By Patrick Avenell
Consumer electronics retailer Dick Smith has dumped its ‘Talk To The Techxperts’ slogan and branding and replaced it with ‘Clever Dick’, Current.com.au can today reveal.
Although this change has occurred, neither the old nor new slogan is currently being displayed on the company’s website.
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While owned by Woolworths, Dick Smith abandoned its association with the person Dick Smith, removing his visage from its logos and moving towards a more modern, technology based platform to appeal to the youth market. At the time, design expert Derek Carroll from branding agency Truly Deeply questioned that move.
“The new brand is slick and fashionable if a bit dull. It uses the speech bubble consistently to frame every communication, in what seems to be a forced solution,” said Carroll. “And while the tag line ‘Talk to the Techxperts’ has a natty link into the speech bubble brand device and a painfully trendy use of text language, it leaves me cold. They have replaced the friendly geek with cyborg Techxperts.”
The current owners of Dick Smith, Anchorage Capital Partners, have chosen to retain an implied focus on intelligence with ‘Clever Dick’; obeying Polonius’ advice that brevity is the soul of wit while ignoring Falstaff’s warning that the better part of valour is discretion.
UPDATE:
Dick Smith's media representatives have provided the following clarification to this story:
"The Clever Dick service launched over a year ago in early 2012. The Clever Dick service was developed in response to growing feedback from customers who wanted simple and immediate advice on product services and support as well as professional help with setup and installation.
"As a business we are committed to providing expert advice and a high level of service for our customers. The service has been well received."
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Meanwhile, journalist and contributor to Current.com.au Tim Lince has revealed that Dick Smith has lodged two trademark applications for variations on its logo.
“The two trade mark applications – TM numbers 1554348 and 1554352 – are for ‘Dick Smith’ logos, with ‘dicksmith.com.au’ text underneath,” reported Lince on his excellent new ™Watch website. “They were both lodged on 30 April 2013 by a Dick Smith legal representative, Macpherson & Kelley Lawyers.”