AT&T unveils new logo

For its first full day of business, the “new” AT&T unveiled a new logo, as it seeks to establish a new brand with an old name. The new logo is based primarily on AT&T’s familiar globe logo with a small twist, and uses lower case letters for the brand name. It will be featured prominently in what the company is calling the largest advertising and marketing campaign in either company’s history, beginning today.

“The revitalized mark symbolizes these attributes — innovation, integrity, quality, reliability and unsurpassed customer care,” AT&T Chairman and CEO Edward Whitacre said in a prepared statement. “Our customers know that we’re focused on keeping our promises, committed to operating honestly, and dedicated to bringing them new products that make a difference in their lives.”

Whitacre will address employees from the company’s new corporate headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, today.

The lower case “at&t” is intended to represent “a more welcoming and accessible” image, according to the company, while the curved lines of the globe are meant to project a three-dimensional quality and global coverage.

Initially, ads in SBC’s franchise region will feature both the new AT&T logo and SBC’s logo to emphasize the combination.

Industry analyst Jeff Kagan said the key for AT&T is to deliver on its promises.

“Merging with AT&T and taking the name is all good news for SBC and for the industry, but it presents several new challenges including updating the AT&T name and turning it into not only a fierce competitor, but also an updated competitor,” he said in an email post. “The new image the company is presenting is a big part of the changes that need to occur, but so is delivering. I think they have to keep reminding the world that they are both SBC and AT&T for a while until the market gets it. SBC was thriving and AT&T was struggling compared to who they used to be. In the future the company will do well competing as AT&T, but for today its important to keep both images in the mind of the customer and investor.”

Eventually, the brand change will affect nearly 50,000 company vehicles, more than 6000 buildings, more than 30 million monthly bills, as well as millions of business cards, uniforms and hard-hats and company Web sites. Consumers are being directed to www.thenewatt.com, which lands on an SBC site devoted to the merger.

Competitive service providers are hoping some of the old AT&T survives, according to Earl Comstock, president of COMPTEL.

“COMPTEL is hopeful that SBC adopts more than just AT&T’s name but its pre-merger support and advocacy for a robust, competitive communications marketplace and open networks,” he said. “Should the new company choose instead to go down a monopolistic path, history will repeat itself and the U.S. Justice Department will have to once again break up AT&T to ensure consumers continue to benefit from technological innovation and choice.”