Written by Kaye Neylon
ITV is having a drastic overhaul of its channel brands which will all feature new logos and idents in a bid to better develop its communication between them and the audience.
ITV will now be emphasising this improved communication and understanding through its programming idents created or commissioned by the parent company who own a majority vote to control programming and marketing operations.
This will be ITV’s first major rebrand since 2006 and marks the decision from the broadcaster to drop the numerical ‘1’ from its flagship channel. The decision to revert back to its original name comes after more than a decade.
ITV’s group director of marketing research, Rufus Radcliffe, says:
“The rebrand was viewer driven, the majority of our viewers refer to ITV12 as ‘ITV’ so we were swimming against the tide. We wanted to elevate the role of the ITV master brand, where everything we do leads to this things called ITV”.
Radcliffe also addressed the issues facing the ITV brand online:
“We don’t ever call it ITV1.com or ITV1 Player”.
The rebrand cements the relationship in the viewer’s mind with the TV shows they favour and the ITV brand.
Radcliffe addressed the competition between ITV and other popular UK channels:
“At the heart of popular culture is the purpose behind the ITV brand. The BBC is to inform, educate and entertain. Channel 4 is a mission with mischief but we think there is a place right bang in the middle of the mainstream”.
ITV currently has four channels which will all see a makeover as of January 2013.
ITV will retain its focus on “everyday life” incorporating real people to feature a mixture of films to reflect this.
Ad revenue at ITV fell 6% in recent years but a healthy performance from ITV Studios has helped boost total revenue up 4% this year to £1.6bn. ITV still insist the decision to rebrand was not “financial” but rather a “philosophical” choice and will not support the January launch with any marketing activity beyond its own estate.
What are your thoughts on the new curvy logo?
