Alcatel-Lucent

New:  Merger of names, and a button monogram

Launched:  December 1, 2006

Story in brief:
This is a "merger of equals," as the name decision and logo design insist, consummated on November 30, two weeks after President Bush (in Hanoi at the time) approved the deal... "No major national security concerns." Bittersweet, that... seeing what's left of Bell Labs (where the transistor was invented) go further away. (Alcatel, we note, weighs twice as much as Lucent, and technically speaking was the acquirer.)

Speaking as Chairman, Serge Tchuruk admits that brand equity concerns entirely drove the strategy. "The combined name of Alcatel-Lucent will enable us to capitalize on the strong brand equity that both companies enjoy [and] sends a message to our customers that the combined company will provide continuity as well as dynamism." The continuity part, at least, is evident.

A Landor spokesperson notes that since both merger partners were 'heritage' clients, the work was assigned to an office not previously associated with either. (Both Alcatel and Lucent, we note, were designed in San Francisco.)

 
Credits:
C.E.O. - Patricia Russo
Identity counsel & design - Landor (Madrid)
Julian Cabedo, Client Services; Andrew King, Creative Director

Note: On October 13, BrandRepublic.com reported that Euro RSCG was hired "to handle" this "global rebrand" and "rebranding task." This appears to be another instance of media, who ought to know better, confusing branding with advertising.

First Impressions:
I withheld comment to hear Landor Madrid's perspective, but two weeks is long enough.

This is mechanical, by-the-numbers, low-risk branding, suitable for a tentative "let's feel our way through this" merger. The name decision is really a deferred name decision, waiting for a vision-based identity (and its leader) to emerge. That's not Landor's responsibility. But logo design is... and we see another shiny button, with broken squiggles on it.  AstraZeneca's symbol on an OnStar button. Not exactly a power mark, nor clearly a credit to the Landor brand.

Other comments:
This is nothing more than a brush-script AstraZenzca. It doesn't even come close to Lucent's 1996 "Ring of Innovation," which broke new ground in identity design.  Frank Briggs, Design Maven

Corporate Brand Matrix data
Drivers: Merger/merger of equals = 100
Tools:
Name change/ brand
Logo change/ symbol dominant/monogram
Visual system/ Typography, palette
Change event/ High visibility