Are icons the new language?

I was just recently reading that Starbucks has revised its Mermaid logo and are planning to use it without the Starbucks name or the word "coffee" as the company is seeking to expand its product offering beyond coffee. Nifty idea in some respects, but it got me to thinking:

Is the brand world moving towards a word-less language? Are we regressing to early days of mankind when symbols were the primary means of communication?

Case in point: the Nike swoosh. I cannot even remember the last time I saw the word "Nike". Icons on most car's dashboards no longer have words next to them. The oil can with the drop signifies "oil change" or "low oil", which is fairly obvious, but in that snowstorm a few weeks ago I saw an icon pop up on my dashboard and scrambled to find the car manual before learning it meant "low tire pressure." The icon looked nothing like a flat tire, by the way.

Which makes me wonder this: Do we ever see a time when in the world of healthcare and pharmaceuticals would an icon for a drug or medical device ever become so "iconographic" that the product would stop using it's brand name? It's kind of funny to think about it, isn't it?

So I ask this question: Do we ever see a time in the future where a healthcare brand is so iconographic that it can drop it's brand name and just use its icon? What do you think?

The often missing-link in oncology commercialization strategies

As we are preparing to sponsor CBI's 4th Annual Forum on Oncology Commercialization Strategies in Philadelphia next week (January 20-21), we have been giving consideration to this question: "How can you maximize the success of a new oncology product?" There are as many answers to that question as snowflakes that fell on NYC yesterday.

One thing for certain is this: Identity development can boost the success of oncology products in three important ways. First, let's be clear on what identity development is and isn't. Identity is the powerful amalgam of strategy and design that creates the consistent, cohesive, and relevant experience of a product (or a company, if we're talking corporate identity). Identity is not an advertisement or a marketing initiative. Ads and marketing initiatives are examples of "branding" -- the process of applying a strong brand identity to communications channels of various types.

Identity development: provides the objective and convincing evidence of the value of the new product and the company's ability to commercialize it; embodies an immediately recognizable, distinctive, professional image that positions the new produt for success; and projects the new product's image with laser-like focus across communications channels, increaing the ROI of all marketing and communications efforts.

With identity representing at least 25% of the perceived value of a product, identity development is therefore essential to every successful oncology commercialization plan.

If any of you are in Philly next week and are attending the CBI Forum, do please stop by Guard Dog Brand Development's exhibit so we can discuss the science of brand development together. We'd love to hear your impressions on this topic.