Does your branding go more than logo-deep?
Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Well, you can at least try.
Following the public shaming of being hacked, Ashley Madison is attempting to move away from their reputation as a network for infidelity. Their attempt to rebrand the site is intended to push the idea that they are more than just affairs and stolen data. That’s quite the mountain to climb, considering the monstrous publicity nightmare they encountered last summer.
Everything about Ashley Madison previously screamed “find your mistress here!” from their slogan “Life is short. Have an affair.” to their old front page that consisted of a woman shushing and a wedding ring standing in for an “o.” Their commercials were also quite overt, speaking specifically to an audience of married people who wanted to find an external relationship. For a site about discretion, they were quite forward with their intentions.
What does the rebranding say about the new Ashley Madison?
Take a look and see for yourself: www.ashleymadison.com.
Now when you visit the site you will see the brand’s new, elegant-bordering-on-plain, typographical logo and the new slogan, “find your moment.” You’ll also see the full face of a woman vs. the anonymous “shusher” of times gone by. These changes seem like a step in the right direction, but you can quickly find not much else has changed. Scroll down a bit and you’ll find that users include those seeking affairs – and relationship status options still contain “attached.” Everything but the front page points towards an unchanging platform.
Obviously this attempt at rebranding is nowhere near an overhaul. Why bother changing at all if you’re not going to do it right? Really, this “rebranding” only gives off poor taste and does little to attract new users. Sorry, Ashley Madison, but your moments may not be worth finding.
Editor’s Note: This blog post is courtesy of one of our aweS3ome interns, Alyssa Doherty.