If logos could speak: 10 logos reimagined to bid farewell to Russia

Over the past month, companies and even sporting organisations have taken action against Russia as a result of its recent invasion of Ukraine, including pulling out its business from the market including McDonald's, Netflix, UNIQLO, and Visa. In lieu of this, Václav Kudělka, art director at Prague-based marketing agency eSuba, created a series of edits on brand logos that have ceased operations in Russia and shared them on his LinkedIn. According to Kudělka, the edits reflect what the brands' "logos would say if it could speak".

Here are some creative edits that caught our eye:

Kudělka told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that he has always loved puns and managed to find a way to link it to graphic design. When Russia began talking about boycotting the Internet, Kudělka explained that the "Internyet" was the first thing that came to his mind. Later on, Netflix suspended its service in Russia, leading Kudělka to change the term "Internyet" to "Nyetflix". This then got him thinking about other companies and the potential puns he could come up with. 

"The reactions I received from the public were mostly positive and I was really shocked. I didn't expect it to be so viral because I really didn't think this series was that good. However, people told me they enjoyed it and it made them laugh. That was very heartwarming to hear," he explained. 

As a result of this, Kudělka received several long-term job offers from some agencies and design studios worldwide. However, he clarified that he is happy with his current job and isn't looking for a change right now. That said, he did receive a few offers to create logos as well as visuals. 

Meanwhile, aside from shutting down its operations in Russia, McDonald's closed 108 of its stores in Ukraine for the time being. Together, these stores account for about 2% of its sales, 9% of its revenue and 3% of its operating income, and is expected to cost the fast-food restaurant US$50 million a month CNBC reported. At the same time, Starbucks paused all Russian business activity and closed its cafes there temporarily. It will also continue to provide salaries to its 2,000 employees during the closure. Meanwhile, Yum! Brands has ceased operations of KFC company-owned restaurants in Russia and is finalising an agreement to suspend all Pizza Hut restaurant operations in Russia, in partnership with its master franchisee. It will also redirect all profits from operations in Russia to humanitarian efforts.

On the retail end, UNIQLO, a brand owned by Fast Retailing, first said that it had no plans to suspend its operations and will continue to operate all 50 stores in Russia, while monitoring the situation. However, it reversed its decision just days after and suspended all operations in Russia. Other retail and luxury brands including Levi's, Inditex, Hermès, Chanel, Cartier, LVMH, and Kering have temporarily suspended operations in Russia. LMVH's Louis Vuitton has pledged to donate US$1.08 million to refugees, adding that it was "deeply touched by the tragic situation unfolding in Ukraine". However, the brand faced a series of negative comments, with netizens telling the brand to close its stores in Russia if it truly cared about the situation and to stop selling in Russia. 

Chanel also cited "increasing concerns" regarding the current situation as well as the "growing uncertainty and the complexity to operate", the Financial Times reported. Meanwhile, Levi said about 4% of its total net revenues in 2021 were derived from Eastern Europe, half of which was related to Russia, Reuters reported. The company also halted new investments in the country.

In addition to brands, agencies have also suspended their operations in Russia. Recently, Publicis Groupe said it is stopping its business and investments in Russia by ceding the ownership of its agencies to local management, effective immediately. The Groupe is handing over control of its Russian operations to Sergey Koptev, founding chairman of Publicis in Russia, with the clear contractual condition of ensuring a future for employees there. The Groupe's decision came shortly after IPG decided to pull out of Russia, following in the footsteps of WPP and Accenture. 

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