From a major Michael Jordan Gatorade campaign to a Lego-ified Wicked trailer and some wacky NFL logos, it’s been a busy few days for marketing teams at some of the most recognizable companies in the U.S. Here are the top branding news stories we’re following this week:
The news: The NFL asked rookies from 15 different teams to paint their logo by memory—and the results are certainly . . . well, interesting. Apparel brand Homage, which produces licensed swag for pro leagues and the NCAA, snagged the unique designs for a line of $38 tee shirts.
Big picture: As it turns out, many NFL players can’t remember what their mascots look like. But this isn’t a new phenomenon: In fact, studies show that most Americans struggle to recall even the most recognizable logos, including the Apple apple.
Why it matters: There is a nugget of broader branding wisdom to be found in the NFL’s recent experiment. Studies show that the most memorable logos are comparatively simple and haven’t been reworked too many times over the years. And, apparently, animals can be pretty tough to recall accurately.
The news: Michael Jordan made a comeback this week in a series of ads for Gatorade, marking the biggest brand campaign in the company’s history. The ads spotlight some of the biggest faces in the sports world today, including Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Jayson Tatum, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Josh Allen.
Big picture: The ads, which feature the tagline, “Is it in you?” are a nostalgia-fueled throwback to the ‘90s and early aughts, when Jordan was still dominating the courts and serving as the brand’s spokesman. The first video also brings back the brand’s classic aesthetic of black and white images and film of athletes, highlighted with colorful Gatorade-flavored sweat.
Why it matters: Gatorade’s new campaign demonstrates the company’s awareness of its own key strengths. The new ad strikes just the right chord of emotional connection with its audience by referencing young athletes’ internal motivation, and it reminds viewers of Gatorade’s multi-decade legacy of fueling sports legends from the courtside.
The news: On Thursday, Lego unveiled a three-minute “brickified” video that recreates the new Wicked movie trailer shot-for-shot. The impressive branding news is a promotional tool for an upcoming series of Wicked-themed Lego sets, which are slated to drop on October 1.
Big picture: Lego has been notably amping up its brand collaborations since 2020, debuting partnerships with companies like Ikea, Levi’s, Adidas, and Target. It’s part of a broader recent trend of an increasingly over-saturated brand collaboration space. However, Lego might be afforded a pass, given the huge success of its past partnerships with franchises like Star Wars and Harry Potter.
Why it matters: Last year, the much-discussed Barbie movie inspired a slew of wacky cobranded products. We’re keeping an eye out on whether the Wicked movie will be the next cultural phenomenon that inspires nearly every company to go in on the pink-and-green color scheme.
The news: For their new capsule collection, designer apparel brand Loewe and sportswear brand On raised eyebrows by merging their logos into a new design.
Big picture: Most of the time, brands are pretty picky about their wordmarks and logos, specifying everything from the miniscule distance between letters to the colors that they can be displayed on. Even the most minor of alterations can be a big no-no.
Why it matters: That said, Loewe and On’s chic co-logo, which balances Loewe’s fanciful serif letters with On’s modern minimalism, proves that some rules are made to be broken. By stepping outside of the often-rigid logo guidelines, the two companies breathed new life into their visual identities—and sparked plenty of conversation to boot.
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