[Foundation-l] Hypothetical project rebranding Wikimedia

[Keegan Peterzell]

On Sat, Sep 10, 2011 at 12:29 AM, Keegan Peterzell <keegan.wiki at gmail.com>wrote:

>
>
> On Thu, Sep 8, 2011 at 3:43 PM, John Vandenberg <jayvdb at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On Fri, Sep 9, 2011 at 6:39 AM, FT2 <ft2.wiki at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > A more plausible option is to make WMF more conspicuous. Right now it's
>> > almost unknown that WP is part of a wider project.
>> >
>> > "<Wikipedia | Wikiquote | Wikispecies | ... >
>> > An educational website of the Wikimedia Foundation"
>>
>> That is almost exactly what Fajro suggested in December 2010, with
>> pretty mockups, and mentioned again in this thread.
>>
>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/fajro/5249381685
>>
>> Fajro, I like it.
>>
>> --
>> John Vandenberg
>>
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>
> I agree.
>
> The thing that can be done by something as simple as this is tie the
> Wikimedia brand to the Wikipedia product.  I'm not comfortable with them
> describing Wikipedia as a brand, since a brand is an envelope. The evolution
> of the brand hasn't developed, though I suppose that's the point of this,
> isn't it?  But I'm not sure how we can develop Wikipedia as a brand, since
> sister projects are separate.  Let's take... Nestlé® Toll House
> Cookies®[1] as an example in branding by evolution.  Toll house cookies were
> a synonymous name with a certain cookie produced in out location.
>  Popularity pushed the product to be purchased eventually by Nestlé, who
> then began marketing the cookies.  Still a product.  However, they began
> selling just the chocolate chips.  At this point, a brand is created. The
> brand expands with labeling additional products with Toll House and the name
> is now a symbol for the original product, the cookie.  People trust the
> brand because they know the products.
>
> Wikipedia doesn't have this.  The sister projects are not minor projects of
> Wikipedia, they are all part of Wikimedia with equal potential for stature.
>  Wikimedia is the brand, Wikimedia is the "Brought to you by..." as
> mentioned.  But the brand is woefully established, if it's established at
> all.  Something well worth pondering, and if staffing permits, the WMF
> should look into researching.  As often mentioned from our non-English
> Wikipedians, they get the perception from the greater community, the
> Foundation, and the Board that their projects are perceived as less worth
> because they don't generate the donations and/or press.  Introducing a way
> to make Wikimedia not at the side and bottom of the pages helps, I think.
> I'm certain that well paid advertising executives probably shouldn't waste
> so much time on an interactive logo to attract new users since we attract
> new web traffic every day no matter the logo.  Plus the Wikipedia logo is
> well established.  If it ain't broke...
>
> --
> ~Keegan
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Keegan
>
>
>  [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toll_House_cookies


-- 
~Keegan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Keegan