Are Business Logos Overtaking National Flags?

As the world becomes more interconnected and advanced, the visual representation of someone’s business or personal views is easier to broadcast to the mainstream. One way in which someone can represent themselves is through the use of logos. Business logos may be overtaking national flags in terms of popularity, and there are interesting arguments on both sides as to how the two are both different and similar in terms of what they mean, how they convey their message, and which one is currently “winning” the visibility contest. In this article, we will discuss whether or not business logos can be considered as ubiquitous—if not even more so—as national flags. 

Both have a longstanding history.

The history of both business logos and national flags is long, dating back to when society was much less able to communicate as efficiently as it does today. In order to understand the explosion of business and nationalist interests, you have to understand their history and how their purposes are similar.

The history of the flag dates back thousands of years. The oldest continually-used flag in the world is the flag of Denmark. Known as the “Danish cloth” or the “Dannebrog,” the flag of Denmark has a white Scandinavian cross against a red background. It was adopted in 1625. However, the concept of flags as identification actually can be traced back to field signs that were used in warfare as battle insignia. A bronze flag found in Iran was purported to date back to the third millennium BC, and other heralds include the Sassanid battle flag and the standards of the Sarmatians and Romans. But, when it comes to flags representing nationalism, it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that every sovereign state had their own flag. This coincided with the rise of nationalism in the late 1700s, as countries such as France, Serbia, Poland, Hungary, and others underwent revolutions and overthrew regimes.

The oldest business logo is not as longstanding as the concept of a flag, but it has been around for hundreds of years. Stella Artois, a brewing company, was founded in 1366, and that was when its logo was first used, making it the oldest business logo on record. The brewery was established in Belgium, and, hundreds of years later, it has a parent company net worth of $43 billion. Twinings Tea is another business in the beverage industry with a lengthy history. Their logo was first used in 1866, although the company itself was founded in 1706. The beverage, energy, and clothing industries tend to have companies with the oldest logos, possibly due to the fact that they were economic powerhouses during colonialism and globalization.

So, are business logos overtaking national flags?

With that mini-history lesson in mind, the question of whether or not business logos are overtaking national flags becomes a tricky one. In terms of popularity, businesses have the advantage with designing a custom flag. For example, there are over one billion people on Facebook. One billion people, give or take a few oblivious million, are able to identify the Facebook logo. But, it’s doubtful that many people are able to identify the national flag of Uzbekistan or Fiji. Business logos are more widely recognizable than national flags.

Also, businesses have the advantage on national flags when it comes to numbers. According to the International Finance Corporation, there are 125 million formal micro, small, and medium enterprises around the world, most of which operate in emerging markets. By contrast, there are 195 countries in the world (196, depending on where you stand on Taiwan). When it comes to the numerical advantage, businesses—and their logos—have it.

However, don’t count out the national flags.

Despite business logos being more ubiquitous and popular than national flags, remember that there are 7.125 billion people in the world, all of which belong to a country or identify as a member of a country. So, everyone is able to recognize at least one flag, probably more, assuming they can pick out their neighbor’s flag and identify it. Also, countries are more autonomous; businesses operate within countries, and can be considered a subsect of the national flag, seeing as how (in most cases) they have to register as a business within their country. Additionally, more people are loyal to their national flag than to a business. For example, you’ll hear someone call themselves “an American,” but you won’t hear themselves say “I’m a Stella-Artois-ian,” no matter how old and storied the Stella Artois logo is.

In terms of popularity and ubiquity, a case can be made that business logos are overtaking national flags. However, everyone recognizes at least one national flag and considers themselves a part of a nation. Regardless of which one comes out on top, business logos are becoming more and more important as companies emerge throughout the globe.