Who says branding isn’t valuable? Yesterday, Ford reacquired its logo. Back in 2006, when other automakers in financial distress accepted government bailouts, Ford Motor Company pledged its assets as collateral – including its historic Ford blue oval logo – in a loan agreement with banks. The New York Times says:
Ford put up its logo, headquarters, factories and other assets to qualify for $23.5 billion in loans that helped it survive the recession without needing a government bailout like General Motors and Chrysler.
Read the Ford news release.
Bloomberg BusinessWeek offers a brief history of the logo:
The carmaker’s emblem first appeared in 1927 on the nose of Henry Ford’s new Model A. The cursive script inside it dates to at least 1906, when it appeared on the radiator of the Model N and later on the more famous Model T, according to automotive historian John Wolkonowicz. It was trademarked in 1909, the company says.
The script logo is not, as often thought, based on the founder’s signature. Rather, it was created by Childe Harold Wills, a draftsman for Henry Ford. “The font was similar enough to Henry’s own signature that it looked as if he was signing every car,” says Bob Casey, senior curator of transportation at the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Mich. “But that was more happy coincidence than by design.”
So what’s a logo worth as a guarantee for a multi-billion dollar loan? Ford hasn't placed a value on the trustmark. But Interbrand (@Interbrand), which tracks brand values, says the Ford brand is worth $7.5 billion, and it ranked Ford 50th out of its top 100 brands in a recent survey.
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