Except it doesn't change my perception at all. My previous perception of Marissa Mayer was that she was a "work hard, not smart" overachiever who has become more known for her ability to make her numbers (like how long she works a week, how many weeks of maternity leave she takes, how many extra jobs around the office she piles on her plate, etc.) look good than to actually produce results. My perception was that Yahoo's board, in its infinite incompetence, hired her purely because she was infamous at Google for her work ethic (yet clearly didn't get the memo from Google as to why she wasn't moving further up the ranks), expecting her mere presence at Yahoo to turn the company around.
This "stunt," as you call it, did nothing to change that. In fact, it makes me have even less faith in Yahoo. How great do Yahoo's investors feel that their CEO is spending her time on trying to be designer instead of streamlining and turning her company around.
The one part of Yahoo's brand that was at least MILDLY interesting was its personality. I mean, the name is based on someone screaming! The new logo makes it look like they should change their name to "Ahem" or "::Clears Throat Politely::" Which brings me to my final point that, what scares me most about this logo redesign is that Mayer clearly doesn't understand her own company's brand perception. She had the opportunity to hone in on what makes Yahoo great and let that quirkiness shine, but instead she took a zamboni to her brand in a failed attempt to make a more "mature" look. If Mayer was so excited about literally tilting an exclamation point 9 degrees to the right as some sort of liberating self-expression, can you imagine how up-tight people must be over there now?
How great do Yahoo's investors feel that their CEO is spending her time on trying to be designer instead of streamlining and turning her company around.
Yahoo! Stock:
Oct. 22 2012: $15.77
March 18 2013: 22.01
June 24 2013: $24.07
July 16 2013: $26.88 Marissa appointed
July 18 2013: $29.66
Sept. 5th 2013: 28.23
I'm not sure how commentators are extrapolating that this is the sole focus of Marissa as CEO.
If Mayer was so excited about literally tilting an exclamation point 9 degrees to the right as some sort of liberating self-expression, can you imagine how up-tight people must be over there now?
Perhaps, as the GP states, she is appealing to the demographic needed to drive business versus its shareholders.
You are, perhaps, not the right audience. Imagine a recruiter at Yahoo talking to a "rockstar dev" with an awesome Github profile about why he should join Yahoo. His pitch is now "Look, we even let an intern and the CEO design our logo! That's how you'll be treated as employee - someone who can make an impact in a big business...just like, ya know, that other company that begins with G"
That's actually a good point but they could probably find a less important way to prove that point (the interaction between the CEO and the intern) than on a logo (which as part of a branding strategy is very important).
> How great do Yahoo's investors feel that their CEO is spending her time on trying to be designer instead of streamlining and turning her company around.
Depends how it turns out. Steve Jobs spent a lot of time on details, with the argument that one guiding vision has value. If it works, you're a visionary.
Except Steve wasn't a designer and he knew that. We all know Jony Ive, his work, and have watched the videos that put the spotlight completely on him and his creations. Did Steve have a lot of input? Definitely. Was he spending weekends tweaking AutoCAD files and making prototypes? No (at least, not that I know of). Delegation is a huge part of good management, and it is a skill that Mayer has shown to lack on numerous occasions.
"How great do Yahoo's investors feel that their CEO is spending her time on trying to be designer instead of"
Agree. There was a story in a book regarding Henry Kravis of KKR (I think it was Barbarians at the Gate) where he fired the President of a hotel chain he had acquired when he merely asked him his opinion of the new signage (or logo don't remember exactly but it was something like that).
This "stunt," as you call it, did nothing to change that. In fact, it makes me have even less faith in Yahoo. How great do Yahoo's investors feel that their CEO is spending her time on trying to be designer instead of streamlining and turning her company around.
The one part of Yahoo's brand that was at least MILDLY interesting was its personality. I mean, the name is based on someone screaming! The new logo makes it look like they should change their name to "Ahem" or "::Clears Throat Politely::" Which brings me to my final point that, what scares me most about this logo redesign is that Mayer clearly doesn't understand her own company's brand perception. She had the opportunity to hone in on what makes Yahoo great and let that quirkiness shine, but instead she took a zamboni to her brand in a failed attempt to make a more "mature" look. If Mayer was so excited about literally tilting an exclamation point 9 degrees to the right as some sort of liberating self-expression, can you imagine how up-tight people must be over there now?