(CNN) — Sears has decided to roll out a new logo, which may look familiar to you. Depending on how often you rent vacation homes, it may look very familiar.
Yeah, that looks just like Airbnb’s logo.
The close similarities between the designs led some people to point out the obvious to Sears in the comments when it revealed its new logo on Facebook and Twitter on May 1.
Asked about the logo, Sears said it was “was created to represent both home and heart, this shape also conveys motion through an infinity loop, reminiscent of one embracing both home and life.”
“The rings, like those of a tree trunk, show longevity. With home and heart at the center, the rings radiate and grow to encompass our broad assortment of products and services,” the company said.
“The big, the little and all of them in between. We’re here for yours, building a home and life you love. Home. Heart,” Sears tweeted.
The new logo follows a slogan the company revealed last month: “Making moments matter.”
Airbnb did not respond to a request for comment. The 11-year old company unveiled its version of the logo in 2014. It generated its own controversy on social media at that time. Some suggested it looked like something not safe for work.
Sears has been trying to create a new image for itself in the wake of the negative publicity surrounding its bankruptcy filing in October, along with the wave of store closings.
The company was once among the nation’s marketing powerhouses, the biggest advertiser in retail as recently as 2003. It’s “Come see the softer side of Sears,” ad slogan, used throughout most of the 1990s, was well known by virtually every American.
But as it started to lose ground to big box retailers such as Walmart and Home Depot, as well as online rivals such as Amazon, it started to cut back on marketing and advertising. Its advertising budget was slashed to a small fraction of what it had once been, making it virtually invisible in the eyes of many shoppers, particularly younger shoppers who were not familiar with its past strength.
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