The iconic logos of Stabucks, Apple, Target and even NASA have all received a redesign by the queen of TikTok's biggest inside joke, and it's leaving other major brands clamoring to have Emily Zugay update their logos.
Zugay, a 24-year-old with a degree in graphic design, has garnered 1.4 million followers with videos that explain why she changed the logos of some of the world's biggest companies. The videos have amassed tens of millions of views.
Brands are taking notice. In a video posted earlier this month, Zugay showed that TikTok, one of the brands with a logo she altered, had actually changed its profile image to her version. Then some of the other brands whose logos she “updated” followed suit. The Detroit Lions, whom she renamed the “Detriot Lines,” invited Zugay to a game, and even made shirts with her logo. Detroit then made a video of Lions players reacting to shirts with her logo emblazoned on them.
Now Zugay’s comments are filled with dozens of brands asking her to redo their logos, including Adidas, MLB, Fortnite, Trojan, Etsy, and Chips Ahoy.
“It hits the sweet spot of perfect TikTok content,” said Tiffany Rolfe, global chief creative officer at R/GA. “It’s something you didn’t know you needed until you saw it.”
The wave of brand requests speaks to brands' desire is to connect with audiences on TikTok. Even with the manpower and finances of a large marketing team, that isn’t necessarily the secret to success on TikTok. Due to the app’s particular tone and need for authentic content, it can leave brands wondering where they fit in, or how to engage there. Zugay has given them an opening to do just that, because every brand has a logo.
“It goes to highlight the importance of brands needing to be agile and having a pulse on cultural cues to engage and resonate with a broader and younger audience,” said Yi Chen, senior director of strategy for creative and media at SCS, an indie marketing agency.
Albert Thompson, managing director of digital at Walton Isaacson, said it’s amazing that these Fortune 250 companies have leaned into the joke. “It is so uncommon for them to go off-script,” he said. “Allowing her to do it on a whim, and then adopting the logo, is unprecedented.”
Historically, altering a company's logo would be a 12-to-18 month process, with a lot of time, money, and legal effort put into it. Logos are usually highly regulated, with some having style guides outlining specific parameters about size, color scheme, and even how similar other logos can be to them. While brands do change their logos for promotional reasons around Pride, Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, or the holidays, those are also legally approved.
But Zugay has turned that on its head, with brands now wanting to have their logos changed as she sees fit.
“If changing your logo is entry into a fun moment, an inside joke on TikTok, that’s a pretty low barrier,” said Thompson. “It would be very different if she was saying they need to change their French fry seasoning, or where they source their clothes.”
Zugay’s popularity also shows how creators are a way for brands to get around the traditional rules of corporate marketing and let their hair down.
“The smart ones that choose to accept it will find that this is an opportunity to show a more fun side of their brand, a more human side,” said Rolfe.
Even brands in the comments are sending a signal. “Asking publicly to have their logo done, that’s a statement that a brand is ok with taking a risk,” said Thompson. “This is about laws of attraction. Being cool with her re-do is a signal that you like to try new stuff. That resonates with your business partners, agencies, and especially consumers.”
