"Ennion made me."
A Roman Glassblower was the First Mad Man
Imagine Ennion as a fed-up glassblower, sick and tired of the weasel-y glassblower down the strada passing off sub-par work as interchangeable with that of his own seamless craftsmanship. This inscription—on a 1st century glass vase—is said by some to be the work of the world’s first "mad man" (Gizmodo, March 25, 2015). Advertising and branding were born.
For a masterclass in branding and communications, one needn’t traipse to Cannes but could instead hop over to Rome and tromp through some old churches for inspiration and insight. There, in frescos and mosaics, the early branding narratives survive and the lessons learned stand the test of time. Here are a few:
THE TORTURE TEST
Elevating your own performance by comparing it favorably to the most rigorous test scenario
Also, you can attract new users by normalizing behavior of those already converted
The strategy of the early Christians was clear: to shift the “pockets of paganism” with their natural icons like pinecones and evergreen trees over to Christianity, where people would be worshipped instead. The church declared that pinecones were "fake news" and instead began peddling their own versions of reality TV—frescoes of beatific martyrs, in peaceful and calming pastel hues, having limbs chopped off, being fed to the lions, eyeballs popping out of sockets and bubbling happily away in a vat of hot oil or water (Niccolo Circignani, Santa Stefano Al Monte Celio). It’s hard to believe this approach actually worked, but when you’re dealing with barbarians, this populist stuff has been known to do the trick.
LEARNING:
Popularity counts--there is safety in numbers. People do want to follow the crowd. If a brand seems big or popular, especially among the "in" crowd, there are more social risks in not trying the popular item. As proof of this adage, there are rumors that millennials are hot on clear malt-beverage Zima again, stoked by a newfound popularity and likely some measure of its maverick lore. The first time around (1990s), Zima burned white hot with popularity only to flame out once its high trial numbers uncovered an unfortunate brand weakness--it tasted awful. Stay tuned.
The torture test works--to the victor go the spoils. It's the ultimate in aspiration and competitiveness, taking on the best and winning. As Frank Sinatra sang about New York ( "If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere"), by winning the most rigorous of contests, it is assumed that you would handily win every other contest as well. I worked on Tide years ago, and when we showcased Tide performing heroically on blood stains, we raised expectations for Tide performance above that of its peer group. That impression of superiority--and the line "If its gotta be clean, its gotta be Tide"--remains today.
Visuals are immediate--first impressions count. Our limbic brains quickly take in visual information much faster than it can absorb, synthesize and analyze rational information. Visual cues quickly communicate quality, worth, target, and category. And now its possible for brands and businesses to be built on this kind of visual foundation: #FollowMeTo has morphed from a single vacation visual of a wife leading her photographer husband by hand to a full time travel life-style brand, complete with corporate partnerships, book deals and travel-related tie ins.
BE NEWSWORTHY
Cultural references imbue your brand with entertainment value, context, meaning and competitive value
Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” plays out as a Heaven vs. Hell side-by-side, offering a compelling demonstration of both for the masses. On closer inspection, the artist is also providing colorful commentary on current events as well. In the lower right hand of the painting, Michelangelo depicts one of his more vocal critics, Biagio da Cesena, as Minos with large donkey ears, firmly entrenched in hell with large snake biting his genitals for good measure. Rumor has it that when this painting was unveiled, the drapery was pulled up from the lower right corner and with a dramatic pause for effect, revealed Da Cesena’s likeness before unveiling the rest of the painting.
LEARNING:
Context is king: you are known by the company you keep. The non-verbal cues your brand projects say a lot about quality, worth, competitiveness and category. The associations and partnerships the same. While celebrities can help your brand achieve some degree of notoriety, I feel that there is as much risk as reward in playing the celebrity game. Drew Barrymore was paid by Cover Girl to be their "brand ambassador", but when all was said and done, she took the education she received at their expense to start her own cosmetic line. I don't understand why one would give a competitor the means--both in equity and education--to become a fiercer competitor.
Personify your brand. Its hard to line extend and grow your business when you choose to remain tethered to a functional benefit. Richard Branson's Virgin is a great example of a brand with the freedom to expand wherever the need arose because it was rooted in character vs. rooted in function. Apple's communication vs. Microsoft displayed a brilliant use of personification, using the hip Justin Long to personify Apple and portraying John Hodgman as the misfit Microsoft. The execution and how one communicates should be at least as important as what you communicate.
LASTLY, THESE INSIGHTS APPLY TO CANNES-WINNING CREATIVITY AS WELL
"Fearless Girl"
Cannes Creativity, awarded 4 Grand Prix 2017
Be Newsworthy
Personify Your Brand for Great Effect
"Original is Never Finished"
Cannes Creativity, Awarded 1 Grand Prix 2017
Context is King: You Are Known by the Company You Keep
By all means, however, if you are a student of the recent branding trend toward self promotion--designer eyewear, tattoos, trophies for everybody, check out Cannes.