PricewaterhouseCoopers

New:  Acceptance of initials, logo, and visual system

Launched: September 20, 2010 (internal launch was 12 May)

Story in brief:
In 1998, when the name PricewaterhouseCoopers was glued together, we called it "ToolongbyFar" (see 1998 Review). PwC has now accepted this reality. "In practice," the news release admits, "the initials PwC have been used interchangeably with PricewaterhouseCoopers both within and outside PwC since its formation in 1998. This formal shortening of the name will provide consistency and ease of use for PwC firms around the world."

"Consistency" is the key word. As in so many international rebrandings, this one appears to be driven by the need for cross-border coherence in global relationships. To quote global brand leader Moira Elms, "Our decision to make this change now is because...a concise consistent Brand position makes it easier for people to appreciate who we are, what we do, and how we operate across markets."

It seems Wolf Olins can be relied on these days for unorthodox design strategies, and delivered one here. The new mark, when seen by itself, it is locked (by a little red bar) to an arrangement of tinted pixels that appears to serve as a stand-in for some larger element. On the new www.pwc.com home page, the pixels expand to incorporate a key message and a video screen...

The underlying purpose, we might assume, is to encourage the more consistent use, by PwC's diverse international partners, of the more disciplined visual system associated with this logo lock-up idea.

This rebranding was launched internally May 12, allowing more than four months for more extensive application design, implementation and training.

Credits:
C.E.O. - Dennis Nally, Chairman PwC International
C.M.O. - Moira Elms, "Global Leader of Brand, Communications and PwC Experience"
Identity design - Wolff Olins

First Impressions:
Strategy:  While adoption of initials is seldom a move to strength, in this case it is a bow to reality.
Design:  Conceptually, lively and engaging; visually, disappointing. As a freestanding mark it is a thing of neither beauty nor self-evident meaning. When locked to a larger element, the presence and stature of the PwC component seems diminished. It will be interesting to see how this balance of conceptual versus esthetic impact plays out over time, dynamic versus static -- and how much creative effort and discipline it will take to keep it lively.

Other Comments:

 

Corporate Brand Matrix ratings:  
0% structural,  80% strategic,  20% functional (est.)