New Hudson’s Bay Company Logo A First Since 1965

The Hudson’s Bay Company is reclaiming its past with a new logo — its first brand redesign in nearly half a century.
Marking a shift from the moniker it has carried since 1965, The Bay will now be known as Hudson’s Bay.
Prior to 1965, the store had carried the full name of the firm, which was founded in 1670 and is billed as “North America’s longest continually operated company.”

“Going back to their heritage, to Hudson’s Bay, makes a lot of sense,” said University of Toronto marketing professor David Dunne. “It’s something they can own. ‘The Bay’ has obviously lots of awareness in Canada, but it could be confused with lots of other things, for example, eBay, especially if they’re going to be doing online. There’s nothing all that unique about ‘The Bay.’ ”

Representatives of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), the store’s parent company, which also operates Home Outfitters and Lord & Taylor in the U.S., were not available to discuss the new logo, which will mark all marketing and media materials, online and in-store displays. A redrawn coat-of-arms was also debuted for special packaging.
“We’re very proud to say that Hudson’s Bay is continuing to advance in 2013, not only with our numerous new business ventures, but with our updated look,” said HBC creative director Tony Smith in a release.
“We’ve taken what is a very meaningful two-pronged approach to the redesign: maintaining our heritage while modernizing the new Hudson’s Bay Company.”

Errol Saldanha, who teaches brand development at OCAD University, wonders what consumers will end up calling the store.

“Today, customers always want the shortcut — TD, FedEx,” he said. “Are people going to keep calling them The Bay, or short form it to Hudson’s, which seems to be the more distinct part of the name?
“The challenge with a rebrand is everybody will just look at this as a logo, visual thing, and not maybe see a strategy behind it. The big risk is whether or not people will accept it. The Gap customers all rebelled and then they shifted the logo back.”
The company said the change is to signal a “defining period” of innovations, such as the creation of high-end The Room, the launch of Canada’s first Topshop and Topman, the renovation of multiple stores and expansion into ecommerce.

Dunne isn’t sure what difference a rebrand will make “when you’ve got people like Target coming in who are known for high quality merchandise at low prices. Harking back to the fact that they were founded in 1670 is probably not going to carry an awful lot of weight,” he said.

Prior to 1965, The Hudson’s Bay Company’s logo was an elaborate, calligraphy-style script.
In 1965, motivated by expansion into Quebec, the firm had American branding gurus Lippincott & Margulies create a shortened The Bay with an emphatic ‘B’.

2013 sees the word mark simplified and streamlined to an elegant Hudson’s Bay.
via: Toronto Star