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UTV rebrand

New look to bring it in line with ITV (October 2016)

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BR
Brekkie
MMcG198 posted:
Whataday posted:
However, I agree with Brekkie - I think ITV is comfortable with the UTV brand and even sees its regional identity as an advantage. It is a distinctive area politically but more importantly to them it's also distinctive commercially (ie certain brands not available there, and also some only available there).


The UTV brand was distinctive enough for ITV to completely revamp it and make all the branding and presentation more closely resemble that of daddy ITV. Might their cunning plan be that if it looks so similar to 'ITV' now, people will care and notice even less when that UTV logo morphs into an ITV one at some point next year? I think so. People on here continue to overvalue the currency that is the UTV brand. ITV will use this transition period to understand if the elements they removed back in October have any impact on viewing shares. In spite of the small audiences here, I suspect they still care about the ratings. Every penny counts! And the answer of course will be that viewing figures will not be affected. For some unknown reason, more viewers here seem to watch ITV (sorry, UTV) than in any other ITV region. It is has absolutely bugger all to do with the UTV brand.

I suspect that the UTV brand will be no more when they 'go live' from their new Belfast HQ. However, between now and then, I fully expect UTV on-air branding to be dismantled bit by bit. For example, I suspect we'll see ITV-branded trails before the year is out.

If ITV really were only keeping UTV as a brand in the short term why invest in a new logo, a logo has more similarity with the UTV logo than the ITV logo.

The UTV logo was old in ITV terms. ITV have had I think 4 logos since the UTV logo launched, as has STV.
AN
Andrew Founding member
ttt posted:
MMcG198 posted:


The current ITV logo/branding is very strong and will, I believe, be around for quite a while. I would not link the demise of the UTV brand with a refresh of ITV's corporate branding. The UTV brand will have been long gone by the time ITV takes the decision to update its corporate branding.


Really? Hmmm. You have a different idea of 'strong' to me. As far as I am concerned ITV's branding epitomises bland, corporate non-entity. Although BBC1 has taken boring to the next level in 2017.

Interesting because when it launched it was described as anything but corporate and bland. Many said it looked not serious enough and therefore it wouldn't fit when used on ITV News.
DavidWhitfield and Whataday gave kudos
MM
MMcG198
Brekkie posted:
If ITV really were only keeping UTV as a brand in the short term why invest in a new logo, a logo has more similarity with the UTV logo than the ITV logo.

The UTV logo was old in ITV terms. ITV have had I think 4 logos since the UTV logo launched, as has STV.


"Invest" in a new logo? Are you serious? How much money do you think has been spent on that? A few signs at Havelock House and bits and pieces of stationery. And a digital graphic slapped on top of existing ITV idents/trails etc. Hardly a huge investment. Peanuts to an organisation of the scale and resources of ITV. As far as I'm concerned, this is merely a transition period, which will be followed by the introduction of full ITV branding in NI. What I envisage is something similar to the Welsh set-up, where on-screen we have 'ITV' branding but, during regional junctions, it's referred to as 'ITV Wales'.
PC
p_c_u_k
I suspect ITV's approach with UTV owes a lot to how commercial radio stations were slowly rebranded as they became part of a network. Change the look, feel and content of the station to something very close to the hero brand, then when the rebrand happens people don't really notice much of a difference. The people who do care will be going "Ah well, Julian hasn't been on screen in ages" or "well there's only so many local shows anyway, as long as Coronation Street's on".
:-(
A former member
Thats not what happened in certain areas in connection to certain radio stations, let just say ratings with though the floor. of course ITV alraedy provide most of the content so that no so bad in this case.
WH
Whataday Founding member
MMcG198 posted:
"Invest" in a new logo? Are you serious? How much money do you think has been spent on that? A few signs at Havelock House and bits and pieces of stationery. And a digital graphic slapped on top of existing ITV idents/trails etc. Hardly a huge investment. Peanuts to an organisation of the scale and resources of ITV.


Investment is not only measured in money. They have invested in terms of introducing a new logo to the viewers, which has reinforced the UTV brand if anything.
MM
MMcG198
Whataday posted:
MMcG198 posted:
"Invest" in a new logo? Are you serious? How much money do you think has been spent on that? A few signs at Havelock House and bits and pieces of stationery. And a digital graphic slapped on top of existing ITV idents/trails etc. Hardly a huge investment. Peanuts to an organisation of the scale and resources of ITV.


Investment is not only measured in money. They have invested in terms of introducing a new logo to the viewers, which has reinforced the UTV brand if anything.


And the logo contains elements of the ITV logo. The UTV logo has also been placed within ITV ident imagery and ITV trail graphics. Many NI viewers already see much of this imagery on the other ITV channels too. All very deliberate. So that when that UTV logo morphs into an ITV logo, no-one will really notice.
WH
Whataday Founding member
MMcG198 posted:
Whataday posted:
MMcG198 posted:
"Invest" in a new logo? Are you serious? How much money do you think has been spent on that? A few signs at Havelock House and bits and pieces of stationery. And a digital graphic slapped on top of existing ITV idents/trails etc. Hardly a huge investment. Peanuts to an organisation of the scale and resources of ITV.


Investment is not only measured in money. They have invested in terms of introducing a new logo to the viewers, which has reinforced the UTV brand if anything.


And the logo contains elements of the ITV logo. The UTV logo has also been placed within ITV ident imagery and ITV trail graphics. Many NI viewers already see much of this imagery on the other ITV channels too. All very deliberate. So that when that UTV logo morphs into an ITV logo, no-one will really notice.



A theory, and a valid theory, but not a fact.
MM
MMcG198
Whataday posted:
A theory, and a valid theory, but not a fact.


Don't believe I have stated this as fact. I do believe I pointed out above that this is merely my opinion. However, if I were a betting man, I'd be quite happy to put a solid cash amount on the outcome that I've described..
SO
SOL
You did state in an earlier post that it will be replaced in 2018. Why speculate in such a way? The same happened prior to the UTV rebrand when many in here believed that ITV had completely abandoned the idea, and look what happened there.
WH
Whataday Founding member
I think the point I'm making is that we are in pretty uncharted territory and that people should not judge this situation by the ITV of old.

ITV have invested in the UTV brand rather than get rid of it. In fact they've made the 'U' larger than before. This isn't necessarily evidence that the UTV name will remain forever, but nor is it anything to the contrary.

No one is suggesting Asda is going to become Walmart just because the brand has become more closely aligned with its parent.
SO
SOL
You're right in that ITV have not followed their actions of the past. And unless anyone has a crystal ball and knows Saturday's lottery numbers, it's not helpful to come on and say the brand will be replaced in 2018, or when the move takes place.

As I said earlier, there were many on here that would have bet money that the UTV rebrand wouldn't happen at all, and it did go ahead as planned.

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