Brando/branding -- branding/Brando. Without Brando branding this movie, it may have flopped.
About 35 years ago I spent 4 months developing a logo. It was very important in those prehistoric times... That was the big thing in those days. And a business card. Before the internet, email, texting, social media. Stationery also a big deal.
My office was next to an advertising agency. I used to walk in and see what was going on. One graphic artist was gifted. He had developed original logo art for at least 30 companies in Austin.
(For those with little patience, see last few paragraphs below for the takeaway)
Fast forward to this morning....
I frequent a French sweet shop every other day here in Winter Park. And as I looked around I realized I had been snookered.
And this quote came to mind from Apocalypse Now: "And then I realized, like I was shot — like I was shot with a diamond...a diamond bullet right through my forehead. And I thought: My God, the genius of that. The genius!"
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About two months ago I sat down with a friend and he ordered a coffee. It came out in a cup thusly:
Interesting design I thought. What is this? Well, I noticed the red and white coloration first. Then there was an inscription on the inside lip on both sides! One side read ‘Julius Meinl’, the other side “Wien 1862”. The side of the cup was an outline of someone wearing a hat of some sort. Ingenious, and cute too. I quickly put things together and quizzed my friend:
“Do you know how this came about? What is this cup commemorating?”
Sometime in the late 1600s, I think (I am not Googling this) the Ottoman Turks invaded again the Austro-Hungarian empire. They were stopped in the area around Vienna. The captors were in camps and the Austrian guards went out and about and smelled something very nice one night. One of the imprisoned cooks was brewing something unknown to the guards. He explained it was made from nuts grown in the Black Sea area. They would roast them and then boil them in water.
Well, the rest is history. If you’ve ever been to Vienna they are known as the first Europeans to make coffee drinking a big deal. There were countless coffee shops making specialty blends for years and are still known for these great coffees.
So….
Julius Meinl started his coffee business in 1862 in Wien (Vienna). The white outline on the side is a little boy with a fez. How about the red and white coloration? Here is Turkey’s flag today:
Whoever came up with all this was a genius. Pure genius: the historical tie-in, the subtle name and date/location imprinted on the INSIDE of the cup!, the coloration, EVERYTHING.
And so, like a crystal bullet it was so very clear to me now... (branding had been on my mind of late --as I don’t do anything anymore except stay glued to AR…)!!
I looked around again and noticed that this shop had been overtaken with Meinl branding. The cups had the little boy with fez, the coffee dispensers too, as well as the coffee bags, the brewing machine, and there were at least two big signs with the fez boy and the Meinl name. Red, red everywhere. The color reminded you of the brand, which made you think of the coffee. Amazing!
Now, THIS is how you brand something! (I think their branding is better than Starbucks btw). This French pastry shop had been completely branded by a coffee company! Now THIS was psychological warfare!!!
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TAKEAWAY:
So, losing my logo way back when (not thinking it was that important in the scheme of things) and not having graphics branding on any of my marketing materials --- I am now committed to developing a unique logo that will be on every page of my web, on my return email, on my cards and stationery, signage, etc.
I am revamping my entire program/web/image per great suggestions made here on AR.
I will even try to push a niche…!!
And I suggest Y'all do the same.
Oh, I don’t buy coffee at all to brew at home. But the Meinl brand is imprinted on my brain. And for you readers -- you ought to try this coffee. I like the hazelnut mix…
Epilogue:
After I let this sit for a few hours I started wondering how on earth we can be like this coffee vendor (apart from the graphic branding). How do you get your name in multiple offices or places where the public can see you.
I have a real estate friend who put his sign on every bus stop bench in his market area. I heard it worked very well for him.
Associating with similar but not the same businesses is probably a good idea. Sharing marketing materials with those who are not direct competitors can work.
More ideas anyone??
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