New Logo Says Wal-Mart's a Nicer Place To Save Money

(MoneyWatch)  Wal-Mart has been rolling out a new store logo meant, the company said, to reflect its commitment to customers as well as the social sensibilities it has adopted.

Of course, it's not a bad time for Wal-Mart to introduce its customers to the broader agenda it has embraced. The economy is pressing more consumers to shop at its stores, and, if it gives them a reason to visit beyond price, the retailer may hold on to a higher proportion of new customers as the economy improves and money becomes a less pressing consideration. The logo change, which first came to light in summer but changed in form since , was made "to better reflect the transformation our stores have been undergoing, inside and out," Linda Blakley, a Wal-Mart spokesperson said. The logo's "warmer, friendlier, cleaner feel" communicates the company's renewed commitment to customer service and reminds consumers that stores "are warm, friendly, fresh, sustainable, and cleaner" than ever before, she said.

Retailers spend big bucks on logos even if it's hard to be sure anyone outside of the marketing profession reacts to logos as acutely as do marketing professionals. Between the company lines, though, logos say something about corporate priorities. Wal-Mart's new logo is a little mellower, with less assertive lettering than the well-known star-in-the middle All-America logo that was first hung on Wal-Mart stores in 1992 and that remains the corporate symbol. Or as Blakley put it, "The softer, rounded lines of the letters communicate the caring approach we've always taken to the communities we serve."

The new logo's gentler colors and a graphic element that seems to emerge like a sunburst but might also suggest the pedals of a flower are certainly warmer. Oh, and one more thing, Wal-Mart's stores now carry the name Walmart, sans hyphen, even if the corporate name retains the punctuation. It might even make sense for Wal-Mart to try and separate the oft-maligned company from the kinder, friendlier stores in preparation for the next round of attacks on the company.

The logo, in its present form, began to appear on new and remodeled stores in September and will eventually welcome customers to Wal-Mart stores chain wide. And even if it wants the logo to tell consumers there's more to the operation than price, price remains the basis of the Wal-Mart proposition. "The logo will begin to appear when and where we can make the change without incurring large, additional costs," Blakley said. "After all, we always need to keep in mind what we're here for: saving people money so they can live better."

Perhaps inevitably, Wal-Mart's cost-centric slogan -- Save Money. Live Better. -- is incorporated in the logo.