AP revamps brand identity

The Associated Press (AP) is readying the first major change to its visual branding in 30 years, which will be unveiled next month, as part of a wider strategy to unite all its products and services under one brand identity.

AP

The business hopes the new branding will create a more consistent look across all its media brands, in line with its master-brand strategy to better integrate both its print and digital title over the next twelve months.

The revamp will introduce an updated logo, which is now black, with a bold red line underscoring it. It will be first unveiled during the company’s coverage of the Oscar’s on Sunday (February 26).

No marketing activity will be done to promote the revamp, with the company looking to “soft launch” the logo and gauge public opinion.

AP Logo

Ellen Hale, vice president of marketing and communications at AP, says that the revamp needed to happen this year, ahead of new digital titles being launched, to achieve the media company’s aim to be associated more clearly with all its titles.

She adds: “We’ve been pursuing a master-brand strategy, however up until now our products haven’t been properly aligned for us to extend one global identity effectively to our customers. With our digital portfolio expanding we felt that now was the right time to go ahead and overhaul our branding for the first time in 30 years.”

The AP will roll the new identity out across its print titles and new digital products, including a revamped AP Mobile news app, from next month, before extending to its video, archive and image online portals later in the year.

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