Now a reconstituted organ thanks to Apollo Global Management‘s ownership stake, Cox Media Group (CMG) isn’t the same business as it was previously.
As such, the company thought a new logo may be a good way to usher in its new era. But, who could CMG commission to design the art defining its new corporate identity?
That task was left to its employees.
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On Wednesday (4/29), the winning entry in CMG’s internal Design Our Logo Challenge was revealed. Hundreds of entries were submitted by employees, with the field ultimately narrowed to three. “The finalists were thoroughly vetted through a rigorous series of internal and external research studies, before landing on the winner,” Cox Media notes.
The winning logo, the company notes, “is reflective of the Company’s people-centric philosophy.”
How so? While the “C” and “G” are in a deeper shade of the company’s signature blue, the “M” is comprised of what Cox says are “its collective bright hues and formed in an artful manner that plays to the Company’s legacy of competition, collaboration and diversity and inclusion.”
CMG President/CEO Kim Guthrie says the challenge was a great success. “We were amazed at the level of participation from our people,” she said. “While we had hoped to launch our new logo in a bigger, public celebration – we simply could not wait any longer to unveil it and share the news with our winning designer.”
The winning logo was submitted by Cox Media Group in Jacksonville Art Director Kim Colombero, an experienced graphic artist Colombero was contacted by CEO Guthrie in a surprise video call to share the news that her submission was the winning logo.
“I was both thrilled and humbled to learn that my submission had made it to the final three, let alone that it had been chosen as the winning logo,” said Colombero. “I am so proud to work for a company that is so inclusive and actively celebrates employees and their work.”
CMG kicked off the Design Our Logo Challenge to its employees in early January with a small list of brand parameters. What followed were 250 submissions from more than 100 Cox Media employees across the company. The company’s research team then surveyed employees and the three finalists went on to a national research study, with more than 3,000 respondents. Through both of these detailed and objective processes, a clear winner emerged.
PiplsayTechnology, a leader in consumer insights and social monitoring, was tapped to conduct the nationwide testing through a private, pre-screened panel in all CMG markets.
“Leaning on our own CMG team members to drive this process, and then validating it through a rigorous research process, was very important to us,” Guthrie said. “We are building this company together and our people are putting their thumbprint on it in all corners of our business. We now have our new, modern logo to help define our brand for years to come.”
