[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] To prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), global companies are modifying their brands to run 'social distancing' campaigns.
Coca-Cola ran an advertisement appealing for social distancing on a billboard in Times Square, Manhattan, New York. They spaced out the letters of their logo 'Coca Cola' widely and displayed the phrase below: "Keeping distance is the best way to stay connected."
McDonald's also joined the effort. McDonald's Brazil posted a new logo on Facebook where the middle of the golden arches 'M' was cut out. The advertising agency explained that although some stores were temporarily closed and distant from customers, the message conveyed was that they can be together again.
In Belgium, Burger King creatively altered its sign as stores closed due to the impact of COVID-19. They covered the phrase 'of the Whopper' on the 'Home of the Whopper' sign outside the store and added 'STAY' to send the message to stay at home.
The automotive industry is also supporting the 'social distancing' campaign. Audi posted a video on Facebook showing their logo of four interlinked rings separating into independent rings scattering apart.
Volkswagen also modified its logo, where the letters V and W are connected vertically, by widening the spacing to present a new logo. Below it, they added a message thanking you for your 'social distancing.'
The automobile brand Jeep has mainly talked about diverse and active outdoor experiences with their vehicles in past advertisements, but this time they sent a message emphasizing 'time spent at home.'
Alongside company-level encouragement of 'social distancing,' parody logos are also attracting attention. Slovenian graphic designer Jure Tovrljan parodied famous brand logos such as Starbucks, Nike, and Corona beer. Starbucks was depicted as a mermaid wearing a mask, Nike’s famous slogan 'Just Do It' was changed to 'Just Don't Do It,' and Corona beer was cleverly expressed with the phrase 'A new name is needed.' Tovrljan also cleverly changed the logo of LinkedIn, an online platform connecting job seekers and employers, to 'Locked In.'
Tovrljan transformed the NBA logo from an active figure holding a basketball to a figure lying down diagonally using a laptop, emphasizing time spent alone at home.
He revealed the logos saying, "I thought about how logos should look during these difficult times," and added, "I hope everyone stays at home."
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