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Post by Icctrombone on Sept 13, 2017 6:12:20 GMT -5
I bought these two beauties  And I was wondering if there is any symbol more easily recognized in the world than the "S" shield ? |
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Sept 13, 2017 7:08:22 GMT -5
To me, these are pretty recognizable. Superman is definitely number 1 and I feel like most people, comic fans or not, would pick it out. After that, might be a toss up between the Bat and Spider-Man.   |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2017 7:56:10 GMT -5
Because of the Show - THE FLASH symbol is being considered here; and Captain America Shield as well due to the popularity of the recent Captain America movies and the Avengers as well. Plus, the Wonder Woman Gal Gadot symbol is an fan favorite too.    |
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Post by Nowhere Man on Sept 13, 2017 8:29:19 GMT -5
I've looked at several lists on the subject and the Superman symbol ranks with the Holy Cross, the Coca Cola logo, McDonald's Golden Arches, the Swastika and the Olympic logo in terms of world-wide recognition. It's interesting because even though Batman and Spider-Man have equaled, or even surpassed, Superman in certain ways in terms of character popularity, even their symbols lag far behind in terms of iconic status.
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Post by MDG on Sept 13, 2017 9:24:19 GMT -5
... It's interesting because even though Batman and Spider-Man have equaled, or even surpassed, Superman in certain ways in terms of character popularity, even their symbols lag far behind in terms of iconic status. Probably because the Superman insignia is its own unique thing and, even with modifications over the years, stays that way. The bat and spider are their own things out of context and could just as well be Halloween decorations. And as used as symbols of the characters, have changed more than Supes' shield. (Granted, I don't read any new superhero comics and haven't for years, but if you asked me to draw the Spider-Man symbol, I wouldn't come up with anything remotely like the one above.) |
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 13, 2017 9:38:24 GMT -5
Superman's S shield would definitely rank number one, around the world, due to longevity and universal recognition of the character. Even as far back as the 70s he was considered one of the handful of characters that were known across cultures, globally (others are Tarzan, Sherlock Holmes and Mickey Mouse). Superman was translated into multiple languages, on all continents; plus, the serials, tv shows, cartoons and movies added to that. Batman, in th modern era, would follow closely; but, that would be due more to the concentrated marketing that came with the Burton film and the Batman projects that followed. The 60s Batman series launched a merchandising bonanza; but, it passed quickly, as the novelty of the show wore off and the show lost its spark (ratings slipped over the second season and dropped quite a bit in the third.) He's had a few variations to the logo, while Superman's has been fairly consistent, from the 40s onward. As said above, the bat logo can be misconstrued as a Halloween decoration, while Superman's is pretty much what you see (unless you are John Byrne, in which case it is two fish swimming in the opposite direction).
Marvel was never very good at marketing to a mass audience, through much of their history (in part due to resources). They concentrated on fans and it was a really long time before they got more mainstream attention. The Hulk tv series probably got them the most, in the first half of their history as Marvel; but, it was seen as more for the show itself than the character. They put more effort into it in the 90s and the movies have launched a merchandising bonanza; but, I suspect if you showed the Captain America shield logo to 10 people, at least 4 would not know it was Captain America and would just think it was a patriotic logo or related to the Air Force. Spider-Man would probably be lucky to get even 50%, without the name being attached to the symbol.
With a lot of comic book characters, more people probably recognize an illustration of the character than their symbol, outside of Superman and Batman, since that is probably the best context in which they know them.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,874
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Post by shaxper on Sept 13, 2017 9:44:30 GMT -5
I'd actually argue that the Flash symbol is the least recognizable because it so closely resembles symbols belonging to the original Captain Marvel, Doc Samson. and (I think) several others. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2017 10:16:06 GMT -5
I think if you look specifically at the 18-35 demographic, which is what marketing and advertising folks focus on, it would be the Bat symbol. The Superman symbol doesn't have the cache with the younger generation that it once had, which means its recognizably is on the decline and will continue to do so moving forward. Walk into a random store that is not a comic or pop culture store-a Dollar General, Sam's Club, Target or the like and there is much more merchandise form air fresheners t shower curtains to kids pajamas emblazoned with the Bat symbol than the the Superman symbol. The brand power of the Bat symbol continues to rise, while the power of the S shield brand continues to decline. It's still recognizable, and it still might be #1 when all demographics are considered, but looking at the younger demographic it's trending n the wrong direction, just as Tarzan and Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers were once household names and no longer are, the demographic that recognized them started dying off and the younger demographic was more attuned to other things. The same is happening with the Batman and Superman symbols.
