HANKOOK:  "Proactive Tireship"

New: Hankook logo with orange speed-tread symbol

Launched: March 12, 2004

Story in brief:
Mr. Cho calls it "proactive tireship."  This "change in corporate vision and goals" is a coming-out party. Hankook has grown quietly to #1 in Korea, #1 in China's passenger tires, and #9 in the world. Time, now, to contend more openly for global leadership on the basis of innovation, technology, customer service and a passion to win -- hence "Proactive Tireship," to fire up his troops.

Credits:
CEO - Cho Choong-hwan
Identity design - Neville Brody's Research Studios London

First Impressions:
It will take a lot of exposure to make this name familiar and comfortable to Western ears, but the new logo is a big step in the right direction. The old mark, essentially a cartoon, was not serious; the new mark is committed and aggressive, serious indeed.

To my (Western) eyes the symbol does suggest an E, which is a minor distraction. The new mark is nonetheless a clear example of use of  an identity change, by a leader, both to enhance marketplace perception and to stimulate the internal cultural change required to make it real.

CEO Cho Choong-Hwan waves the flag
(Brody at left? No; designers
weren't invited to the launch)