FedEx has announced they are to axe the Kinko’s brand name. Those retail copy shops will now operate under the moniker FedEx Office, but retain the same multi-coloured asterisk logo. (which is apparently known as the “beacon”) The news comes from a BusinessWeek article.

Ever heard of the tombstone test? It’s an exercise that I, and other branding folks, will perform with our clients to determine the true strengths and uniqueness of the brand. It goes like this: “if [your brand] died tomorrow, would anyone miss it?”

So, if Kinko’s died tomorrow, would anyone miss it?

Not really. Noting first the obvious fact that the infrastructure will still exist, I think we in the cubical economy are glad to see the end of Kinko’s. In recent times, the brand has been known not for their conveniences and know-how, but for slacker staff, long turnaround times, and sky-high prices. $2 for a single sheet of colour printing? Cmon.

When FedEx teamed up with Kinko’s in 2004, we were all left a bit baffled. True, giving non-business customers greater access to FedEx is a good move for them, but they were playing ball with a brand that was already on slipping in the mind of the consumer. A jumbled-together name didn’t help our ailing allegiance. Now free of the Kinko’s shackles, FedEx is free to employ their generally-astute design style and air-tight operating techniques to the world of retail copy/print/fax/send.

My buddy Susan G of Brandcurve notes how Kinko’s had become a sort of generic term for any local copy shop (in the same way that Kleenex, Coke, Jeep, etc. are generic terms for those products). Ironic that they built their name using Xerox machines. And come to think of it, FedEx could be a generic term for overnight shipping — it certainly is used that way as a verb.

So in conclusion, adieu Kinko’s. You were kind of a dick, but we’ll miss you.

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