Brand Identity and Corporate Logos

Home to 4000 species of exotic animals and 100 acres of lush wildlife, the San Diego Zoo is one of the largest and most famous zoos in the country. I can attest to the vastness first hand because I was lucky enough to visit the Zoo this past weekend. While there, I pet a camel, heard about numerous conservation efforts, learned that koalas are marsupials (not bears) and was able to snap this photo of the San Diego Zoo’s promotional products.

I also started thinking about how much animals influence the realm of business. Over the years, well-known companies in a variety of industries have used animals as a logo to symbolize their strong brands.

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WNYC’s Radiolab — a fantastic podcast — had a fascinating short this week called “Do I Know You?” about people with a delusional disorder called Capgras.

A woman suffering from Capgras comes home to find a man sitting in her living room, wearing her husband’s clothes and containing all his physical features, but who, to her, simply is not her husband. In actuality, he is. But she can’t shake the feeling he’s an impostor.

Click to find out about how our brains manage recognition, and how promotional products enter in…

On my way to work each morning I drive by one intersection that always has someone dressed as a reindeer, dancing, waving, and holding a sign that reads “Caribou Coffee.” I have never stopped at that Caribou Coffee on my way to work, nor do I plan to, as I make coffee at home in the morning and have my first cup of the day on the road, and then my second (or third…) using the coffee maker at the office.  However the cheerful, dancing deer often leaves me with a feeling of pleasantry as I continue on my morning commute.

That is until I reach another intersection probably about a mile down the road (maybe 2? I am terrible with estimating distances). It is at this intersection that I am confronted with two (sometimes even three) people dressed in the most terrifying costumes resembling the Statue of Liberty(see scary mask below) that one could ever imagine holding signs that say “Income Tax” in bold letters with a telephone number below. They rotate their body position to direct their signs toward different directions of oncoming traffic, but cheerful they are not. No dancing, and I have only witnessed a wave once maybe twice. I suppose it may be fitting as income tax is not generally considered to be a “cheerful” subject matter, and certainly is less of a joyous matter than say, coffee at 8:45 am. And the costume, though frightening, is also fitting, as they are advertising for Liberty Tax Service whose logo includes a portion of the Statue of Liberty’s head (though the signs do not even denote the company’s name – I figured it out through a little online research).

Some further research led me to find that there are more than 2,500 Liberty Tax offices in the United States where more than 10,000 people are seasonally employed to wave at passing cars. This must be a reactionary effort created by the current administration’s job stimulus plan, was my first thought. My second – does this form of advertising really work? According to Paul Mason, professor and chair of the Department of Economics & Geography at the University of North Florida, it can:

“At first I thought that it was stupid, like people standing on the street waving for their political candidate,” he said.

So like any good skeptic, Mason began investigating to see if the sign holders made any difference in helping a business grow and thrive.

“I have asked business owners, restaurant people, etc., about how effective the sign holders are,” he said. “I discovered that particularly for stores that don’t have strong street presence or are just opening, it seems effective at letting people know that the place is there. It helps people try new stores by announcing their presence.”

By Joseph Baneth Allen

Publication: Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville)

I have not done any of the cost analysis (nor could I find any done by anyone else online) but I just cannot imagine that this form of advertising to the local community could be more cost-effective than say, doing a promotional products mailing to residents of the area. If you do choose to employ “Costumed Sign Wavers” however, please make them cheerful, and do not have them wear scary masks. Thanks.

What do golden arches, a partially eaten apple and Mickey Mouse have in common? This question might sound like the start of a bad joke, but the answer is no laughing matter. These items all represent strong brand identities, which belong to McDonald’s, Mac, and Disney respectively (not that I had to tell you that.) Moreover, these symbols prove that a company name, logo and even a mascot send a message about the quality and consistency of the brand’s products or services.

As Jaime and Kim mentioned in their blogs earlier this week, it’s important to set yourself apart from the competition. The methods you use to attract consumers- offering free shipping, next day delivery or even just a catchy name and Web site design- all fall under the larger umbrella of branding. Business might be booming, but if no one can remember your name, customers will soon be drawn to competitors who offer similar products. Whether you are just starting up or trying to re-brand an established business, there are a few questions you can ask yourself to determine if you are on the right track.

To start with, who is your target audience? Go beyond just demographics and consider what types of products these people buy and how frequently they make purchases. Your research should certainly incorporate statistical analysis, but never underestimate the power of speaking directly with your customers. Listening to consumers’ needs and understanding their backgrounds will help you determine the most effective way to reach them; proven strategies often include interactive Web sites, social media, and promotional products. At the end of the day, your brand should be able to tell a story– if it doesn’t, you might need to step back and take a revitalizing approach. Does your brand need an extreme makeover? Use promotional products to re-brand.

Recently I visited my friend Brian, who was looking for bikes on Craigslist. Now, Brian already has two bikes — a fixed gear and a tandem — but he wants more. Brian’s not the kind of guy to be satisfied with a practical fulfillment of his needs; he obsesses over things. When he adopted a cat a few years ago he wasn’t satisfied with that, either. He let the cat have four kittens in his house, then he adopted a ferret and brought his childhood pet snake from his parents’ house. The animals all live in harmony with his roommate’s hedgehog. Brian is neither greedy nor rich. He doesn’t have a television set and you’d be hard pressed to find a suitable water glass in the house, but he proudly owns a 100-piece collection of vintage mushroom pottery.

Brian’s actually not that different from most people. We like to think that we buy based on price comparisons and consumer reports, but most of the time we act on gut feelings. I may be looking for a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with a balcony, but if I fall in love with the quirky floor-planned 1 bedroom with poor insulation, I’ll start talking myself into the buy. “That screened-in porch could totally work as a second bedroom… and the real estate agent said it used to belong to an heiress in the 1920s!”

We often choose story over sense. In a globalized market there are too many choices, and we’ll pick the one that stands out. That’s why it’s important to think of your brand not as a transaction maker, but as a storyteller. Coca Cola designates its entire museum to telling the story of its product, and their ads too. This commercial turns a simple transaction — buying a coke from a vending machine — into a complex narrative. Notice the ending:

Back to my friend Brian. During our conversation he remarked that he likes the Craigslist bikes with a story behind them. “I want to know why they’re selling them,” he said. “Maybe it’s the guy’s daughter’s bike, and she’s going away to college, and she’s not going to use it anymore. Maybe they’re moving out of the country. Whatever it is, I want to know.”

I found similar responses when I was selling my couch on Craiglist earlier this year. “Why are you selling the couch?” people would ask, even before they started haggling the price. Putting a story behind your brand lends it authenticity. And the power of promotional products is that they communicate that story to your customers.

So what is your brand’s story? And how will you use promotional products to tell it?