Social media reacts to Absa’s new logo
by MarkLives (@marklives) Absa has launched its new corporate identity, following its divorce from Barclays. Barclays Africa Group has officially been rebranded and started trading under its new name, Absa Group, and new share code (ABG) on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange today, Wednesday, 11 July 2018. OgilvyRED (New York), Grid Worldwide and Yellowwood consulted on the brand change.
The new group has a presence in 12 African countries and plans to open international offices in the UK and the US.
“New purpose and strategic direction”
“Our new name and brand are an expression of our new purpose and strategic direction, which commits us to growing in Africa,” says Maria Ramos, Absa Group CEO. “We are rallying around a shared sense of purpose and identity while celebrating our diversity. We would like to build the brand as a bank that Africa’s people can be proud of, a truly independent African bank with global scalability.A single brand will enable us to unite behind a single identity, purpose and strategy; we are excited by the enormous opportunity we have to create a bank that Africa can be proud of.”
The rollout of the new Absa brand design in South Africa will be completed in 2019. It will also be rolled out to Absa Group’s Barclays banks in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia by mid-2020, subject to approvals including from regulators in those countries. Product and service functionality will not be affected by the rebranding programme.
Social media reacts
Interviewer: How's your MS skills?
Me: Excellent did a Word-Art piece for ABSA.
Here: pic.twitter.com/eyA9Wla8XM
— Tumi Sole (@tumisole) July 11, 2018
The ABSA logo reminds me of the ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) warning sign on a car's dashboard. Not the same, but it just reminds me. pic.twitter.com/P4aSNNHNv2
— Mr Farmer (@kalourd) July 11, 2018
Waiting for my financial break. #AbsaJourney #Absa #logo #rebrand pic.twitter.com/l4w3Z8kInN
— Lauren Mitchell (@curious_lauren_) July 11, 2018
New logo is awesome, but the emerging strategies🤗😀… That's on the next level
# I love absa
— Mr Yaana (@Kaliyaana) July 11, 2018
#AbsaJourney, Congratulations to Absa for this amazing journey. New logo shows simplistic & the commitments they have to this country to build our society.
— VP Studio Soweto (@VPStudioSoweto1) July 11, 2018
#AbsaJourney # what's with this logo mara. Please change it fast fast yoh pic.twitter.com/KVPRzYygUf
— mphemphe (@KatlegoMotlhabe) July 11, 2018
Hi there, by changing the letters in our logo to lower case – the acronym (ABSA) now becomes a word (Absa). It’s a word that we can build new meaning into; meaning that is derived from our new purpose. A purpose that’s inspired by the continent we are here to serve.
— Absa South Africa (@AbsaSouthAfrica) July 11, 2018
Separation from Barclays. Now African group with diverse spread of shareholders. Opportunity to rebrand as Africa-centric at the core with a strong digital drive +focus + representation across the continent. #idontworkforabsa
— Wendy Tlou (@mswendyt) July 11, 2018
ABSA used to have a dope logo https://t.co/TLtELbz9dq
— Ofentse (@OfentseZA) July 11, 2018
If you are proud of the logo , good for you . So far read only negative feedback
— keletso kowa (@keletsokowa) July 11, 2018
Hi there, by changing the letters in our logo to lower case – the acronym (ABSA) now becomes a word (Absa). It’s a word that we can build new meaning into; meaning that is derived from our new purpose. A purpose that’s inspired by the continent we are here to serve.
— Absa South Africa (@AbsaSouthAfrica) July 11, 2018
That @absa new logo looks very similar to something that I’ve seen before. These big design agencies need to do better.
— The21stCenturyBlackMan (@masonwabentloko) July 11, 2018
Separation from Barclays. Now African group with diverse spread of shareholders. Opportunity to rebrand as Africa-centric at the core with a strong digital drive +focus + representation across the continent. #idontworkforabsa
— Wendy Tlou (@mswendyt) July 11, 2018
Would love to know how many millions the agency responsible charged…and how many reverts they had to go through. Is it brave? Is it revolutionary? No. It’s #absa https://t.co/6057PlGFZa
— Bradley Elliott (@BradElliottSA) July 11, 2018
This whole #ABSA rebranding is a bit silly.
Paid someone a fortune to get them a steering wheel logo and changed the ticker to ABG. The least intuitive option they had (well, BAT is still BTI so it's a close second).
— Belgium. 🇧🇪 (@The_Londwa) July 11, 2018
The new Absa logo is wack 👎🏽
— Kid (@_Serofo) July 11, 2018
Most Kenyans have never heard of ABSA. The rebranding team has a lot of work to do.
