content. But they focused on user growth and visibility. To give it a better position for exposure and content creation. This is what the logo has aided in its growth and recognition.
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A logo I’m fond of that has a hidden message within the logo is the BR for Baskin Robins. In the middle of the logo, there is a 31 connected to the front of the b and the back of the r. The 31 in the Baskin Robins logo represents the 31 original ice cream flavors that they began with at the beginning of their franchise. I previously learned about this a few years ago and I think the idea of the logo having a 31 in it is a good idea because it fits smoothly into the letters and isn’t easily noticeable it’s also a good idea because it’s a nod to the original history of the ice cream franchise so In a way, they continue to pay their respects to the origins of the company. When it comes to marketing they are doing a great job because the Baskin Robins logo is easily recognizable and the design is simple but meaningful. Baskin Robbins is the best when it comes to ice cream with over 8000 locations and a good part of its success is because of its ability to market to its target audience.
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We have all seen this logo on the side of trucks, billboards, store fronts, or perhaps when we received an important letter or package sent via Federal Express, or FedEx for short. I love this logo because it is simply a short-hand way of stating Federal Express, using some loud colors that stand out on a white background, whether that be the box, letter, or a logistics truck itself! What I thought was really cool–and what has been starting at me right in the face without me realizing it, is the hidden arrow in the logo! Do you see it? Haha — it’s formed naturally by placing the “X” up against the “E.” Now, when I look at the logo I immediately see the arrow, but I admit not only have I missed it for all of my 37 years here on planet earth, it took a second or two to locate it even after reading about the arrow. I think it’s ingenious because of the simplicity with which it’s formed, and also because the arrow points from left to right, which is, at least for most of us, the way in which we read text and thus is signifies–forward! And moving forward with our precious letters and goods is exactly what FedEx is all about. So, I think it is definitely working, perhaps on a more intangible, subconscious level, it helps cement FedEx in our minds as a good option for transporting parcels quickly, though I think the best marketing power FedEx has at this point is a very solid history of making sure things arrive where they say they will, when they say they will (which, unfortunately, our U.S. Postal Service can sometimes fall short of). FedEx is targeting the private market, generally speaking, for important business documents (e.g. bank and lending documents, legal contracts, etc) and expensive goods (new electronics, or other more fragile and expensive items that also carry insurance). Additionally, FedEx is known for being quick! They can get it to many places same day, or overnight–of course, for a premium, but there are times when regular consumers need this, and of course there are businesses that utilize this type of shipping all day, every day. All in all, I think the logo is a great logo, and the hidden arrow signifying moving things forward, does a nice job to further help move the needle in the consumer’s mind when they have many options out there to choose from!
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Toyota Motor Corporation referred to as “Toyota”, the founder is Toyoda Kiichiro, an automobile industry manufacturing company headquartered in Toyota City, Tokyo. It is Japan’s Oi Company and is affiliated with Japan’s Mitsui Industrial chaebol. Toyota is one of the top ten auto industry companies globally, Japan’s largest auto company, founded in 1933. Toyota’s three oval logos have been in use since the early 1990s. The large ellipse in the logo represents the earth, and the two ellipses in the middle are vertically combined to form a T, representing Toyota. It symbolizes that Toyota is based on the future, its confidence and ambition for the future, it also implies that Toyota is based on customers and guarantees customers, and it symbolizes that the hearts of users and car manufacturers are connected and have mutual trust. At the same time, it symbolizes Toyota’s superb technology and innovation potential. I just learned about the history of the company TOYOTA and the logo’s symbolism and hidden message. The current Toyota logo was created in October 1989 to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. The brand is attempting to position its product in the marketplace because the creation of the current logo took almost 5 years to ensure that it would work in all foreign countries. As a result, the old Toyota logo was replaced, and the new logo came with a more substantial visual that made the car stand out from the competition.
Link: 37 Insanely Clever Logos With Hidden Meanings (buzzfeed.com)
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A logo that I view often that isn’t so subtle is the Evernote logo. The app is designed to save documents, notes and so on and its logo incorporates an elephant who are known for their great memory and essentially means not to forget. The logo also incorporates the Post-it looking ear, again, to symbolize not forgetting tasks and other things alike. Before looking up the meaning of Evernote, I certainly guessed what their logo as trying to suggest and it felt super on brand and a great choice.
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