The Power of Association: The GAP Scrap

Recently GAP decided to change their logo,
and the discontent and uprising that resulted
was huge that they changed their mind.

Some may wonder why the big reaction.
Certainly in a world that faces many
significant issues, one might wonder
why a changed graphic would elicit
such a response.

Marketers and advertisers will tell
you that it has to do with the meaning
that the logo has for those who are
interested in the brand, and it would
seem to be correct.

However, it cuts even deeper than
what that sounds like. After all,
where does the meaning come from?
Likely some unconscious place.

The unconscious likes the sameness of
things. It never wants to mess with
the comfort of the status quo.

When people react in the way they did
with GAP, what they likely don't
realize is that, despite what they're
saying and may believe, their actions
are dictated by the part of them that
wants to stay stuck in the known.

I have to wonder if people realized
that happened if they would continue
to respond to things as they do, or
if they would better be able to put
the use of their energies and attentions
into perspective with the other things
in the world.

It is much more powerful to act than
react. I'd be willing to bet that
most who responded to the news
reacted, and the reason I say this
is because if one takes a step back,
s/he would realize that in the grand
scheme of things, it doesn't really
matter what the graphic looks like.
Whatever meaning has been assigned to
the graphic should still hold true
for the brand that these people
appreciate, regardless of how it is
packaged.

Is it no wonder that companies and
brands spend millions on something
we can often unconsciously manipulated by?