Reporter Matt Vella from BusinessWeek and I recently exchanged emails about the complex branding implications posed by the Delta/Northwest merger. Some of our exchange found its way into Matt’s article on the merger, but I thought it was worth sharing the rest of it here. —RG

Matt: What, if any, opportunities does the merger of two tarnished brands present for “starting over”?

Rob: I’ve recently flown Delta and was really underwhelmed. But, when Delta’s low-cost airline Song was around, I flew Song and had a wonderful experience. I think this speaks to the power of what a little updated branding can do. The employees were behind that brand. They were proud of it. Yes, Delta folded it, but that had more to do with Delta’s going into bankruptcy than with Song’s failure as a brand. After Song was folded, Delta’s CEO at the time, Gerald Grinstein, noted that having an airline-within-an-airline was a difficult prospect within the industry. But everything Song was as a brand was what Delta needed to learn from and import. I don’t think that was done.

Nevertheless, brand-wise the situation is far from dire for either airline. Air travel is a difficult experience to brand because, especially recently, it has become such a uncomfortable and taxing experience. But Delta and Northwest have been around for a long time and customers know the names of these companies. So while it may not be the best time in the lives of either company, there is still a lot of brand equity and recognition there.

I’m not sure what the intentions of Delta and Northwest are, if they’re planning on keeping both names or merging into one. If Delta’s experience with Song is any indication, it sounds as if they may try to get the whole company under one tent. I think that’s probably the best way to go. NorthwestDelta sounds like a bank, not like an airline. You can get away with JPMorganChase, MCIWorldCom, or even FedEx Kinkos, but I don’t think “getting away with it” is exactly the way a visionary brand should be thinking.

The simple way to explain it is like this. You’re looking at a menu. You can get a cheeseburger, you can get a pizza, or you can get a cheeseburger pizza. Which one would you prefer? To me, it looks like two good, identifiable options and one so-so, unidentifiable option.

Beyond naming, the merger presents an opportunity to review the graphic assets of both airlines. Prior to its current logo, Northwest had one of the greatest logos in recent memory, at least in my humble opinion. A hybrid N/W where the upper-left triangle of the W pointed northwest on a compass rose. Absolute poetry in form. NWA’s new logo, all lowercase and friendly, robs all of the elegance from the older logo. If I were Northwest, I’d go back and look at that old logo again. There’s even a triangle (or delta) right on it.

What are the major re-design points the new company should look to first?

One of the first things I’d suggest would be to do a brand audit. When Sprint and Nextel merged, they looked at their shared branding and wisely took a little from column A, a little from column B, and add a dash of new energy to boot. So they kept Sprint’s name, but also kept Nextel’s colors, and added a new mark that was like a pin dropping, a bird’s wing, and full reception bars all rolled into one.

The other suggestion I’d make is to look outside the airline industry for inspiration. Again, with Song, part of the strength of that brand came with bringing on Kate Spade as a partner. She understood how to create a sense of hospitality, welcoming, but also glamour. Flying used to be glamorous and cool. Now it feels stale and dehumanizing. The airline industry could learn a lot from the fashion business. I think JetBlue has looked at fashion, food, product design, and more and that kind of inter-industry openness has benefitted them immensely.

A giant newsmaking merger like this, is there almost more value in the opportunity to change the company’s course than the more mundane specifics of routes etc?

Absolutely. The spotlight is on these two companies and people are waiting to see what they’ll do. They need to get together and decide they want to do something with vision, something exciting.

Here are some suggestions. Give us free WiFi, so if we’re going to be stuck an extra hour, at least we can get some work done. Give us some plugs and charging stations, so we can keep our gizmos running. Better still, make those charging stations solar-powered and offset all those carbon emissions you’re creating by flying more flights everywhere. Partner with some organic textile providers to redo your seats in organic cotton and bamboo in bright, undingy colors. And think global but act local: try to energize the communities, farmers, manufacturers, civic leaders, and artists in your major hubs.

When you think about it, airlines are pretty amazing, visionary businesses. It’s time they realized that!