-M
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Post by Icctrombone on Sept 13, 2017 10:38:00 GMT -5
I would argue brhat the S shield is still number one among heroes for the public because when you wear it , it marks you as a superior person.  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2017 11:16:58 GMT -5
I'd actually argue that the Flash symbol is the least recognizable because it so closely resembles symbols belonging to the original Captain Marvel, Doc Samson. and (I think) several others. You got a point there and I've did not account for that. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 13, 2017 12:01:13 GMT -5
I'd actually argue that the Flash symbol is the least recognizable because it so closely resembles symbols belonging to the original Captain Marvel, Doc Samson. and (I think) several others. There's probably less than a dozen people who aren't comic fans who know who Doc Samson is. And if you're less than 40 years old you're not very likely to know who Captain Marvel is. |
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Post by String on Sept 13, 2017 12:16:26 GMT -5
I think if you look specifically at the 18-35 demographic, which is what marketing and advertising folks focus on, it would be the Bat symbol. The Superman symbol doesn't have the cache with the younger generation that it once had, which means its recognizably is on the decline and will continue to do so moving forward. Walk into a random store that is not a comic or pop culture store-a Dollar General, Sam's Club, Target or the like and there is much more merchandise form air fresheners t shower curtains to kids pajamas emblazoned with the Bat symbol than the the Superman symbol. The brand power of the Bat symbol continues to rise, while the power of the S shield brand continues to decline. It's still recognizable, and it still might be #1 when all demographics are considered, but looking at the younger demographic it's trending n the wrong direction, just as Tarzan and Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers were once household names and no longer are, the demographic that recognized them started dying off and the younger demographic was more attuned to other things. The same is happening with the Batman and Superman symbols. -M Well, whenever I'm in Wal-Mart, I see a large amount of clothing merchandise (t-shirts, jackets, hoodies, underwear, etc) that has the Superman and Batman symbols so I think there's still some equal representation of both there. I also think the Marvel movies have been a huge boost in symbol recognition since there's quite a bit of clothing merchandise featuring Cap and Spider-Man. I've always liked Bryne's description of the S-shield, when he first saw the symbol as a kid, he thought it was two oddly shaped fish swimming towards each other (the empty spaces of the S). That's how he continued to draw the shield ever since apparently. |
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,218 
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Post by Confessor on Sept 13, 2017 12:45:06 GMT -5
I think if you look specifically at the 18-35 demographic, which is what marketing and advertising folks focus on, it would be the Bat symbol. The Superman symbol doesn't have the cache with the younger generation that it once had, which means its recognizably is on the decline and will continue to do so moving forward. If this was Wikipedia, I'd say "citation needed", but as it's not, I'll simply say that t-shirts with the Superman symbol on it are very, very popular with young folk nowadays, especially "geek chic" hipsters. I also see a ton of Superman merchandise with his logo on it in department stores, clothing shops, supermarkets, and card shops, etc...way more than I did, say, 20 years ago it seems. The evidence I see with my own eyes on the high street and in bars frequented by the18-35 demographic you mention, says to me that the Superman symbol is doing just fine, in terms of its cache with Millennials. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 13, 2017 13:01:15 GMT -5
Barring some actual polling (real polling, not site polling) anything is going to be conjecture based on anecdotal evidence. And that anecdotal evidence is going to vary significantly from place to place and depending on where the individual happens to shop.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 13, 2017 14:16:35 GMT -5
You also have to separate symbol recognition from popularity of character. Those are two different things. You also have to separate comic book audience from mass audience. Superman may not be popular with comic book fans; but even the bad Superman films drew a bigger audience than the comic books, at their best. You are talking millions of viewers vs thousands of reader. Superman is such a part of the lexicon, from general use of the term ("Must be some kind of superman..."), to endless cultural references in entertainment (pastiches, parodies, name dropping, etc), to mass merchandising going back to the dawn of the 40s.
The Marvel characters are big merchandising now; but, you'll notice that they spend a lot of imagery identifying them as "Marvel." They spend as much time selling their brand as their character. By contrast, Batman and Superman have largely been sold independent of their identification with either DC or WB. People know them as characters, not properties of a publishing company or media conglomerate. Even Wonder Woman, to a lesser extent, is independent of an association with DC. Marvel has always sold "Marvel" better than "Captain America" or "Iron Man." It's one of their strengths; but, it hasn't alwys helped sell the characters to a mass audience, until recent years.
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