With the most sincere and greatest of respect to Red 1, he should stick to being one of the trickest pilots we've got. Instead of presenting us with this abomination that looks like it was rustled up in a local primary school competition, we should spend time sponging some free advice from the best brand consultants we've got, to go with one of the UKs best brands.
For a moment, forget the virtues of continuity and tradition and precedent, and all that guff. For so many commercial and marketing reasons, that new scheme is appalling. Why on earth has an established brand seen fit to start amplifying on what it is, let alone what it stands for, after 40 years of exposure? Why on earth should a Red Arrow feel the need to display his levels of pride too? If the public doesn't know by now then this ISN'T the way to go about telling those who need educating. Once you have to tell people who you are, or that you're 'proud to represent the Royal Air Force' of all things, you've lost.
With the greatest of respect too, saying stuff like.. 'we are a visible way of reminding people of our colleagues’ hard work and professionalism in the line of duty', all we will do, is remind people that we have people doing aerobatics and going home to nice warm houses, when we have people facing danger and going home to a crappy cold tent. Thats being generous in fact. Because your bog standard bloke in the street won't make the connection anyway, and if he does, you'll have had to tell him about it, which again, creates new hierarchal issues with brand values and.. oh god, this is just too awful.
The best motoring brands, such as Bentley, Audi etc, make do without telling the world who they are. They don't need to, because they are known as the best, and thats good enough for them. They rise above the like of Skoda and Ford. They simply rely on a 'brand' perception, a logo, an image.. a set of values. Call me stupid, but isn't the roundel good enough for these people any more? Just try changing it in 5 years time too, and see what happens when you want to undo the harm you've done.
Dreadful dreadful dreadful. Now we're treating a Hawk like a RAF key ring.