Pepsi Rebranding

There's a hilarious document doing the rounds after turning up on reddit: a document detailing why Pepsi's new brand identity is so good. In terms of general relativity. And smileys.

Pepsi Rebranding Advice (PDF, 6MB)

As I've pointed out previously, the criteria for whether a logo is an improvement are whether it meets the design criteria and then whether you get positive feedback from focus groups. This 27-page document full of guff, if authentic, seems to have convinced the board of PepsiCo, who on this evidence must be credulous idiots. What would convince me is a 27-page document showing that a significant majority of a representative group not just like the new logo, but can associate it with the product they already know, and the values the brand is seeking to convey.

The new logo doesn't seem to have hit the UK yet, so here it is if you've not seen it:

It's not a bad logo in itself. But it's no longer as unique and iconic as the old one had become. It reminds me a little of the Sony-Ericsson logo (which is prettier). The new packaging looks almost like own-brand supermarket cola. I'm sure Pepsi will throw money behind promoting this new logo. But it's money they did not need to spend. They already had a distinctive and versatile logo.