The Perfect Ad and Several Other Event Promotions @ Wussow's

 This flier stopped me in my tracks. 
I'll tell you why.

As nearly anyone knows who stops in at Wussow's Concert Cafe on Central Avenue in Spirit Valley (West Duluth), it's a happening place. It's more than a java joint or a music venue. It's become established as a respected watering hole and hangout because the activities Jason and Tina have going on intersect with such a wide swath of our community. 

Naturally music is central to most of our lives, as is the simple act of socializing over a mug of coffee or a bite to eat, or agonizing over which menu item to select. (At Wussow's it's always good.)

As you enter the front door there's a corridor that leads to the cafe itself. On the left the management has provided ample space for locals to place posters, announcements and such for other to see. (Duluth Dylan Fest is just around the corner, and a couple of our events will be here!) On the right hand wall (as you enter) Wussow's has its own various posters and invitations to upcoming events.

When I saw the chess leaflet above, I immediately thought it was brilliant. Yes, in part because I was part of the chess club when I was in high school. But more because I have spent my career in advertising and this advertisement pushes all the the right buttons.

First of all, it is targeted to the audience it wants to reach. If you're not a chess player you will walk right past. You do not care. Who but a chess player would try to figure out what the best move for this specific moment in time in a chess game? So, it speaks very directly to the singular audience they are trying to reach: chess players.

Second, it succinctly communicates the purpose for which it has been placed on this wall. "We're chess players. Join us!" And it tells when and where they meet. 

A lot of advertising is about branding. When I look at this ad I see nothing about branding. It's very direct. I have no idea who these people are, but if I am a chess player, I do know that I may have found my tribe.

It closes with contact info so that if you have additional questions and can't participate at the times indicated, you aren't left out in the cold. 

Here are some additional posters on that right hand bulletin board, highlighting upcoming and regular events at Wussow's. You'll note that these posters do indeed have branding. The logo is the key. Logos are symbols we associate with what the brand stands for. When you see a Wussow's logo you know it's all good.

Russ is fun. 

The date is passed on this one, but if you've never seen Jason and Veiko
you're missing something. 

Thanks, Jason and Tina,
for all you do for our community.

The Chess Players, by Thomas Eakins

P.S. Can you find the Ed Newman painting at Wussow's? 
It's one of our former mayors who had a part in helping 

the city honor its native son, Bob Dylan.

The Rolling Stones Logo: A Masterful Example of the Concept of Branding

I'm not sure precisely where the concept of branding originated, but I do know that all of us who grew up on TV Westerns or Hollywood's wild west films will remember at least more than one incident where brands played a role. Cattle were branded for identification purposes so they could graze freely out on the open range and still remain known as yours, or Smitty's or Boss Hargrove's. Cattle ranchers used a branding iron to place their distinctive marks on their cattle. The mark was a deterrent to prevent rustlers from stealing their property.

The earliest accounts of branding livestock go back as far as the Egyptians. During a Cairo excavation Professor Edmund Archer uncovered photos of branding taking place in front of a pyramid, 6,000 B.C. Didn't know that the Egyptians invented the camera? (Here's a more accurate history of branding from the National Cowboy Museum. And yes, it mentions Egyptians.)

Just as cattle ranchers used imaginative and distinctive symbols to make their marks unique, so today we see that companies use branding to differentiate themselves from other companies. The best brands use a "mark" that not only differentiates them, but also tells who they are. When you see the logo, you see the essence of the company.

Often, colors help reinforce the brand. Companies with a strong "made in the USA" pedigree frequently have red, white & blue logos.

Back cover of the album Sticky Fingers.

While in Vegas this past week for the SEMA Show (Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association) we had gone to dinner one evening to a casino on the Strip filled with the usual glitz and glam of that city where everything is spectacle. Out of the corner of my eye I caught that famous Rolling Stones logo, a lascivious badge from the era of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll.

During the evening I twice commented that Andy Warhol created that memorable image, and in both instances the person I said this to replied, "Oh, I didn't know that." Turns out that I was wrong. Andy Warhol designed the album cover for Sticky Fingers, the Stones' 11th album, and the first to feature this salacious in-your-face symbol. (Read the full story of that album cover design here.)

The creator of those famous lips was a Brit named Jon Pasche. Mick Jagger and company were seeking a new logo to replace the bland offerings of Decca Records. (No doubt the corporation had assembled a committee to come up with something for the Mickster, but as we know well, there are no statues in the park for great committees.) Jagger chose an alternate route to acquire something that would truly reflect the image of the Stones as a brand. Love it or hate it, it's memorable and a powerful example of strong brand recognition. (Here's another account of the story, with additional details.)