— Godfrey Kimega (@gkimega) July 11, 2018
I know I’m dissing this absa brand change but I’m still calling my sister and telling her to bring me a cap and two tshirts
— FiveInOurHeartsForever (@mccall_crissy) July 11, 2018
Absa's new log issa fail.
They did not need re-branding they needed to improve on customer services as well as being relevant.
— Khotsofalang 🌐 🌍 (@RK_Mayekisa) July 11, 2018
@AbsaSouthAfrica rebrand. Let us take you through the colour theory and shape psychology. The colour red is warmth, energy and aggression while the circle reinforce the pillar of their brand: community, unity and complete. #AbsaJourney pic.twitter.com/PRPfN9w02T
— Think Trends (Pty) Ltd (@ThinkTrends) July 11, 2018
Same whatsapp group @AbsaSouthAfrica @OpenserveZA #AbsaJourney pic.twitter.com/QxFjgJb7h7
— 🌻🌼🌻🌼🌻🌼🌻🌼🌻🌼🌻🌼 (@FlopNochang) July 11, 2018
It just looks like you sell burgers and fries now🤷🏾♀️ #AbsaJourney
— Tulip (@tumi_stones) July 11, 2018
#AbsaJourney
More simplicity pic.twitter.com/2NbtSYTGtc— Buggãh•Love (@Makololo_Kabelo) July 11, 2018
When your logo is buffering… #absa #AbsaJourney https://t.co/ZyDY2qYMP9
— AROUND THE FIRE 7-11.08.18 (@Siphokazi_J) July 11, 2018
so @Absa just made us wait for months and weeks for new logo….booom same thing in small caps #absajourney pic.twitter.com/hy7TLhratG
— Mokhwaethe Makwela (@moqyt) July 11, 2018
Think it's a cool new logo, it's fresh and simple and clean and lends itself to modernity. Love the new colours as well. Well done Absa wish you all the success in future ;) #Absajourney
— Greg Z. Fainberg (@infodesigncoza) July 11, 2018
Congratulations to @Absa on the brand change. Welcome back home! #AbsaJourney pic.twitter.com/cNDTqdLEuJ
— Andile Khumalo (@Andile_Khumalo) July 11, 2018
#absajourney this logo looks like something I'd do, with my left hand nogal 😔 wasteeee
— Khalessi🐾 (@Motlatj0) July 11, 2018
Goodbye $JSEBGA hello $JSEABG. #Absa, or rather @AbsaSouthAfrica, opening the market this morning. #AbsaJourney #JSE @JSE_Group pic.twitter.com/kqSFoIl4aU
— Gary Booysen (@GaryBooysen) July 11, 2018
Yassss!
Beautiful colours! Beautiful RED. We welcome this new absa. 😊 #AbsaJourney— Ofentse NakediGreen (@MissNakediGreen) July 11, 2018
New branding and logo changes, I can’t help but have the urge to fill in the gaps #absa #AbsaJourney @AbsaSouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/fUOQJpYffr
— MateteGodly (@GodlyMatete) July 11, 2018
We have a new look and a new purpose. Inspired by Africa and by you. Get the full picture here: https://t.co/mUvS8vYLVr #AbsaJourney pic.twitter.com/lH2B4pGpsX
— Absa South Africa (@AbsaSouthAfrica) July 11, 2018
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Most ridiculous waste of money from ‘management’. And their aggressive ‘expansion plans’ similarly ridiculous. If you hold shares in ABSA, now is the time to (very quickly) get rid of them. They have been losing clients locally because they don’t know how to serve/service South Africans. And now they want to replicate their bad service levels to other countries – the UK nogal??!! Ramos will run this bank also into the ground. ABSA should have tried to change their culture – not their logo. We have started closing our ABSA accounts two months ago – slowly moving over to Nedbank. ABSA’s latest ‘move’ will expedite our efforts (sorry – I should probably now write Absa – as it is now a ‘word’ – not an acronym!). Most obviously display of a lack of client communication is that this morning I logged on to ABSA to do transfers from abroad – only to find a strange looking site/logo! So, thinking that I am on a bogus site, I immediately logged off and went on the mobile site (cell phone – still displaying of course the old logo). SO WONDERFUL is their client service, that they have not even communicated the logo change with their customers before putting it into effect!
And now “transfer” of funds doesn’t work on Internet banking, I was told to use AbsaAfrica website !!!!
Gerald Ogilvie
not much thought went into this one. really
The absa new logo looks like it was created by a 3 years old kid