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Since childhood, I've had this fantasy about the creative process as it applies to marketing.   During commercials on television, I'd have a simultaneous short film rolling in my mind's eye that would show the back story on how this product or that got the particular spin that I was watching at that very moment.  (As you can imagine, I'm a big fan of Mad Men.)

My short film is pretty consistent:  a group of people are sitting around a table.  One wall is all windows that overlook some view that includes lots and lots of sky.  Someone on the team is sticking pencils in his nostrils while someone else is winding up a little plastic gorilla that does flips - all part of the process, of course. 

Ideas are rapidly tossed out that range from the ridiculous to the nonsensical and all are accepted and added to the mix.  Until finally, something is tossed that catches the collective attention.  There is a brief moment of silence as it is digested by the group, then some cheery laughter as it catches on, then a burst of energy as the idea is refined and drawn up for a final presentation.  Simplistic? Perhaps, but that's how my movie goes. 

Sometimes I have a sense of how the team got to the final idea that I'm watching unfold before my eyes.  Sometimes, it makes no sense at all and the team in my film looks chaotic.

Today, I offer you an example of the second.  The first time I saw this, my immediate thought was, "How in the name of reason did the team get here?"  They really should have asked me before they went forward. 

Someone sitting at that table wasn't paying attention to some pretty universal symbols that make a beeline to the psyche.  Somebody was paying too much attention to the flipping gorilla! 

People, people, people.  You get paid the big bucks to stick pencils in your nostrils and come up with brilliant stuff. What happened?!

Judge for yourself:  I offer a photo of my bank.  Yes, you may remember seeing an image of this place back in the day just before the entire financial world came crashing down.  I should have taken it as a sign that this group didn't really have my best interests at heart.  (Nothing personal, of course.)

You may have also noticed a change in the logo.  Yes, this is the new logo for Société Générale. 

A big ole whopper of a minus sign!  Somehow, the white line in the old logo seemed reasonable, an underlining emphasis of the place.  But now?

Who could possibly think that it would be a good idea to market a bank with a sign for subtraction?!? 

I've been meaning to  move to a different bank anyway, but now it seems only prudent doncha think?

Ciao,

Leslie