* * * *
There's a sense in which logos are the International language of our times. Effective logos communicate across language frontiers. They say something when our words are just gibberish.

For more on logos and branding, read this entertaining article about the backstory on twenty famous car logos. I'll bet you didn't know that the seven stars on the Subaru was based on the "seven sisters" of the Pleiades. (Warhol didn't do that one either.)

I've done a few logos myself over the course of my career. And I've had the privilege of working with a few great designers along the way. If you're a business in need of help with a strong logo design, I'd be happy to introduce you to a couple talented people who can satisfy your need, without excessive expense. Contact ennyman3 (at) gmail.com.

Battle of the Brands

"Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid." ~Hedy Lamarr

About a month ago I read that Barbie turned fifty this year. In my opinion, she still looks pretty good for her age. A little nip and tuck along the chin line and some exercise to keep the muscle tone hasn't hurt any. She never seems to put on an ounce of weight, unlike a lot of other dolls, so apparently fame never led her to change her values, or or diet.

Back in the early Sixties my mom used to sew Barbie clothes for my cousins as well as other girls in the 'hood. For the purpose of fitting the clothes she sewed she had a couple Barbies we dressed for success, for the beach or for the ball at my mother's whim. Because it seemed unseemly to her, she eventually bought a Ken doll to keep her boys from playing with Barbie.

Barbie eventually became the unrivalled brand champion in the international toy category.

One of the hallmarks of capitalism is the manner in which companies battle for marketshare and top-of-mind awareness in consumers. In marketing, companies seek not only to define their brand, its name and assets, but also to place it in the center of the consumer's mind.

Branding is a way in which a company differentiates itself from the competition. You can see this in the variety of flavors in which rock and roll came to America in what is known as "the British Invasion." The Animals, Beau Brummels, Beatles, Dave Clark Five, Rolling Stones, The Who, Cream, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix were groups which crossed the seas to win the hearts of young Americans, with varying degrees of success. (Hendrix himself was from Portland, but his group originated across the big pond.)

Over time, with the onslaught of fame and the music scene tabloids, the individuals within these groups became brands in and of themselves, again with varying degrees of success. Each of the Beatles went this route, Eric Burdon of the Animals, Jimi Hendrix, Clapton. If you said Jagger, everyone would know what you meant. He was clearly defined -- the androgynous guy with big lips and hip walk -- and even became a caricature of himself. Keith Richards represented everything you didn't want your daughter to associate with. The Beatles played up their innocence and charm, though eventually their various personas emerged.

Brand images are not always a positive. The Standard Oil Company spent a great deal of money trying to come up with a unique company name that had no liabilities in any language. They came up with the word Exxon. Unfortunately for Exxon, the image that pops immediately to mind when much of the environmentally conscious public hears the word is Exxon Valdez. The 1989 oil spill off Alaska's Prince William Sound continues to rankle.

The top five global brands of 2008 were Coca-Cola, IBM, Microsoft, General Electric and Nokia, in that order. Number six on the list was Toyota, the highest ranked automobile company. In 2001, Ford was the world's top automotive brand, listed eighth, one slot behind Disney. But today, slotted at 49, Ford exemplifies the U.S. auto industry which has slipped badly.

When we say beer, Anheuser-Busch wants you to think of Budweiser, the King of beers. Ranked #33 in the 2008 list of Best Global Brands, Budweiser is now being challenged by a Chinese beer of all things.

Actually, Budweiser's number one seller is Bud Lite, which proves the company made a good move back in the Seventies when they saw the lite beer trend coming and fought hard to establish their cred in that arena. But SABMiller claims it sells more of its branded product Snow and has now become the world's best selling beer.

Well, back to Barbie, who in 2001 was ranked 84 in the list of Best Global Brands. Times have changed. In the current top one hundred, Barbie failed to make the cut. That's why she's recently been spotted in several Manhattan taverns crying in her beer. And rumor has it she's also been cited for drunk driving on Long Island. Twice. Fortunately, by keeping it out of the tabloids it hasn't done too much damage to her brand image... unlike some other ditzy blondes in the news, for better or worse, though in that celebrity culture, sometimes even bad news is good, as long as they're still talking about you.

PHOTO: While in Sedona we noticed that MacDonald's, home of the Golden Arches and the world's eighth-ranked global brand, was sporting Green arches, a very chic, New Age attire.