Many notable brand refreshments were introduced last year, and the first six weeks of 2021 show up to be progressing in much the same way. Jimmy John’s became the latest to unveil a new visual brand identity, one that also includes a comprehensive toolkit specifically designed for the digital age, after General Motors, Burger King, and Kia all modernized their looks last month.
The new-look includes a simplified and modernized logo, along with custom typography, hand-drawn quirky illustrations, and colours that pop on screens, composed of Jimmy John’s 47 logo variations used since 1983.
The refreshment of the sandwich shop was introduced to the world this week on the largest advertising stage, the Super Bowl, with a commercial featuring fictional meat boss Tony Bolognavich, a self-proclaimed “king of cold cuts.” Jimmy John’s big game launch was the national 30-second spot and marked a radical shift in the brand’s modernization strategy while promoting its first proper limited-time spot.
Jimmy John’s often relies on its “freaky fast” delivery motto and has also emphasized “freaky fresh” ingredients in previous marketing. But, according to Ryan Brazelton, executive creative director at ChangeUp agency, which created the new brand identity of the chain, that narrative was still not fully coming through.
To adapt to digital
The new-look comes in Jimmy John’s second year in the ownership of Inspire Brands, which acquired the sandwich chain for an unspecified amount in October 2019, and named Darin Dugan in March 2020 as a chief marketing officer. Three months after the acquisition of Inspire Brands, the fourth largest restaurant company in the United States, the ChangeUp agency modernized the brand, which has more than 2,800 sandwich shops in the United States.
Although ChangeUp initially did not plan to unveil the refresh at the Super Bowl, the larger stage could help Jimmy John’s keep up with competing delivery stores that have seen significant attention during the pandemic.
Concentrated on fast
Jimmy John’s has been leaning on the idea of selling rapidly for years, with marketing messages promising fast service in stores and rapid delivery to the homes of customers, backing it up with the necessary delivery infrastructure. According to Brazelton, the chain’s concept was ahead of its time in knowing where the fast-service restaurant market would go, and that fast delivery would become so important for success during the pandemic.
Although quality ingredients and care in preparation had always been embedded in the practices of Jimmy John, when it came to messaging to customers, the quality was something that had fallen to the wayside. During the latest refresh, the chain’s Super Seal, an adhesive seal attributed to the wrapping on sandwiches that also provides a visual branding element, was saved from retirement to remind clients of its quality proposal.
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