Finnish telecom gearmaker Nokia has ditched its 60-year-old iconic logo in a bid to create a new identity in the face of growing challenges. On the eve of the annual Mobile World Congress 2023, Nokia unveiled a radically new logo – which incorporates lighter shades, and a more disembodied font as part of its new rebrand.
According to top Nokia executives, the company will be re-energising its focus more towards the B2B side wherein networks will see major evolution with the advent of 5G and 6G, Nokia plans to evolve with these changes. Currently, Ericsson dominates the network space, and Nokia wants to change that. Nokia’s old logo will, however, continue on in the smartphone range which is marketed by HMD. Once the king of mobile phones, Nokia’s presence is waning in the smartphone market, as companies such as Apple and Samsung have taken its place.
Experts remain divided on the efficacy of the re-brand. On one hand, experts believe that this new logo will allow Nokia to distance itself from its failures in the smartphone market, while others believe that Nokia’s consumer-facing legacy carries a lot of currency and recall which will be wasted in its new avatar.
Ajimon Francis, Managing Director at Brand Finance India, said, “Nokia is re-aligning itself into an enterprise business, more B2B going forward. Currently, Ericsson dominates this space. Nokia, with the new look, will start afresh on the enterprise side, keeping its baggage of smartphone failures behind. The new logo will help in their B2B brand building and in a couple of years this focus is going to be a strong brand value driver for Nokia.”
Former leader of Nokia’s emerging markets including India, Shiv Shivakumar, disagrees. “Nokia’s new logo has been eaten by strategy,” Shivakumar says. “The new logo is letting go of any social capital enjoyed by the original, and does not have the gravitas of the typeface. Innovation and R&D are the only two determinants for success in its enterprise business, which is what it should focus on.”
