Nickelodeon's Brand Cohesion Grows Up

From Brandchannel;
 After 30 years of broadcasting to kids, Nickelodeon realized it was time to grow up.  Their corporate identity, that is, not their programming.

This week, the children’s cable network launched a new cohesive identity across all operations within the Nickelodeon universe on television, feature films, consumer products, online, recreation and publishing throughout 175 countries. For the first time, the parent channel and accompanying sub-brands share a uniform ID, “Nick,” with the renaming of The N and Noggin as, respectively, TeenNick and Nick Jr., joining Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite and Nicktoons in the same lower case wordmark.

Noticeably absent is the channel’s longstanding “splat” trademark, abandoned despite the network’s best efforts to integrate it across its all sub-brands. According to president Cyma Zarghami, Nickelodeon “decided that the splat was dated,” and concluded that tying it to each sub-brand “just couldn’t be done in a streamlined way.” The “i” in the new wordmark makes a nod to the old “splat,” and is tied to the past in on-air promotions.

Nickelodeon is now armed with a forward-looking logo to effectively market their brand across all platforms. Renaming The N and Noggin creates a powerful visual presence, and reinforces the brand identity to their demographic. In a crowded, oversaturated market, the simplicity of the new logo stands out.

The change seems jarring at first, especially to nostalgic adults. But viewed collectively, the relaunch is a best-practice guide to how to successfully update and tie together an expanding brand. And adults upset with the drastic makeover to their childhood memories should take comfort in this: while the splat is gone, the slime remains.