• by Les Luchter , Yesterday

Image above: America’s Best old (l.) and new (r.) branding.

The rebranding effort of value-focused eye care retailer America’s Best includes a new logo that removes a stylized U.S. flag from its name in favor of “a fashionable reinterpretation of American stripes and colors.” It also replaces the brand’s realistic-looking owl mascot with “a playful homage.”

Unlike the brouhaha that greeted Cracker Barrel’s changed logo, there’s been no controversy since America’s Best announced its move on Aug. 19.

“We are confident customers will be excited about our new look,” Joe VanDette, chief brand and marketing officer for America’s Best parent National Vision, tells Marketing Daily, calling the change “reassuring, modern and joyful.”

The new design includes an “AB” acronym that VanDette calls “clean, modern” and -- befitting a vision brand -- “easy on the eyes.”

America’s Best had been around for 47 years with basically the same brand identity, he notes, although the owl was just added 10 years ago. 

VML, named National Vision’s creative agency of record just five months ago, is responsible for the new logo, brand identity, tagline -- “Every Eye Deserves Better” -- and a marketing campaign that VanDette calls “the most comprehensive” in the brand’s history, “with a scale and integration that goes beyond prior campaigns.”

The campaign, highlighted by ads on cable and streaming platforms like Disney, Tubi, YouTube and Google, features a commercial showing an array of Americans experiencing life through their eyeglasses -- and then going to an America’s Best store.  “These eyes are important to me, because they’re the only ones I’ve got, and they deserve better,” says the audio. “That's why I take them here, a place that's all about better care that doesn't break the bank.”

Complementing the commercial, the brand’s social media channels and website also feature videos and photos “that capture the human, joyful and authentic everyday moments where clear vision truly shines,” America’s Best says.  Designed to appeal to both existing and new customers, “the goal is to strengthen the brand’s position as the value leader in optical and drive deeper emotional connection with consumers,” explains VanDette.

Spark is the media agency for the campaign, with Rise also on board for performance marketing.

While America’s Best has over 1,000 stores in just 31 states (and Washington, D.C.), the campaign is running nationally.

In addition to its work for America’s Best, VML handled a nearly concurrent overhaul of parent National Vision’s own brand identity. “Two rebrands launching within two weeks of one another is no small feat,” enthused VanDette.