(16 Jan 2016, 7:31 pm)MurdnunoC wrote Didn't even notice the 'swoops' to be honest - just the colour schemes.
I'm willing to bet that most others didn't notice them either, which is why it's no longer common practice!
(16 Jan 2016, 7:36 pm)LeeCalder wrote Granted, the Coast and Country is eye catching, and looks pretty decent. But, the "Lime" brand was established, people recognised it. As we both know, the late former Go North East Managing Director, Peter Huntley who I believe was truly inspirational in the way he turned Go North East around stated that brands should be refreshed every five years, however, refreshing and changing the name are two completely different things. People are far more likely to say "Get the Lime bus" than "Get the Coast and Country bus" because chances are, you'll forget Coast and Country, because it isn't catchy.
indiGO isn't indiGo, that is my first gripe with that brand. It would be more acceptable if it was actually Indigo and not bright pink. Again, it has had a major upgrade which is for the customers benefit, however, again the East Durham brand was established, maybe it could have been spruced up a bit?
There are instances where it's probably more commercially advantageous to completely change the look and name of a brand, though. You've really got to look at the whole picture, if you're going to be critical of decisions made by people who are a lot more experienced in marketing than you or I!
If the company's old brand identity has a tarnished reputation, it may wish to ditch it completely in favour of something totally new. A new brand identity allows for a clean slate, with brand new buses which are a lot more reliable. This may entice new customers to the route, and encourage growth on this route, which will ultimately provide a return on the new vehicles.
(16 Jan 2016, 7:40 pm)DanPicken wrote The Highwayman had a background rather than naming a brand after the color and sticking Arrow after.
What was the background? The fact that these services used Whickham Highway?