Rebranding is often a sign of desperation: if all else fails, raid the Pantone colour charts and select a new typeface. NTT DoCoMo, the Japanese mobile telecom operator, would appear to have done just that.

Its new logo (symbolising “energy and dynamism”) will entail a massive rebranding exercise. Some 1,800 shops will require a makeover as well as a small forest of stationery. In return, DoCoMo hopes the new brand will galvanise its ailing business. Operating income is declining and, last month, its market share dropped below 50 per cent for the first time in a decade. For the just-ended fiscal year, DoCoMo expects operating income of $7.8bn, virtually unchanged from the previous year and almost one-third lower than 2004.