Out goes X, in come digital services
After a decade, enough is enough.
.
Ten years ago, Xerox, recognizing that its long distinction as the King of Copiers was a major liability in the digital age, trumpeted a new identity to the world. Henceforth, its logo would feature, above its iconic name and in big bold print, the rubric "The Document Company." And it would feature, in even bigger, bolder red, a huge digital-looking X, to signify that it would lead customers into that digital world. Well, now the view around the Xerox headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, has changed to: been there, done that. Or, more accurately: are there, doing that.
.
So on Monday, just in time to announce it at a long-scheduled state-of-the-company briefing for industry analysts, Xerox is bidding "The Document Company" and the broken-armed X a grateful goodbye. In their place will be a new, cleaner-looking logo, featuring the Xerox name over the signature "Technology/Document Management/Consulting Services." Industry experts applaud the change.
.
"A good tag line has to reflect not just what the company is, but what it wants to be, and 'The Document Company' was limiting the definition of Xerox," said Andrew Johnson, a vice president at the research firm Gartner, also based in Stamford. Certainly Xerox has jumped feet-first into the digital arena. Nearly 75 percent of its revenues come from digital products and services, with two-thirds of its equipment sales stemming from digital products introduced in the last two years. The company has built a thriving business in managing document-related services for other companies.
.
And those companies have heaped public praise on Xerox - in the past two years, it has run a campaign of 140 testimonial ads describing how it helped Continental Airlines, Dow Chemical and other big companies reduce costs and increase productivity.
.
"'The Document Company' is an intellectual idea, but the brand is an emotional promise that you can get people to rally around," said Barry Hoffman, executive creative director at Young Rubicam, Xerox's longtime ad agency. "Now, it's time to just let the brand speak for itself."
.
Results of the campaign have so far been mixed. According to Gartner, Xerox's sales of color copiers have grown faster than those of its competitors, raising its market share to nearly 23 percent from about 14 percent a year ago. But it still lags far behind Hewlett-Packard in office printers.
.
More importantly, Xerox executives know full well that the company name does not yet elicit "consulting services" as a first response in any free-association test. And since services are always more lucrative for manufacturing companies than equipment sales, that is the association that Xerox hopes its new signature line will reinforce.
.
Still, branding mavens are not sure the company is right to kill a signature that has served them so well. "'The Document Company' spoke to clear benefits they were aspiring to deliver, and it's the source of their authority," said Judy Hopelain, managing partner at Prophet Brand Strategy, a San Francisco brand consultancy. "I'm OK with adding technology, but the idea of 'consulting services' sounds really me-too, like they are trying to be IBM or Accenture."
.
Hopelain is somewhat mollified that document management remains, if not prominent, at least visible. "It's right there between technology and services," she said, "and maybe people will see it as a bridge from one to the other."
.
The reason behind jettisoning the digital X, though, is less clear. After all, Xerox wants to suggest that it can be the premier provider of digital services, so why not keep that in-your-face digital sign? The answer, apparently, is that while it did not hurt, it did not help all that much.
.
"There are an awful lot of X's out there," said Diane McGarry, chief marketing officer of Xerox, pointing to Microsoft's Xbox as an example. "People really didn't associate the digital X with Xerox as much as you might think." The New York Times
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< < Back to Start of Article Out goes X, in come digital services
After a decade, enough is enough.
.
Ten years ago, Xerox, recognizing that its long distinction as the King of Copiers was a major liability in the digital age, trumpeted a new identity to the world. Henceforth, its logo would feature, above its iconic name and in big bold print, the rubric "The Document Company." And it would feature, in even bigger, bolder red, a huge digital-looking X, to signify that it would lead customers into that digital world. Well, now the view around the Xerox headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, has changed to: been there, done that. Or, more accurately: are there, doing that.
.
So on Monday, just in time to announce it at a long-scheduled state-of-the-company briefing for industry analysts, Xerox is bidding "The Document Company" and the broken-armed X a grateful goodbye. In their place will be a new, cleaner-looking logo, featuring the Xerox name over the signature "Technology/Document Management/Consulting Services." Industry experts applaud the change.
.
"A good tag line has to reflect not just what the company is, but what it wants to be, and 'The Document Company' was limiting the definition of Xerox," said Andrew Johnson, a vice president at the research firm Gartner, also based in Stamford. Certainly Xerox has jumped feet-first into the digital arena. Nearly 75 percent of its revenues come from digital products and services, with two-thirds of its equipment sales stemming from digital products introduced in the last two years. The company has built a thriving business in managing document-related services for other companies.
.
And those companies have heaped public praise on Xerox - in the past two years, it has run a campaign of 140 testimonial ads describing how it helped Continental Airlines, Dow Chemical and other big companies reduce costs and increase productivity.
.
"'The Document Company' is an intellectual idea, but the brand is an emotional promise that you can get people to rally around," said Barry Hoffman, executive creative director at Young Rubicam, Xerox's longtime ad agency. "Now, it's time to just let the brand speak for itself."
.
Results of the campaign have so far been mixed. According to Gartner, Xerox's sales of color copiers have grown faster than those of its competitors, raising its market share to nearly 23 percent from about 14 percent a year ago. But it still lags far behind Hewlett-Packard in office printers.
.
More importantly, Xerox executives know full well that the company name does not yet elicit "consulting services" as a first response in any free-association test. And since services are always more lucrative for manufacturing companies than equipment sales, that is the association that Xerox hopes its new signature line will reinforce.
.
