Heaps bad: SA brand causes social media meltdown

South Australia’s new brand is launched with a sound and light show in Elder Park.

A FOLDED milk carton. A Monopoly hotel. Hideously disappointing. Conservative and boring.

It was launched with a slick sound and light show and the triumphant declaration "This is South Australia's new brand!"

But for many on adelaidenow and social media, last night's launch of SA's new brand logo, the response was more like "Is that it???"

The new logo, a bright red map of Australia, with the state of South Australia with doorways at its centre was unveiled by Premier Jay Weatherill at a public event at Elder Park.

The real logo, unveiled at Elder Park last night.

Designed by world-renowned branding expert Ken Cato, Mr Weatherill said the new logo would "communicate our unique identity".

But when the much-anticipated logo was finally revealed just after 9pm, Twitter users were largely unimpressed, slamming the logo as ugly, boring and stuck in the 1980s.

The big reveal also generated one of the biggest reactions to a post on adelaidenow's facebook page - more than 1100 comments.

One of the many parody images circulated on social media following the launch of SA's new brand. This one from Instagram user Declan Cumberdale (@declancumberdale).

The launch also prompted the creation of a Facebook page titled "Crappy new australia logo that cuts out SA. oh wait thats (sic) what?"

The 'About' section of the page read "SA - Excelling at mediocrity", but had only attracted two 'Likes' by 10am.

Meanwhile, SA's bold new logo attracted hundreds of comments on adelaidenow.

South Australia’s new brand unveiled, a Smithfield Plains house fire, and the investigation into illegal supplements in sport. Ten News

"It looks like an upside down Learner's plate" reader Ian Ramsay wrote.

"Heaps bad," fellow adelaidenow reader Susan Cox wrote, referencing "Heaps Good" the unique SA slogan, which also became a T-Shirt and one of the state's most popular marketing brands.

Twitter user Patrick Greene (@paddo2000) called the new logo "a folded farmers union iced coffee tetrapak".

Radio personality Belinda Heggen (@BelindaHeggen) tweeted: "I'm sorry, but I'm not inspired. And I so wanted to be".

Several pundits focused on the logo's doors - meant to signify SA as Australia's gateway.

ABC drive presenter Michael Smyth questioned whether the door might be for leaving by, not entering.

"Last one out, please shut the door?" he tweeted.

Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham tweeted "I love SA & we should have best years ahead. Shame @JayWeatherill made a big deal of #brandingsouthaustralia, bound to disappoint & it does".

But the new brand wasn't totally without support, mustering at least mildly positive comments from a minority of Twitter users.

Jen Hassam (@RhetoricComms), for example, said the new brand "wasn't that bad".

"Love the colours, reminds me of a South Australian sunset! Gotta talk ourselves up".

Zane Dean (@ZaneJD) called it "A little bit S**t but not bad".

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Investor caution causes ASX profit fall

SHARE market operator ASX's first half profit has fallen by 2.5 per cent due to lower investor activity in the first three months of the 2012/13 financial year.

ASX made a net profit of $171.1 million in the six months to December 31, down from $175.6 million in the previous corresponding period.

It said revenue in the first three months of the half was down 8.8 per cent compared to the previous corresponding period, and was up by 2.8 per cent in the second three months.

The average value of market trades in the first seven weeks of the second half of the financial year are down 4.2 per cent on the same period in the previous year, but capital raised is up by 49 per cent, chief executive Elmer Funke Kupper said on Thursday.

"The recent economic and political news from the United States and Europe suggests that there is a greater level of stability, from which economic recovery becomes possible," he said.

"In Australia, market volatility has been low and recent activity levels have been more stable.

"While this does not create an immediate higher growth environment for exchanges, it does support a gradual return of investor confidence."

ASX declared a fully franked interim dividend of 87.9 cents per share, down from 92.8 per cent for the previous corresponding period.

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