“It Broke My Heart When They Ripped the Old Logo Off the Wall”: Places, Uses and Meanings of the Rebranded Logo

Ari-Matti Erjansola (), Linda Virtanen and Jukka Lipponen
Additional contact information
Ari-Matti Erjansola: University of Helsinki
Linda Virtanen: University of Helsinki
Jukka Lipponen: University of Helsinki

Corporate Reputation Review, 2025, vol. 28, issue 3, No 2, 204-216

Abstract: Abstract Many authors recognize the links between brand logos and identity, but aside from being mere symbols of the organizations that they represent, brand logos are also physical objects with a location and context in which they are interpreted. In this article, we analyze the logo as a physical artifact in relation to its place and physical surroundings in a Finnish university merger. We utilize longitudinal survey data from 140 respondents, and through thematic analysis, we show how employees interpret the logo and its meaning in relation to place and how day-to-day use and management actions affect its interpretation. We argue that logos should be addressed as physical artifacts that can function as identity markers at the organizational level and a mere change of visual elements can, therefore, profoundly alter the sense and identity of a place. This study enhances understanding of brand logos in relation to place and emphasizes their significance during organizational change.

Keywords: Brand logo; Organizational artifact; Physical artifact; Place identity; Sense of place; Mergers and acquisitions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41299-022-00147-7 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:crepre:v:28:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1057_s41299-022-00147-7

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.palgrave.com/gp/journal/41299

DOI: 10.1057/s41299-022-00147-7

Access Statistics for this article

Corporate Reputation Review is currently edited by Guido Berens

More articles in Corporate Reputation Review from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().