Vivendi

New:  Reversal of a 2000 name change, and a new logo

Launched:  April 20, 2006

Story in brief:
Four identity changes in eight years. Few companies have changed so rapidly, and struggled so visibly to keep pace through logo changes.

The biggest leap was in 1998, when the then conglomerate (in construction, telecommunications, power generation and transportation) finally shed its water-company skin for the quite wonderful name "Vivendi." (See Vivendi review in Powerbrands, my 1998 review article.)

Two years (and some de-acquisition) later, a modest 2000 logo change accompanied a re-positioning as "a global leader in communications and environmental services." That last piece was spun out in July 2000 as Vivendi Environment, moving Vivendi closer to a 'pure play' in communications.

Then in December 2000, a three-way merger took place: Vivendi, Canal+ (the French pay-TV business) and the shell of what used to be Seagram, now mostly the Universal music business that young Bronfman had bought. Clearly, this was a transforming event, and rebranding was in order: the Vivendi wordmark was bulked-up, and 'Universal' was added to it.

Now, "Universal" has been subtracted, and "Vivendi" again redesigned.  This time there is no self-evident transforming event, nor an expressed strategic purpose beyond "a new chapter in the history of the company begins with the adoption of a single name." Perhaps M. Lévi can clarify.

Credits:
C.E.O. - Jean-Bernard Lévi
Identity design - Carré Noir, a Publicis unit
 

First Impressions:
The name change is not surprising, on merely technical grounds. "Universal" was never more than an adjective, never the kind of word that could masquerade as an effective identity...  especially not when attached to a truly vivid name which, as an adjective, it seemed simply to qualify. (And do the math. Vivendi = 3 syllables, Universal = 4, 3 + 4 = 7, and the limit of a communicative name is five syllables. Vivendi is all we need, and Universal was doomed never to be used.)

But it's less clear what this design change is intended to achieve, either to softer, gentler letterforms or to the color called "raisin." To my eye the letterforms are internally conflicted and trivialize the company. The December 2000 logo, in contrast, marked a significantly stronger company. Its distinctive 'V' was just enough to make it unforgettable. New "vivendi," sadly, is just another in a crowd.