Still, branding mavens are not sure the company is right to kill a signature that has served them so well. "'The Document Company' spoke to clear benefits they were aspiring to deliver, and it's the source of their authority," said Judy Hopelain, managing partner at Prophet Brand Strategy, a San Francisco brand consultancy. "I'm OK with adding technology, but the idea of 'consulting services' sounds really me-too, like they are trying to be IBM or Accenture."
.
Hopelain is somewhat mollified that document management remains, if not prominent, at least visible. "It's right there between technology and services," she said, "and maybe people will see it as a bridge from one to the other."
.
The reason behind jettisoning the digital X, though, is less clear. After all, Xerox wants to suggest that it can be the premier provider of digital services, so why not keep that in-your-face digital sign? The answer, apparently, is that while it did not hurt, it did not help all that much.
.
"There are an awful lot of X's out there," said Diane McGarry, chief marketing officer of Xerox, pointing to Microsoft's Xbox as an example. "People really didn't associate the digital X with Xerox as much as you might think." The New York Times Out goes X, in come digital services
After a decade, enough is enough.
.
Ten years ago, Xerox, recognizing that its long distinction as the King of Copiers was a major liability in the digital age, trumpeted a new identity to the world. Henceforth, its logo would feature, above its iconic name and in big bold print, the rubric "The Document Company." And it would feature, in even bigger, bolder red, a huge digital-looking X, to signify that it would lead customers into that digital world. Well, now the view around the Xerox headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, has changed to: been there, done that. Or, more accurately: are there, doing that.
.
So on Monday, just in time to announce it at a long-scheduled state-of-the-company briefing for industry analysts, Xerox is bidding "The Document Company" and the broken-armed X a grateful goodbye. In their place will be a new, cleaner-looking logo, featuring the Xerox name over the signature "Technology/Document Management/Consulting Services." Industry experts applaud the change.
.
"A good tag line has to reflect not just what the company is, but what it wants to be, and 'The Document Company' was limiting the definition of Xerox," said Andrew Johnson, a vice president at the research firm Gartner, also based in Stamford. Certainly Xerox has jumped feet-first into the digital arena. Nearly 75 percent of its revenues come from digital products and services, with two-thirds of its equipment sales stemming from digital products introduced in the last two years. The company has built a thriving business in managing document-related services for other companies.
.
And those companies have heaped public praise on Xerox - in the past two years, it has run a campaign of 140 testimonial ads describing how it helped Continental Airlines, Dow Chemical and other big companies reduce costs and increase productivity.
.
"'The Document Company' is an intellectual idea, but the brand is an emotional promise that you can get people to rally around," said Barry Hoffman, executive creative director at Young Rubicam, Xerox's longtime ad agency. "Now, it's time to just let the brand speak for itself."
.
Results of the campaign have so far been mixed. According to Gartner, Xerox's sales of color copiers have grown faster than those of its competitors, raising its market share to nearly 23 percent from about 14 percent a year ago. But it still lags far behind Hewlett-Packard in office printers.
.
More importantly, Xerox executives know full well that the company name does not yet elicit "consulting services" as a first response in any free-association test. And since services are always more lucrative for manufacturing companies than equipment sales, that is the association that Xerox hopes its new signature line will reinforce.
.
Still, branding mavens are not sure the company is right to kill a signature that has served them so well. "'The Document Company' spoke to clear benefits they were aspiring to deliver, and it's the source of their authority," said Judy Hopelain, managing partner at Prophet Brand Strategy, a San Francisco brand consultancy. "I'm OK with adding technology, but the idea of 'consulting services' sounds really me-too, like they are trying to be IBM or Accenture."
.
Hopelain is somewhat mollified that document management remains, if not prominent, at least visible. "It's right there between technology and services," she said, "and maybe people will see it as a bridge from one to the other."
.
The reason behind jettisoning the digital X, though, is less clear. After all, Xerox wants to suggest that it can be the premier provider of digital services, so why not keep that in-your-face digital sign? The answer, apparently, is that while it did not hurt, it did not help all that much.
.
"There are an awful lot of X's out there," said Diane McGarry, chief marketing officer of Xerox, pointing to Microsoft's Xbox as an example. "People really didn't associate the digital X with Xerox as much as you might think." The New York Times Out goes X, in come digital services
After a decade, enough is enough.
.
Ten years ago, Xerox, recognizing that its long distinction as the King of Copiers was a major liability in the digital age, trumpeted a new identity to the world. Henceforth, its logo would feature, above its iconic name and in big bold print, the rubric "The Document Company." And it would feature, in even bigger, bolder red, a huge digital-looking X, to signify that it would lead customers into that digital world. Well, now the view around the Xerox headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, has changed to: been there, done that. Or, more accurately: are there, doing that.
.
So on Monday, just in time to announce it at a long-scheduled state-of-the-company briefing for industry analysts, Xerox is bidding "The Document Company" and the broken-armed X a grateful goodbye. In their place will be a new, cleaner-looking logo, featuring the Xerox name over the signature "Technology/Document Management/Consulting Services." Industry experts applaud the change.
.
"A good tag line has to reflect not just what the company is, but what it wants to be, and 'The Document Company' was limiting the definition of Xerox," said Andrew Johnson, a vice president at the research firm Gartner, also based in Stamford. Certainly Xerox has jumped feet-first into the digital arena. Nearly 75 percent of its revenues come from digital products and services, with two-thirds of its equipment sales stemming from digital products introduced in the last two years. The company has built a thriving business in managing document-related services for other companies.
.
And those companies have heaped public praise on Xerox - in the past two years, it has run a campaign of 140 testimonial ads describing how it helped Continental Airlines, Dow Chemical and other big companies reduce costs and increase productivity.
.
"'The Document Company' is an intellectual idea, but the brand is an
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