3 Strategies for Defending Your Brand When the World Laughs

By Marie Alonso

This is the story of a logo. A harmless logo. A logo that was conceptualized to build social shares and a fun sense of online community. This logo, Airbnb’s recently launched logo designed to support its Create campaign, turned out to be a little more than Airbnb bargained for – unfortunately.

When Airbnb, an online marketplace for people to list and book accommodations around the world, launched its new logo, reactions were mixed. Some, like Branding Magazine, loved the logo and applauded Airbnb’s spirit of individualism and fresh ideology.

The logo, a never-ending swirl, was to inspire people to share their travel stories and be a symbol of belonging. Destined for billboards, bags, and online banners, the logo was designed to represent the spirit and philosophy of Airbnb.

The problem? Not everyone saw the new logo the way Airbnb did. The result? The company was ridiculed by several online journalistic and social media platforms. Clearly, not everyone got the right vibe from the Airbnb’s progressive, yet simplistic, new logo design.

When a misunderstood logo, poorly timed social media post, or questionably appropriate ad appears to do more harm than good for a company, what to do?

1. Stay Calm

If branding gold turns into dust, don’t panic; stay calm. Consider the feedback you are receiving and weigh its merits. Not all opinions are correct and, many times, the masses will rally with a collective knee-jerk response. Support your brand and your branding initiatives. Do not respond with a knee-jerk tactic. Take time to analyze the situation, consult focus groups, pool the collective brilliance of your marketing team, and ride out the situation.

The best reaction is sometimes no reaction at all. Stand strong.

2. Support Your Brand

You put time, money, and creative energy into building your brand. You recognize that a cross-platform approach to branding solidifies brand awareness and wins brand advocates. Don’t let a temporary backlash to a logo, social media campaign, or advertisement adversely impact your branding efforts.

Support your brand. Take to Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and other platforms to champion your brand. Stay on your projected course with your brand outreach. If you support your brand, you will win the respect of the critical mobs, showing your resilience, poise, and professionalism.

3. Speak Your Truth

Brain Chesky, founder and CEO of Airbnb, defended the logo saying, “There’s something that’s always been a little different and special about us. We’re a community of individuals. We’re powered by people of all different backgrounds and beliefs, each with our own outlook and our own story to tell. With Create Airbnb, we’re letting everyone create their own unique symbol under our shared banner. This homemade symbol can be as unique as every one of us, and it will always be a little different whenever you meet it. But most of all, Create Airbnb is a recognition that our identity simply cannot be separated from all of you. This is a shared brand identity. It’s something no company has ever done before.”

The reality is, the campaign Airbnb launched with its new logo was the start of something that could grow to be iconic. A simple logo. No words. Just a design – one that can be created on a variety of surfaces, featuring a rainbow of colors and textures. What company would not want to be internationally known simply by a symbol?

Speaking your truth, whether via blog, social media post, or even press release, is an honest, deliberate effort to communicate your intentions and goals. It's also a great way to build fans and show the world that you are proud of your brand’s mission, theme and, most of all, integrity.