Weekly Re-Brand #2: Google TV
Welcome to the Blade Weekly Re-Brand, a place for us to take a quick look at some of the rebranding going on in the world and give a quick impression of what went right and what went wrong.
This week, we turn our eye to the rising Internet TV market, where Google has rebranded their fledgling Google TV service.
The old Google TV logo (left) vs. the new Google TV logo (right).
What was wrong with the old Google TV?
The Internet TV market has yet to really take off. The biggest success story so far is Netflix, but none of the set top box solutions have exactly set the world on fire. Amidst strong competition from Netflix, Apple TV, and Boxee, Google has failed to make an impression. The “TV meets Web. Web meets TV.” tagline wasn’t really helping, as it didn’t do anything to convey Google TV’s biggest strength: Better, more convenient TV.
Does the new version fix the problem?
Having an icon that actually represents a television can only help in this space. Since the old logo was essentially just the classic Google wordmark with “TV” tacked on to the end, and was often used without the “TV meets Web. Web meets TV.” tagline, it tended to get overlooked.
What new problems have been introduced?
Dropping the colour from the Google wordmark might make it slightly less instantly recognizable, but they’re smartly kept in as boxes, representing channels on the screen. The channel boxes actually look quite a bit like apps on smartphones, and Google would do well to emphasize simplicity and ease-of-use, rather than play up that comparison. People love their smartphones, but I highly doubt the average person wants that type of complexity in their television experience.
Is it an overall improvement?
Yes. The new TV icon firmly plants Google in the proper space to market this product. The old icon lacked a sense of commitment to the market. However, a logo alone won’t make Google TV a success; Google will need to position the product well and market it aggressively to win this space.
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