An Exciting New Brand

Last year I got a letter from Queensland Motorways, announcing their “Exciting New Brand” (I kid you not). They’d renamed “E-Toll” in to “GO Via”. So this “brand” is about toll roads/bridges. Not really a product/service that you or I are likely to get more excited about.

I actually found the term E-Toll fairly good and descriptive: people know what toll is, and the E indicates it going electronic (mail -> Email). It’s clear.

GO Via on the other hand is some marketing or brand expert trying to be too smart and funny. I do get the word pun: Via = Road in Latin. Haha? I do love word puns, but use when appropriate! This one makes the brand non-descriptive of what it does (for most people), ditches the recognition of the old brand, and probably cost quite a bit of money to develop. For what purpose, and has it reached that objective? Was it likely to? Seems like a complete fail to me.